IT isn't customary in newspapers to hold wakes for out-going Ministers, but the ministry of Michael D. Higgins was historic. The first full Cabinet ministry for the arts was held by a man of vision and energy. His record offers a powerful challenge to Sile de Valera. Here are some of Higgins's achievements since 1992:
. The Arts Council's budget doubled during his Ministry, from Pounds 10.6 million to Pounds 20.8 million currently. That achievement stands to him, despite the fact that it was originally projected that a funding level of Pounds 26 million could be reached by this year.
. The funding projections were made in the Arts Council's three-year plan, Arts Plan 1995-97, which was commissioned by the Minister. The funding shortfall meant the re-scheduling of the plan, at the Minister's suggestion, to run over five years. It is still, however, the first real long-term strategic plan for the arts in the country which has been produced.
. He appointed an extremely able Arts Council, with Dr Ciaran Benson as chairman.
. On his appointment, he quickly reinstituted the Film Board, and located it in Galway. He raised the ceiling for tax relief for investment in the film industry, and personally canvassed film-makers such as Mel Gibson to film in Ireland. Just before the election, he appointed a Screen Commission to market Ireland abroad as a film location.
. He set up Teilifis na Gaeilge, which, apart from its wider cultural implications, benefits the film industry by commissioning a vast amount of material from independent producers.
. He facilitated an explosion in the independent productions sector by introducing, in the Broadcast Amendment Act of 1993, a target proportion of independent production for RTE of 20 per cent of total production expenditure, or Pounds 12 million, whichever is greater, by the year 2000.
. He secured Pounds 130 million under the EU Operational Programme For Tourism Development, for cultural tourism. Institutions which have benefited from this funding include the National Gallery, which has launched a huge expansion programme, the Chester Beatty Library, which is moving to Dublin Castle, the Theatre Royal in Waterford, and the Crawford Gallery in Cork, while others have seen, or will see the light of day largely because of this funding: the Town Hall Theatre and the Black Box Theatre in Galway, the Wandsworth Quay artists' studios project in Cork, Letterkenny Theatre, and on and on it goes.
. The National Concert Hall's funding went up from - Pounds 279,000 to Pounds 485,000 under Higgins, which allowed it to promote its own events for the first time, and also to plan the building of a new, smaller auditorium.
. He secured the extension of the Business Expansion Scheme to the music industry.
. He commissioned the PIANO report, which made strong recommendations about the loosening of RTE's control of the nation's orchestras and music groups: this led to the announcement a couple of weeks ago of the setting up of an RTE subsidiary to manage them, and the appointment of a director of music.
. He convened the FORTE Task Force on Irish music as an international industry.
. His Department commissioned the Public Art Research Project jointly with the Department of the Environment. This led to the extension of the Percent For Art Scheme for the commissioning of public sculpture across all government departments, not just the Department of the Environment.
. He secured Pounds 1.3 million in Exchequer funding for L'Imaginaire Irlandais, Ireland's cultural festival in France last year, and he appointed Doireann Nf Bhriain as commissioner.
