Key Facts

• Government funding for the arts in N. Ireland is the lowest in these islands at only £6.13 per head.
• Scotland gets £11.93 and the Republic of Ireland £12.61
• Every £1 invested by the Arts Council returns over £3.60 into the local economy
• Arts funding maintains over 2,000 jobs
• Two thirds of arts activity supports cross-community participation
• 75,000 school children enjoyed arts workshops last year
• 88% of people surveyed at the Mater Hospital said arts activity benefited their health
• Visitors say our cultural assets are one of the main reasons for coming to NI
• Nine new arts centres have been built in the last 10 years. Think how these have transformed our towns and cities
• We have world-renowned artists – let’s keep them
• There’s overwhelming public support for arts funding (78%)

 

Per Capita Funding of the Arts in UK and Ireland 1996/7 and 2006/7

Per capita funding of the Arts in UK and Ireland (ranking by growth)	Years
	1996/97	2006/07
	£	£
The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon	£4.35	£12.61
Scottish Arts Council	£5.03	£11.93
Arts Council England	£3.84	£8.09
Arts Council of Wales	£5.37	£8.81
Arts Council of N.I.	£4.49	£6.13

Source: Information provided by each of the UK Arts Councils, An Comhairle Ealaion and Census data from Office of the National Statistics.

Geoff Gatt at the launch of "Invest in Inspiration"

Government funding for the arts in NI has consistently been less than other countries in these islands over the past 10 years; moreover it has been frozen since 2004.

The Arts Council’s annual income from the Treasury for 2006/07 is £10.53 million. The Art Council’s income from the National Lottery for 2006/07 is £7.02 million.

The Arts Council’s entire budget for the coming year 2007/08 is less than one third of one percent of that allocated to the Dept of Health and Social Services; and two-thirds of one percent of the budget allocated to the Department of Education.

92% of artists have indicated that Arts Council support has contributed to their artistic development.

73% of adults in Northern Ireland attended at least one arts event in 2004.

84% of people agree that arts and cultural activity helps to bring visitors and tourists to Northern Ireland, by defining a positive image for the region and adding to its overall appeal and sophistication.

Average annual wage in Northern Ireland: almost £21,000 (Source: DETI)

Average annual wage for an actor working in NI: £4,000 (Source: Equity)

Over 107,000 people participated in educational arts workshops and classes run by ACNI funded organisations last year. 58% involved children under the age of 11 years.

Since 1994 the Arts Council has invested over £94 million of National Lottery money into arts projects and facilities throughout Northern Ireland.

Income from the Lottery for arts in Northern Ireland has fallen from £10.3 million in 1997/98 to £7.96 million in 2006/07.

Government has decided that the 2012 Olympic Games will be partially funded through Lottery proceeds. Consequently the Arts Council’s income from the Lottery will reduce to an estimated £4.74 million by 2011/12.

In March 2007, arts organisations applied for £6.5 million through the Arts Council’s Lottery Project Funding programme for essential and innovative arts programmes. The available budget was just £1.5 million.

The current funding position is untenable if Northern Ireland expects to enjoy a thriving arts and cultural life.

 

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