Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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477. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the terms and conditions of the per cent for art scheme under public procurement capital projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53725/19]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Percent for Art Scheme is a voluntary initiative, whereby Government Departments and public bodies may invest up to one percent of the total budget for capital investment projects in public art. The public art investment under the scheme is controlled by defining investment bands and by applying maximum amounts which may be invested. The funding for the scheme must be met from within existing project budgets.

Current Guidelines on the Per Cent for Art Scheme are available on the Public Art website www.publicart.ie. The guidelines set out how project managers are to operate the scheme and provide a common national approach to its implementation. Under the terms of the Scheme, such works are factored into and funded from the overall budget of each capital project by the public body undertaking it

In July of this year, I announced the completion of a review of the Percent for Art scheme. The outcome of this review led to changes to the scheme’s bands and limits which will make significantly increased funding available to the creative community. The new limits and bands will apply from 1st January 2020 and details may be seen on my Department’s website at

I will shortly be re-establishing an inter-agency group to improve information gathering and collation and sharing of best practice on Percent for Art schemes. This group will also link in with the Arts Council and seek to enhance the Council’s existing advisory role in relation to the Scheme.