National cultural institutions, such as museums and parks, could be forced to close or restrict access to the public under cuts outlined by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Cuts of €37 million to allocations for the Arts and the Irish language would negatively impact on tourism, employment opportunities and on the range of services provided to the public, the department said in a document published yesterday.
In its Comprehensive Spending Review, the Department said cuts of 15 per cent, as envisaged by the Department of Public expenditure, would have significant negative implications on its core functions.
Such a level of cuts would undermine cultural tourism as basic levels of service of national cultural institutions and national parks could not be guaranteed.
All such facilities would be “potentially vulnerable to closures or restrictions to public access”. Regional venues would be vulnerable to closure and festival funding would reduced.
The Department of Arts also said there could be “adverse impacts on Ireland’s ability to respond to judgments in the Court of Justice and the European Union, leaving the State at significant risk of financial penalties unless this area is adequately resourced”.
The Department also said it might be necessary to reduce the season for the opening of visitor centres and facilities at national parks and nature reserves, while conservation work on the State’s heritage properties would “effectively go into abeyance”.
There would also be negative impacts on “lifeline transport services” to the islands.
Each Government department was required to make proposals for cuts as part of a comprehensive review of expenditure carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform over recent months. The outcome of the review formed the basis for sending estimates for next year, as well as the cutbacks announced by Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin on Monday.
The Department of Arts identified cuts based on the 15 per cent requirement, but separately outlined a range of options that would provide “realistic and sustainable” level of reductions of 7.5 per cent, or €15.5 million between 2012 and 2014.
The Department said its overall level of current expenditure was now at a “very moderate level, having regard to the contribution it makes to supporting economic activity across the country – most particularly in the area of cultural tourism”.
This was one of the few indigenous, labour-intensive sectors with significant capacity to generate economic growth, growth in experts and growth in employment.
Its gross current allocation for its four programme areas had already decreased by some €54 million (21 per cent) from €253.118m in 2008, to €199.14m in 2011.
The proposed €15.5 million in savings over the three-year period would include reductions of some €8.6 million in allocations for the Arts Council, Culture Ireland and other bodies.
Irish language and Gaeltacht-related programmes would be cut by €2.7 million, which North-South programmes would be reduced by some €3.6 million. There would also be a €550,000 reduction in heritage spending.
Under the Department of Public Expenditure’s 15 per cent savings scenario, the Arts Council would see its funding cut by some €9.8 million between 2012 and 2014.
The National Gallery would see cuts of €1.1 million over the three years, while the Irish Film Board would have its allocation reduced by almost €300,000.
Culture Ireland, which promotes the work of Irish artists and organisations overseas, would have its total allocation cut by nearly €5 million in total over the three year period. The organisation has an allocation of just under €7 million this year.
General expenses of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Chester Beatty Library, the National Archives and the National Archives Advisory Council would be reduced by €1.5 million in total.
Regional museums, galleries and cultural centres would also be hit, with a reduction of €1.2 million over the period.
The Heritage Council would have its funding cut by €610,000, while the National Parks and Wildlife Service would have its funding cut by €854,000 over the three years.
The total allocation for Irish language and the Gaeltacht would be cut by €6 million over the three years, from a full-year allocation this year of €34.5 million.
This would hit Irish language support schemes.
Although many of the proposals in the spending reviews were not adopted by the Cabinet for this year's budget, it is understood they could be considered in future years.