The best way to protect funding for arts and culture in Northern Ireland is to slash the costs of running DCAL, according to Conservative Party culture spokesman, Neil Wilson.
“The arts make an enormous contribution to our society, culturally, economically and educationally, but when budgets are squeezed it will always tend to lose out to essential services like health, policing or schools”, Neil commented. “By far the biggest overhead in the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) is payroll. In particular, the salaries and pensions of permanent secretaries are astronomical. The principle should be the same right across government: cut waste first before targeting services.”
“In order to make sure that funding is directed to front-line arts projects and organisations, DCAL should be made substantially more efficient. Indeed, given the way the DCAL has been treated like a divisive hobbyhorse by successive ministers, we shouldn’t rule out abolishing it altogether, if its responsibilities can be adequately covered by other departments, where there is sufficient crossover. The priority should be making sure that arts and leisure funding is directed where it can benefit the community, encourage a flourishing culture and help Northern Ireland’s economy.”