Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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389. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has agreed to carry over funding for the 1916 commemoration to the general arts, culture and film programme 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4079/17]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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411. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the approach she is taking to ensure that the €50 million spent in 2016 on commemoration will be retained in the arts budget for 2017 for the benefit of the arts and culture nationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4104/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 389 and 411 together.

In 2016, once off funding of approximately €49 million was allocated to the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme under my Department’s Arts Division; approximately €18 million in current funding and €31 million in capital.

This capital funded once off projects including the new visitor centre at the GPO, Richmond Barracks, the Kevin Barry Rooms at the National Concert Hall and the Athenaeum in Wexford.

As part of the 2017 Budget, I retained the majority of the €18 million current funding for 2017 which is now part of the baseline for the Arts division of the Department, meaning it will be available for future years.

This included:

- An additional €5m for the Arts Council, an 8% increase in its annual budget;

- Boosts in funding for all of the National Cultural Institutions;

- €2m to allow for the opening of the newly restored historic wings at the National Gallery of Ireland and the opening of Killarney House on the foot of significant capital investment by the State;

- An increase of €2m for the Irish Film Board and €1m for Culture Ireland;

- Funding of €5m for the implementation of the Creative Ireland Programme 2017–2022.

I am confident that this substantial increase in funding for the arts, culture and film sectors will allow us to build on the positive legacy of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.It also re-affirms the commitment of the Government to progressively increase funding for the arts as the economy improves and also reflects the importance attached to promoting and supporting our artistic and cultural strengths, and supporting jobs in our creative industries.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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390. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the Government will commit to the long-term goal of increasing arts funding to the European average of 0.6% of GDP. [4080/17]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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391. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to increase funding in the arts over the lifetime of the Government; and her views on whether funding for the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board should be doubled. [4081/17]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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410. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on the recent comments by a person (details supplied) that the Arts Council should be getting three or four times the amount of funding it receives from the Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4103/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 390, 391 and 410 together.

The Programme for a Partnership Government contains a very important commitment to work to progressively increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve.

In Budget 2017, I secured significant additional funding for the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board. The increase in the Arts Council's allocation in 2017 is €5 million, or 8%, and will assist the Council greatly in implementing its 10-year strategy Making Great Art Work (2016-2025). I also secured an increase of €2 million for the Irish Film Board, representing a 14% increase in its annual budget. This increase in funding will allow the Board to invest more in Irish talent in the year ahead and follows on from a very successful year for the Irish film sector, particularly the indigenous film sector.

Budget 2017 also includes:

- increased funding for all of the National Cultural Institutions;

- an increase of €1 million for Culture Ireland;

- an additional €1 million to the Heritage Council; and

- funding of €5m for the implementation of a Legacy Programme now known as the Creative Ireland Programmeand the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in the draft framework policy Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach which I published in July last year.

All of this represents real and substantial funding increases across the arts and cultural area and has been welcomed across the sector. It re-affirms the commitment of this Government to progressively increase funding for the arts as the economy improves, as set out in the Programme for a Partnership Government.

As previously pointed out to the Deputy, the source of the reference to 0.6% of GDP is a Council of Europe research project and that many European countries, including ten EU member states, are not included in the data. I understand also that the data is not standardised and is not comparable across countries. For example, local authority expenditure on the arts, the artists' exemption tax relief, expenditure on public service broadcasting and the Irish language are not included in the figures for Ireland but comparable figures are included in the data for some other countries.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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392. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will create an arts capital fund, modelled after the sports capital fund, to ensure better long-term funding for Irish arts. [4082/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Last year I announced a new €9 million investment scheme for arts and cultural centres to run over the next three years, focused on securing and enhancing our arts and culture infrastructure. The scheme will target investment at a range of different facilities, including arts centres, theatres, galleries and museums, as well as artists’ studios and creative spaces. The closing date for receipt of applications was in September. I hope to make announcements on this scheme very shortly.

I will also shortly be announcing details of a new small capital grant scheme for arts and cultural facilities for not-for-profit organisations with a defined arts and cultural remit.