The Minister for the Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands has welcomed the overall 17 per cent increase in the Estimates for her areas of responsibility. Ms de Valera said the increases meant substantial extra funding for the Arts Council, national cultural institutions, national monuments and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The biggest single increase is the 25 per cent extra funding for the Arts Council. This brings its budget to £26 million for 1998. An extra £15 million has been allocated to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.