Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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261. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason the figure of €7.5 million is given under new measures as funding to national cultural institutions on page 166 of the budget 2023 expenditure report, while the press release (details supplied) on the website of 28 September 2022 lists only an additional €2.5 million for the national cultural institutions in budget 2023. [48583/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Under Budget 2022, once-off funding of €5 million was allocated to support the National Cultural Institutions for the implementation of a range of COVID-related initiatives including online programming and expanded digital access for the public to the National Collections. The allocation also supported the NCIs with other COVID-related costs such as additional staffing and security, enhanced ventilation, cleaning and sanitising stations.

Budget 2023 retains this once-off €5 million allocation, with a further €2.5 million secured to support the NCIs in their delivery of high quality programming, in promoting learning and engagement opportunities and in safeguarding the National Collections.

Given the designation of the funding as once-off funding, the total amount of €7.5 million is set out in the Expenditure Report prepared by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.  My Department's press release notes the increase in funding from 2022 to 2023 which is €2.5 million.