‘Shameful gap’ in arts spending between State and Europe

Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys has rejected as incorrect a claim that Ireland's spending on the arts, as a percentage of gross domestic product, is just one sixth of the European average.

Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Mick Barry said the average European spending on arts funding was 0.6 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product) but the equivalent Irish figure was 0.1 per cent.

He asked, during Arts questions in the Dáil what the Minister intended to do to “bridge this shameful gap”.

But Ms Humphreys said Mr Barry’s figures were from a Council of Europe project and many European countries were not included in the figures, including 10 EU countries. She also said it did not include “all of the money that is spent on the arts in this country”.

The Minister could not say what Ireland’s GDP spend was on the arts as the Central Statistics Office’s did not produce statistics that included this spending as a percentage of GDP.

But she said “it is in the Culture 2025 policy that we need to look at how we measure the investment that we put into our arts sector. That is something I will be pursuing.”

Ms Humphreys added that “local authority expenditure on the arts, artists, exemption tax relief, expenditure on public service broadcasting and the Irish language are all examples of elements not included in the Council of Europe figures for Ireland but included in the figures for some other countries”.

Mr Barry asked her if the 0.1 per cent might be the EU average or if it was very close. “If it’s not equal, what is the Irish figure compared with the European average – is it a half or a third? I say it is a sixth of the European average. What is the Minister’s figure?” he asked.

Ms Humphreys said she could confirm that almost 50 per cent of the entire budget in arts, heritage, regional, rural and Gaeltacht affairs is for the arts.

She said the programme for government included a commitment to increase arts funding including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board.

Mr Barry asked for an indication of the increase in arts funding Ms Humphreys intended to deliver in the budget. He said the National Campaign for the Arts is looking for a trebling of funding to 0.3 per cent.

The Minister said everyone coming into her department “is looking for increases in budgets. I would like to give everybody the increase they want. However, that is a matter that I will be pursuing in the budgetary and estimates process for 2017 and I will be seeking the support of my Oireachtas colleagues in that process.”