Culture
08 Oct 26

Opposition criticises budget allocations for Culture, Communications and Sport

The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.

Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats have criticised the budget, which is a decrease from last year, as a disappointment.

Details have been released about the allocations made for the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport in Budget 2027. Fine Gael Minister Patrick O'Donovan TD and Fianna Fáil Minister Charlie McConalogue TD highlighted the benefits of the funds, while Sinn Féin spokesperson Joanna Byrne pointed out that the budget was tighter than last year's.

The total amount allocated to the department comes out to nearly 1.3 billion euro. A record amount, over €143.5 million, was granted to the Arts Council.

Joanna Byrne TD said; "Last year, the Government presented a budget of €1.5 billion and this year the package is only €1.3 billion. The details are so sparse that we do not know exactly where the downfalls will be."

She also criticised the financial disparity created by funding hurling and camogie over other sports, and the lack of follow-through on the proposed Culture Card, which Minister O'Donovan said he would "continue to explore the development of".

The Social Democrats stated that "families, workers, young people, [and] pensioners are all let down by this shambolic budget". Sinéad Gibney TD criticised that promises which generated positive press were left unfilfilled, claiming the budget only benefits large corporations.

The budget includes €34.4 million for the continuation of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme, which will support 2,000 artists in 2027. An additional €340.9 million will go to independent and public service media.

Meanwhile, RTÉ have said their portion of the budget is a €20 million cut from what was promised in a three-year plan made in 2024.

A statement issued by the department claimed that "the level of funding for public service media will be maintained in 2027", with €240 million provided to RTÉ and €65.4 million to TG4.

The total support for broadcast and media funding schemes will be €34.4 million for 2027, while funding for the National Counter Disinformation Strategy will be €1.1 million.

"This €1.298 billion allocation backs that ambition [to secure investment for the sectors] with practical support for artists, clubs, communities and the public services people rely on every day", said O'Donovan, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport. He did not comment on any cuts made.

Other allocations made by the budget include €1 million for Gaelic Games Development, with a focus on hurling and camogie; as well as funding for elite athletes training for the 2028 Olympics. The money also covers continued support for the Post Office Network and €153 million for the National Broadband Plan.

Minister of State for Sport and Postal Policy McConalogue said; "Crucially, this Budget provides for the last full year of this Olympic cycle, and we will support our high-performance athletes as the countdown to the LA Games in Summer 2028 enters its final phase.

"With Budget 2027, we are on track to break €100 million in funding for high-performance athletes in an Olympic cycle for the first time, and recent results in European and World Championships have demonstrated the impact of this funding."