Debate contribution: Valuing the Arts

Debate contribution by Mr Colin McGrath on 17 June 2025.

MLA

Mr Colin McGrath

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

17 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Valuing the Arts

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5014043

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank everybody for their contributions to the debate. I hope that they go to show that not every Opposition debate has to turn into a slinging match and that, while Members have disagreements, there is an opportunity for us all to galvanise around a subject, have the conversations that are necessary and understand exactly what people in our communities want. There is also a fault in the fact that we all agree. We need to come back and revisit that, because it is not just about our being in the Chamber and saying that we agree on the issues and understand the problems. We need to move on and address them, because the arts are not just a cultural embellishment; they are essential to our way of life. Their value goes far beyond their economic output and reaches into something much deeper and ultimately more profound than statistics or budget bottom lines can measure. Properly investing in the arts will impact on every facet of our lives, whether that is in education, in health and well-being or through those who challenge injustice wherever it is found. That was certainly brought to the fore in our meeting with the cross-sectoral group this morning. The arts impact on every element of life. They probably cut across every Department, even down to the funding of some projects by DAERA, which may not be recognised as a Department that traditionally supports the arts. Such projects take place through many Departments, because the arts cut across much of our lives, yet, in Northern Ireland, we invest less in the arts than anywhere else — anywhere — on these islands. We invest just over £5 per person per year, compared with nearly £26 in the South. I echo the remarks of the leader of the Opposition, my colleague Matthew O'Toole, that, even though there are strains on budgets everywhere else, and probably more profoundly so than here, others have still managed to invest more money in the arts. The question is why. The answer is that they identify the arts as a priority, understand their importance and follow that up with funding. That funding makes what takes place a reality. Reference was also made to the fact that a lot of artists noted that, when we had a Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure — the Principal Deputy Speaker will have great affinity with that — the Executive named the arts in the title of that Department. I do not want to take away from the work that the Communities Minister does, but I understand that he has a lot of work to do, whether that is in housing, the anti-poverty strategy or local councils. Given all the work that is done in his Department, it must be difficult to focus on the arts. The Department's budget has a lot of competing areas to cover. That may be something to consider for the future. We will not rearrange our Departments tomorrow, but maybe we could consider where we place the arts. That might help them to get the priority that they need. As referenced in the motion, it is a bit troubling that priority for the arts is absent from the current Programme for Government. The artists at the round-table event were concerned about hypocrisy. They see Ministers and MLAs turning up to opening events — some were referenced in other constituencies — but, when it comes to trying to get the funding to do their work, it is not there. They feel that that is a bit two-faced. For example, where is the Minister's support for the Riverside Theatre? We talked about wanting to move things and accepting that things need to move outside Belfast and Derry, yet the biggest theatre to be threatened with closure in Northern Ireland is based not in Belfast or Derry but in Coleraine. There was even an attempt, I think, to reference the fact that one community or other would not get the same benefit. We want to see that benefit in underrepresented communities. I do not think that closing a facility in Coleraine is doing anything to balance that. If we are talking about the economic benefits, which many Members mentioned, let us note that that theatre is in the Minister for the Economy's constituency. I have run out of time. We could all talk about the arts for much longer. We will maybe have a much longer debate about it in future, but let us try to assist artists and give them the stability of income that helps them to do their work, which, ultimately, helps all of us.

779 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:48 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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