Written answers
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Departmental Funding
Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context
963. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount of Exchequer funding each national culture institution under the remit of his Department will receive in 2025; and the amount of funding allocated to each of those institutions in 2026, in tabular form. [59313/25]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context
The annual allocation for the general expenses of the National Cultural Institutions under the aegis of my Department are set out in the Revised Estimates Volume 2025. The allocations are listed under various budget lines, known as subheads. Four National Cultural Institutions are funded from a single budget line with a total allocation of €29.901m in 2025, namely the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Chester Beatty Library, The National Concert Hall, and the Crawford Art Gallery. The allocations to these four Institutions from within that amount are as follows:
| Crawford Art Gallery | 2025 Allocation |
|---|---|
| Pay | €1,474,000 |
| Non-Pay | €1,034,000 |
| Total Current | €2,508,000 |
| Capital | €162,000 |
| TOTAL | €2,670,000 |
| Chester Beatty Library | 2025 Allocation |
|---|---|
| Pay | €2,820,000 |
| Pension | €193,000 |
| Non-Pay | €1,122,000 |
| Total Current | €4,135,000 |
| Capital | €175,000 |
| TOTAL | €4,310,000 |
| Irish Museum of Modern Art | 2025 REV Allocation |
|---|---|
| Pay | €4,467,000 |
| Pension | € 42,000 |
| Non-Pay | €3,321,000 |
| Total Current | €7,830,000 |
| Capital | €320,000 |
| TOTAL | €8,150,000 |
| National Concert Hall | 2025 Allocation |
|---|---|
| Pay | €9,884,000 |
| Pension | €35,000 |
| Non-Pay | €4,592,000 |
| Total Current | €14,511,000 |
| Capital | €260,000 |
| TOTAL | €14,771,000 |
Three further National Cultural Institutions have a specific budget line in the Revised Estimates Volume, namely the National Museum of Ireland, the National library of Ireland, and the National Gallery of Ireland. The allocations to each of these are as follows:
| National Museum of Ireland | 2025 Allocation |
|---|---|
| Pay | €11,777,000 |
| Pension | €897,000 |
| Non-Pay | €6,084,000 |
| Total Current | €18,758,000 |
| Capital | €1,308,000 |
| TOTAL | €20,066,000 |
| National Library of Ireland | 2025 Allocation |
|---|---|
| Pay | €7,497,000 |
| Pension | €706 ,000 |
| Pension Lump Sum | €107,000 |
| Non-Pay | €2,024,000 |
| Sub-total Current | €10,334,000 |
| Capital | €478,000 |
| TOTAL | €10,812,000 |
| National Gallery of Ireland | 2025 Allocation |
|---|---|
| Pay | €10,319,000 |
| Non-Pay | €3,291,000 |
| Sub-total Current | €13,610,000 |
| Capital | € 958,000 |
| TOTAL | €14,568,000 |
While the total allocation to National Cultural Institutions as a whole will remain as set out in the Revised Estimates Volume, there may be some amendments in respect of the distribution between certain Institutions before the end of 2025, to address specific cost pressures.
Budget 2026 included a general increase of over €4m across the seven National Cultural Institutions listed above. The final allocations across the relevant budget lines will be reflected in the Revised Estimates Volume for 2026.
I wish to note the particular arrangement with regard to the two remaining National Cultural Institutions: the National Archives and the Abbey Theatre.
The National Archives is a division of my Department rather than a body under the remit of my Department. In 2025 it was allocated €2.766m towards its operating expenses.
The Arts Council provides annual grant funding to the Abbey Theatre.
Separately, a number of the National Cultural Institutions have ongoing National Development Plan redevelopment projects which are being funded by the Department over a number of years, and the annual drawdown reflects the stage of development of the particular project. Final year figures for 2025 are not yet available.
My Department may also from time to time provide specific-purpose funding to a National Cultural Institution, subject to sufficient flexibility within my Department’s budget and the submission of a suitable application business case. To date in 2025, the following amounts have been provided to National Cultural Institutions:
| National Cultural Institution | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| National Concert Hall | Bernadette Greevy Bursary | €4,000 |
| National Concert Hall | Creative Ireland (Creative Youth Nuture Fund Scheme) | €18,590.79 |
| National Concert Hall | Audio-Visual Equipment | €2,789.51 |
| National Museum of Ireland | St. Gallen Exhibition infrastructure | €121,770.00 |
| Chester Beatty Library | Preparation of strategic plan | €25,000.00 |
| National Archives | Acquisition of revolutionary era documents | €90,404.96 |
| National Archives | Publication of 1926 Census | €766,045.29 |
| Abbey Theatre | Capital & I.T. Equipment | €750,000.00 |
| Crawford Art Gallery | Acquisition of artwork | €13,865.70 |
| Total | €1,792,466.25 |
No comments