Arts Council/IFB statements on budget allocation 2010
The Arts Council Comment on the 2010 Budget Allocation:
Commenting on the Arts Council’s Budget allocation of €69.15 million, the Chairman of the Arts Council, Pat Moylan said: “The Arts Council recognises the enormous challenges facing the Government and the need to reduce public spending. The €69.15 million budgeted for the Arts Council in 2010, despite the pressure on public resources, underscores the commitment to the arts of the Government and especially the Minister for the Arts, Martin Cullen TD.
“We are grateful to Minister Cullen, and also to the many artists, arts organisations, TDs, members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Arts and to communities across Ireland who have in the course of recent months made public the value they place on the arts at this difficult time.
“The allocation does represent a significant reduction in funding, and, its impact, along with previous reductions, will be felt hard across the sector. However, as the country’s expert body on the arts, the Arts Council is best placed to invest this money wisely, and we will draw on our experience and redouble our efforts to ensure that people right across the country have access to the best of the arts in 2010.
“The Council will also be focusing on the key role the arts can play in stimulating job creation, cultural tourism and investment at this time. We know from research that the sector is already making a very significant contribution to the economy and employment. Ireland’s consistently high level of achievement in the arts means that they represent our ‘unique selling point’ as a country.
“We want to send a clear message to the world that Ireland is a hub of creativity, innovation and flexible thinking, and a smart place to invest in the wider creative industries.”
Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board Comment on the 2010 Budget Allocation:
The 2009 budget for Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) has been announced by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism as €19.3 million for 2010 which represents a 5% cut from the 2009 budget allocation.
Following the recommendations in the Report of Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes (‘An Bord Snip Nua’) for the abolition of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board in August 2009, a detailed examination of the strategic importance of the Irish film and television sector was carried out. This process resulted in a clear affirmation of the economic importance of Ireland’s content production industries in the context of the emerging Smart Economy in Ireland and the key role the IFB plays in developing this sector.
Commenting on the Government decision to continue the existence of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, the Chairman, James Morris, said:
“I would like to acknowledge the role of the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen in supporting the Irish Film Industry and the work of the Irish Film Board as the industry development agency. The support of the Government for Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board is a strong endorsement of the economic value of the film and television production sector to the emerging digital economy. It is also an acknowledgement of the cultural value of Irish artistic and creative work in building Ireland’s international profile that emerged as a major conclusion of the Global Irish Economic Forum in Farmleigh earlier this year.”
Government funding, provided directly to the sector through the IFB is a key component of the entire audiovisual content industry. The 2010 budget for the IFB will ensure that the core work of the agency to support the development and production of indigenous film to be sustained at 2009 levels.
The continuation of Section 481, the Irish tax incentive for film and television, which has also been retained until the end of 2012, will also further help to restore Ireland’s competitive edge as a location for international film production, generating economic activity well in excess of any cost incurred.
A recent survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers valued Ireland’s audiovisual content industry at over half a billion euro per annum and found that it now offers permanent employment to over 6,000 individuals. The industry in turn supports an ecology that generates many other indirect employment benefits arising out of production activities around the country. The funding provided through the IFB in turn allows Irish companies working within the sector to attract additional international investment, which is spent on Irish jobs and local services. The audio visual industry is an important aspect of the Irish economy and has the potential to create growth and jobs in the future.