asked the Taoiseach, in view of his stated commitment to proper funding of the arts, the action he is taking to ensure that increased moneys will be available to the Arts Council in 1989.

The provision in voted moneys and in national lottery funding for the Arts Council in 1989 is £7.117 million. This level of funding, which is 20 per cent higher than in 1986, is a reasonable achievement in the context of the reduction of public expenditure that has had to be made in many services over the past two years.

As the Taoiseach is aware, the Coalition Government organised that 35 per cent of the lottery takings, of the disbursable money, should go to the arts. Could the Taoiseach say what percentage is the £7 million that he has just announced?

The £7 million is not from the lottery. It is from public funds and the lottery.

Would the Taoiseach say, then, what percentage of the surplus money from the lottery funds is given to the arts, by comparison with the 35 per cent designated by the Coalition Government?

I would have to do a little calculation for the Deputy on that. Money for the arts does not go only to the Arts Council, but to the National Heritage Council, cultural institutions and so on.

Would the Taoiseach agree that it is only a very minor percentage by comparison with the 35 per cent?

I do not think that the Coalition Government ever delivered on the 35 per cent.

We delivered Fianna Fáil a lottery, which has been used since then.

We need not argue about it. We shall do our best.

Deputy Nealon, with a final supplementary question.

Does all the money now arising from the lottery through his Department go through the Arts Council to the various beneficiaries?

It is my intention that anything from the lottery for the arts should go straight to the Arts Council. The other situation was undesirable, whereby the Taoiseach was becoming a sort of second court of appeal from the Arts Council. It is better that whatever money is to go to the arts from the lottery should be disbursed by the Arts Council. Then, there will be other moneys from the lottery for the National Heritage Council which will go straight to them. Further, there will be money for the cultural institutes such as the National Gallery and so on, which will go straight from the Taoiseach's Department to those institutions. In so far as the general public are concerned, apart from the National Heritage Council, all the money will go to the Arts Council.

Would the Taoiseach get in touch with the Minister for Education about that practice? He might pass along that information to the Minister for Education.

May I apologise if I am repeating questions that have already been asked? Has the money for 1989 allocated from the lottery to the Arts Council been given to them yet?

No, not yet.

Will it be given on the basis of a number of commitments already entered into by the Taoiseach's Department which the council must meet out of this year's allocation?

I do not know what the Deputy has in mind. The Arts Council will be given as much as we can give them from both State funds and the lottery. After that, it is a matter for them to disburse these moneys.

The point I have in mind is if the Taoiseach gives money from the lottery to the Arts Council for 1989, will that money already have been promised to various bodies around the country?

No.

They will be completely free to spend that money in any way that they like, all of it?

As far as I can think, yes. I do not know if there will be any on-going or repeat commitments from the disbursement made in 1988, which may have to be met by the Arts Council in 1989. Offhand, I cannot think of any. As far as I am concerned, all the lottery funds will be handed directly to the Arts Council and disbursed directly by them.

They will be free to disburse all that, as they see fit?

Absolutely.