THE ARTS:THE ARTS Council has expressed some relief that its allocation of €63.1 million for next year is only a 3.2 per cent reduction on this year's allocation.
Minister for Arts and Heritage Jimmy Deenihan said the figure would allow the Arts Council to continue funding organisations from the Abbey Theatre to the 50 venues, 200 festivals and 400 arts organisations.
Arts Council chairwoman Pat Moylan said she appreciated the Minister’s efforts to minimise the cuts, although the council’s director Orlaith McBride warned that the reduction would still have an impact on the sector.
The department’s budget for 2012 will be almost €267 million, including €8.5 million for the National Gallery.
The capital allocation for the arts, which includes new buildings and funding for future films and art exhibitions, will be cut by a third from €32 million to €21 million. However, the current funding allocation for the Irish Film Board will rise by 4 per cent to €2.54 million next year.
