NATIONAL PUBLIC FUNDING FOR THE ARTS IN 2008

Theatre Forum, the voice of the performing Arts have recently updated Second Age on expectations for Arts Funding for the coming year, and unfortunately it does not bode well for either our audiences or the Arts Community in general. They are urging that we lobby more actively to have our collective voice heard and ask that increased funding be allocated by Government to the Arts Council so that companies such as Second Age can continue to develop and improve the programme that we are providing. Several of our audience have already responded to our surveys and the response is unanimous: that Second Age is of enormous value to a national audience, and without our programme that several thousand students nationally would be "disadvantaged". The following is the update and call for support from Theatre Forum. We urge that you write to the people mentioned below and post your responses here, where we will be happy to forward them on your behalf......


You may have seen the pre-budget announcement last Friday. Theatre Forum's understanding is that the Department of Arts Sport and Tourism has been awarded €654 million for 2008, an increase of €6 million on this year. However €253 million of this - i.e. 38.7% - is capital money.
According to the Examiner newspaper:
Most of the increase is going to the tourism sector;
36% less will be spent on cultural infrastructure, 20% less on cultural programming;
The national cultural institutions such as the National Museum, National Gallery, and National Concert Hall are down 11%. There is one exception, the National Gallery is getting a 14% increase, bringing their budget to €13.3million.
So the signals are not good in terms of funding for the Arts Council and hence for arts organisations next year.
We are obviously going to have be more active as an arts community and fight for as much as possible for the Arts Council. At the risk of stating the obvious this involves you making representations to your local TDs, and to Minister Seamus Brennan ASAP. Ideally this could take the form of a letter to start with followed, where possible, by a meeting in their constituency office.
WHO'S ON THE ARTS, SPORT AND TOURISM COMMITTEE IN THE DAIL
The new Committees were announced last night by the Taoiseach. The Chair of the Oireachtas Arts Committee is Mr M.J.Nolan, a Fianna Fail TD from Carlow Kilkenny, the Vice Chair is Mr Michael Kennedy, a newly elected Fianna Fail TD for Dublin North.All TDs can be contacted c/o, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, or via their local constituency offices which is better for local events. The other members are:
Áine Brady (FF Kildare North) newly elected
Cyprian Brady (FF Dublin Central) newly elected
Sean Connick (FF Wexford) newly elected
John Curran (FF Dublin Mid West)
Dinny McGinley (FG Donegal South West)
Olivia Mitchell (FG Spokesperson on the Arts) Dublin South
John O'Mahony (FG Mayo) newly elected
Mary Upton (Labour Party Spokesperson on the Arts) Dublin South Central
Jack Wall (Labour Kildare South)
Mary White (Green Carlow Kilkenny) Deputy Leader of the Green Party
0rganisations based in these constituencies should ensure the TDs are notifed of arts events in the area and invited along.