There were angry exchanges in the Stormont Assembly after arts minister Gordon Lyons told MLAs Derry gets a larger allocation of funding than its population share. - video Dailymotion

Derry Journal

There were angry exchanges in the Stormont Assembly after arts minister Gordon Lyons told MLAs Derry gets a larger allocation of funding than its population share.

Transcript

00:00The Arts Council is an arm's length body of my department tasked with the

00:03distribution of funding for the arts in Northern Ireland. It does not fund using

00:08place-based criteria. Belfast is the registered address for many organisations

00:13who in practice provide funding well beyond the Belfast postcode area and so

00:18I would just caution that the funding statistics do not always tell the full

00:22story of where beneficiaries are located. However I want to ensure that

00:26priority is given to provide support which reaches younger people, people from

00:29more deprived areas and those living in rural areas and areas distant from

00:33Belfast and those not currently engaged in cultural activities.

00:39Mr Durkin. The statistics only tell the story when it suits the narrative. Would the

00:47Minister commit to meeting with Echo Echo Dance who recently received the

00:51shattering news that they are to lose 100% of funding and indeed other arts

00:56organisations in the North West to hear their concerns, yes, but also to improve

01:02his understanding of their value?

01:04Well let me say I certainly recognise and understand the value of the arts and that's

01:10why I have done so much to promote the arts in Northern Ireland as well as

01:14increasing their budget this year again. I've also provided capital funding for

01:19musical instruments program which goes right across Northern Ireland, a capital small grants

01:23program that goes right across Northern Ireland as well as developing an additional new small

01:30grants program and I've also developed an artisan residence program for every single

01:34district council throughout Northern Ireland. I do understand the concerns that he has expressed

01:40in his own council area. He will recognise that it has 8% of Northern Ireland's population, it gets 12% of arts funding.

01:53This area has 7% of Northern Ireland's population but only 0.6% of arts funding. I think that's disgraceful.

02:03That's why I'm working to make sure that we get that even spread across Northern Ireland, recognising that many

02:09arts organisations are based in cities as well, but I have done more to ensure a fair distribution and

02:15spread right across Northern Ireland and I will continue to make sure that that's the case.

02:18Minister, you failed to actually answer the question that my colleague raised earlier with you and that was,

02:26would you commit to visiting ECHOECHO? That has now lost 100% of its funding. Minister, it's not the first time that you have

02:36raised the issue that Derry gets too much money for the arts. Oh, you did? You were qualifying it about

02:44percentages of population against percentages of funding. So, Minister, based on that, do you believe

02:50that more funding should be removed from Derry, from the arts sector? Because that's what the suggestion is on the

02:56floor of this House. Minister. Well, I'm sorry, that was absolutely not my suggestion at all. I simply had laid out where the

03:02figures were and I am not saying in any way that additional funding should be removed. Those are her words.

03:08That was her suggestion, not mine. What I was saying was that the bigger cities in Northern Ireland, including

03:14Belfast and Londonderry, there's often arts organisations that are based there that work elsewhere. That was my point that I was

03:22making. And I was highlighting that there was underinvestment elsewhere, but I'm not pitting areas against

03:27each other. I actually want to see more funding right across Northern Ireland. She will understand my

03:32reluctance to get involved with the specific funding issue and funding decision of the Arts Council. I don't

03:39always think it's appropriate for the Minister to individually get involved in those decisions. However, I did

03:46meet with some people that were very concerned about that when I was last in London Derry a few weeks

03:53ago, but it's important that these are dealt with through the normal channels. But just let me

03:58repeat, I want to see more money for funding right across Northern Ireland.

04:01I'll see you all again.

04:07Thank you, Mr. Anchor.

There were angry exchanges in the Stormont Assembly after arts minister Gordon Lyons told MLAs Derry gets a larger allocation of funding than its population share.

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