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Announcement of additional funding for Irish Language Braodcasting Fund

Tuesday, 17 June 2008

The Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Gregory Campbell MP MLA today welcomed the announcement of an extension of the Irish Language Broadcast Fund for a further two years.  Funding for the Irish Language Broadcast Fund was first made available as part of the Joint Declaration in 2003 when £12million was announced for the Fund and a similar amount for the Ulster-Scots Academy.

Mr Campbell said: “The Irish Language Broadcast Fund has a target of delivering 75 hours additional Irish language and television output per year.  The funding was available until the end of the current financial year.  The additional funding which has been made available by the UK Government will allow the fund to continue for a further two years.”

This funding has been key in developing these important areas.

The Minister said: “I welcome the announcement of a further £6million for the Fund and look forward to being able to ensure that both the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots achieve comparable treatment of funding in the future.”

Notes to Editors:

The Joint Declaration committed the Government to take the necessary steps to establish a fund for financial support for Irish language film and television production.  A similar commitment was also contained in the Good Friday Agreement.

Northern Ireland Screen is delivering this commitment through the Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) which is a sub-committee of the NI Screen Board.  The fund has a target of delivering at least 75 hours additional Irish language and television output per year.

Funding is £3million per year giving a total of £12million up to 2008-09.

The fund has been operational since June 2005.

The UK Government has agreed to make available £6million to ensure the fund continues for the final two years of the Comprehensive Spending Review (2009-10 and 2010 – 11).

The Joint Declaration also made £12million available for the Ulster-Scots Academy and work is being taken forward to progress this.