asked Her Majesty's Government:
What funding has already been agreed for nationalist festivals in (a) west Belfast; (b) Ardoyne; and (c) New Lodge; from what sources the funding was made available and after what process; and whether further funding will be made available.[HL6829]
Details of the festival funding agreed for (a) west Belfast; (b) Ardoyne; and (c) New Lodge in the current financial year, together with the sources, are given in the tables below:
Amount Source Up to £45,000 Northern Ireland Events Company – Community Festivals Fund £99,000 Arts Council - Annual Support for Organisations Programme £9,250 (Spring Festival) Arts Council - Lottery Arts Projects Up to £100,000 DCAL - Transitional Funding
Ardoyne Up to £17,000 Northern Ireland Events Company – Community Festivals Fund £3,500 Arts Council - Awards for All Up to £20,000 DCAL - Transitional Funding
New Lodge Up to £13,000 Northern Ireland Events Company - Community Festivals Fund Up to £25,400 DCAL - Transitional Funding
The Northern Ireland Events Company awards were made using a competitive application process.
The awards from the Arts Council were made following routine application processes.
The transitional funding from DCAL was awarded following a review of a specific number of festivals that had a significant decrease in the amount of funding received from the previous year. Transitional funding is available for this year only.
No further funding from the sources outlined in the tables is envisaged in the current year for the festivals specified.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the business cases for the additional funding for the nationalist festivals in west Belfast, Ardoyne and New Lodge announced on 10 July were (a) delivered, and (b) approved; by whom they were approved; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all related documentation.[HL6905]
The case for further transitional funding for Feile an Phobail, Ardoyne Fleadh Cheoil and Greater New Lodge was reviewed in early July 2006.
The business information reviewed included the applications to the Community Festivals Fund, the programmes for the 2006 festivals, the anticipated income and expenditure for the 2006 festivals and the rationale for funding as set out in the 2005 business cases. Copies of these documents will be placed in the Library of the House.
The actual level of funding, up to specified amounts, is subject to contract and vouched expenditure.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Since the festivals were first funded, how much has been granted up to and including this year to (a) the West Belfast Irish Festival; (b) the Ardoyne Irish Festival; (c) the New Lodge Irish Festival; and (d) the Twelfth Orange celebrations in Belfast.[HL6998]
The funding granted to (a) the West Belfast Festival; (b) the Ardoyne Festival; (c) the New Lodge Festival; and (d) the Twelfth Orange celebrations in Belfast since the festivals were first funded is shown in the table below. Please note that the figures quoted are the amounts that were allocated to the festivals in question; the amounts actually paid out may vary slightly from the figures given.
Financial Year West Belfast Festival Ardoyne Festival New Lodge Festival Belfast Twelfth Orange Celebrations 1994-95 £1685 Nil Nil Nil 1995-96 £600 Nil Nil Nil 1996-97 £89,000 Nil Nil Nil 1997-98 £27,000 £95,000 £25,000 Nil 1998-99 £29,229.98 £1,417 Nil Nil 1999-2000 £47,630 £1,500 Nil Nil 2000-01 £80,933 £1,500 £5, 600 Nil 2001-02 £290,330.41 £13,500 £7,492 Nil 2002-03 £249,224.26 £10,000 £13,400 Nil 2003-04 £393,109 £70,080 £39,160 Nil 2004-05 £379,014 £75,080 £43,110 Nil 2005-06 £277,417 £70,080 £44,160 £28,165 2006-07 £244,000 £40,500 £38,400 £104,200 Total Awarded £2,109,172.65 £378,657 £216,322 £132,365
Please note the following:
(a) The information contained in the table above may be incomplete as departments have no records of financial assistance awarded to the West Belfast Festival prior to the 1994-95 financial year.
(b) The figure quoted in the above table for funding granted to the Ardoyne Festival in 2001-02 differs from information provided by the Department of Social Development in response to an earlier Parliamentary Question (of 21 July 2005, col. WA 308) on funding for festivals. I apologise to the noble Lord as this was due to an administrative oversight which resulted in an allocation of £11,500 to the Ardoyne Festival in 2001-02 not being incorporated in the answer.
(c) The sum of £104,200 has recently been awarded to the County Grand Orange Lodge of Belfast by the Department for Social Development for three years commencing in 2006.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they agreed that £17,500 should be paid to the Greater New Lodge Irish Festival for an event in Belfast Castle; and how the figure was arrived at. [HL7299]
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced on 10 July 2006 that up to £24,000 transitional funding would be offered to Greater New Lodge Festival. Of that amount, up to £9,000 was allocated for an event in Belfast Castle, in the contract issued by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on 21 July 2006. The figures were arrived at following a review of the application to the Community Festivals Fund, the programme for the 2006 festival, the anticipated income and expenditure for the 2006 festival and the rationale for funding as set out in the 2005 business case.