Draft Budget 2008-11
- The budget sets out the NI Executive’s proposals for public expenditure in NI over the 2008-11 spending period. It explains the economic, social and environmental context for these expenditure proposals and explains how the Executive’s priorities, as set out in the PfG and Investment Strategy, will be reflected in the financial allocations to individual departments.
- Spending on the arts is channelled through the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL). The section on DCAL including Expenditure and Investment (or Capital), found on pages 59- 62 of the Budget paper, is copied below.
Draft Budget 2008 - 2011
- DCAL’s arts spending is broader than funding for just the Arts Council. In 2007-08 arts spending totalled £15.7m. This includes a number of ‘special projects’ as well as Arts & Business, Screen NI, Creative Learning Centres, and ‘International arts’. The Arts Council received £10.5m. The table and graph below show how funding for the arts and for the Arts Council will change over the 2008-11 period.
- Altogether over the 3 years the Arts Council will receive a total increase of £4.25m.
Year |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
Total DCAL Arts funding (inc. special projects) |
15.7 |
14.0 |
14.5 |
17.3 |
Arts Council (ACNI) funding |
10.5 |
11.0 |
11.25 |
13.5 |
- The table shows that funding will increase to £13.5m by 2010/11. However, given the methodology which is used to calculate these budgets it should be noted that the figure for 2010/11 is likely to be less accurate than for 2008/9. This is of concern, considering that the main increase in arts expenditure is ‘backloaded’ for 2010/11.