Northern Ireland’s Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) has announced that promoting equality and tackling poverty and social exclusion are the top priority for it and its arms-length bodies going forward.
The department’s business plan, which was published last month, set out its priorities for 2013-14, which focus on social impact as well as sustainable economic growth.
Carál Ní Chuilín, the minister for culture, arts and leisure, said: “DCAL is not merely about culture, arts and leisure, in isolation. Rather it is a department for the economy and a department of equality.
"My department is committed to delivering targeted public resources, in particular, for those sectors and groups in our society facing greatest inequalities within areas of greatest objective need.”
The business plan also outlines the future plan for museums. The review of its arms-length bodies, which commenced in 2011 and includes National Museums Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Museums Council, is ongoing but is expected to finish during the next year.
The plan states that museum “will continue to protect and enhance the cultural assets they hold, and prioritise programmes, activities and resources that tackle poverty and social exclusion”.
DCAL expenditure on museums is budgeted at £19.03m in 2013/14 plus £0.87m capital investment. The largest area of spend is the arts (£23.48m in 2013/14) followed by libraries (£33.99m). DCAL’s total expenditure during the 12 months to 31 March 2014 is budgeted at £116.8m.
Maurice Davies, head of policy and communication at the Museums Association (MA), said: “It’s great that some UK governments recognise culture’s beneficial social impacts, as the MA does in Museums Change Lives.
"And it’s not just Northern Ireland; in Wales a report is being researched into how cultural and heritage bodies can contribute to reducing poverty.”
Kay Andrews, chairwoman of English Heritage, has been appointed by the Welsh government to prepare the report into how cultural and heritage bodies can contribute towards reducing poverty.
The department’s business plan, which was published last month, set out its priorities for 2013-14, which focus on social impact as well as sustainable economic growth.
Carál Ní Chuilín, the minister for culture, arts and leisure, said: “DCAL is not merely about culture, arts and leisure, in isolation. Rather it is a department for the economy and a department of equality.
"My department is committed to delivering targeted public resources, in particular, for those sectors and groups in our society facing greatest inequalities within areas of greatest objective need.”
The business plan also outlines the future plan for museums. The review of its arms-length bodies, which commenced in 2011 and includes National Museums Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Museums Council, is ongoing but is expected to finish during the next year.
The plan states that museum “will continue to protect and enhance the cultural assets they hold, and prioritise programmes, activities and resources that tackle poverty and social exclusion”.
DCAL expenditure on museums is budgeted at £19.03m in 2013/14 plus £0.87m capital investment. The largest area of spend is the arts (£23.48m in 2013/14) followed by libraries (£33.99m). DCAL’s total expenditure during the 12 months to 31 March 2014 is budgeted at £116.8m.
Maurice Davies, head of policy and communication at the Museums Association (MA), said: “It’s great that some UK governments recognise culture’s beneficial social impacts, as the MA does in Museums Change Lives.
"And it’s not just Northern Ireland; in Wales a report is being researched into how cultural and heritage bodies can contribute to reducing poverty.”
Kay Andrews, chairwoman of English Heritage, has been appointed by the Welsh government to prepare the report into how cultural and heritage bodies can contribute towards reducing poverty.
