- The Government was not able to fund and deliver a €100 culture card for 16-year-olds next year
- Minister for Finance Simon Harris stated Patrick O’Donovan will work with stakeholders to devise a culture card
- The card would allow 16-year-olds entry to cinema, theatre and music venues
- The proposal is part of the Programme for Government
- Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh stated it was astounding the culture card was not mentioned in the Budget
The Government was not able to fund and deliver a €100 culture card for 16-year-olds next year, the Minister for Public Expenditure has stated. Proposals to introduce the culture card for teenagers to spend on arts, cultural and music venues were mooted during Budget discussions, but did not make the final cut when the Budget was revealed. Minister for Finance Simon Harris stated Minister for Arts, Media and Culture Patrick O’Donovan will now work with various stakeholders to devise a culture card in the months ahead. The card would allow 16-year-olds entry to the cinema, theatre and music venues. The proposal is part of the Programme for Government, which states that it will examine the introduction of a culture card for all 16 and 17-year-olds to access theatre, music and art events.
Speaking after the announcement of the Budget, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers was asked about the decision not to introduce the card as part of the Budget. He stated he was not going to get into the various items which are raised by Government colleagues. All come up with different suggestions, but there are tightening fiscal parameters, and the Government has prioritised, in the cultural area, the basic income for the arts, which was a huge priority for many people in the cultural space. There is also additional funding for the Arts Council and national cultural institutions, and it was not possible to fund and deliver the cultural card for next year. Minister Harris stated that where they have arrived at now is as a piece of work that will need to be done during the course of the months ahead to devise that culture card. It is a Programme for Government commitment. However, it is true that there is not a concrete commitment to provide 16-year-olds with a culture card in Budget 2027. It is something the Government is committed to.
Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson for Arts and Culture Aengus Ó Snodaigh stated it was astounding that the culture card was not mentioned in the Budget. It is astounding that after endless kite-flying from Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan, the long awaited culture card, a watered-down version of Sinn Féin’s fully-costed Activity Card for young people, did not get a mention in today’s budget. Even worse is the fact that the capital budget for arts and culture has shrunk by €5m since last year, and the overall budget for heritage has been slashed by one fifth, at a time when artists are crying out for spaces and our built heritage is left to decay.
