Madam, - Fred Johnston of the Galway Western Writers' Centre suggests (May 31st) that some form of special arrangement was made to allow this Department to provide direct funding to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, in contravention of the policy under which the Department does not normally fund arts organisations directly, but channels State funding through the Arts Council.
Mr Johnston's suggestion is wrong. Funding for Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann was, indeed, made available to this Department when the estimates for 2005 were finalised. This funding was inserted under the capital component of subhead D5 - Cultural Development - of the Department's estimate. The Department has for many years provided capital grants to arts organisations all around the country, and to do the same for Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is entirely in line with precedent.
Neither has the Minister any intention of departing from the long-standing practice that "current" funding for arts organisations is provided through the Arts Council, on the basis of the Council's independent decisions. - Yours, etc,
KEITH ASHMORE, Press Officer, Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, Dublin 2.