1.1 The Alliance Party believes the promotion of arts, culture and heritage is integral to the quality of life of every citizen, the healing of our community divisions and the regeneration of our society.

1.2 The arts are uniquely placed to celebrate Northern Ireland's rich and varied heritage, vibrant creative life and cultural distinctiveness. The arts can help explore and heal past and current conflicts, and recognition and support of creativity assists in building community self-esteem and economic development. Internationally, we also believe the role of the arts is particularly important in the development of the Province in a rapidly changing world of global communication and new converging technologies. They can therefore act as a creative and economic force for change towards the building of an integrated, pluralist and democratic society.

1.3 Arts, culture and heritage cover a large range of art forms and activities including visual arts, music, drama, literature, museums, language, dance, film, architecture and crafts. New technological arts include computer graphics and design, multimedia and digital images.

1.4 The arts and cultural agenda is increasingly seen as overlapping and influential in other policy areas, including economic, social and environmental spheres. In 1996 the sector had a turnover of £150 million per year involving up to 9,000 jobs. At present, of the £71 million available for overall Department funding (covering Libraries, Museums, Public Records Office, Ordnance Survey, Inland Waterways), the Arts receive approximately £9 million per year. National Lottery monies are in addition to this.

Alliance is committed to working with the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Assembly Committee, including the Department's 'Future Search' Review, the British/Irish Council, the North/South Language Implementation Body and the Civic Forum, on the principles of celebration, diversity and equity.

2.1 Recognising the need to support the arts and cultural activities:

Alliance Party supports the Arts Council's mission statement underlying its current strategy: 'to develop the arts in Northern Ireland so as many people as possible can enjoy as many forms of art as possible to as high a standard as possible'.

Alliance welcomes the recent Strategic Review of the Arts Council 'Opening up the Arts' (May 2000). In particular we support its emphasis on a more focused strategy linked to measurable outcomes, developmental alliances with other cultural institutions, and a stronger advocacy for the Council in promoting its arts strategy linked enabling further government funding.

Alliance notes that funding for the arts has been virtually frozen for the past few years, with the result that we are currently 15-20% behind the average UK per capita spending. We are particularly concerned with the effect of this under funding on the livelihood of individual artists. Other funding issues include the operating costs of facilities set up by lotteries monies.

Alliance believes that arts and culture are central to any effective strategy on social inclusion. We encourage appreciation of and participation in the arts across all sections of the community, in particular those who may have been marginalised in the past --young people, those in economically deprived areas, women, those in rural areas particularly the west, disabled people and older people.

Alliance supports improved access to arts facilities for visually impaired and blind people, deaf people, physically disabled people and people with learning difficulties. We also support a system of reductions for those people who are unemployed, students, and elderly people.

Alliance is committed to building a sound and national arts infrastructure across the Province in partnership with statutory, voluntary and private bodies. Co-operation and co-ordination between the Arts Council and other bodies regarding joint goals and the most effective input from different partners will assist efficient use of resources.

Alliance recognises a tension between what may be perceived as the 'high arts' e.g. classical music and the visual arts and the growing sector of 'community arts'. We support increased funding for community arts combined with an evaluation of current needs.

Alliance recognises that extra support is needed in the currently underdeveloped areas of dance and crafts.

Alliance is committed to ensuring equality in employment opportunities within the arts, and in the composition of boards of management of arts organisations.

3.1 Recognising that the cultural sector has the potential of expanding rapidly in the near future and can play a significant role in economic development:

Alliance is committed to assisting economic development associated with arts and culture through encouraging investment in the arts and creative industries.

Alliance supports and seeks to develop opportunities for business and private sector sponsorship of the arts, such as the 'Arts and Business' Pairing Scheme (e.g. 'Young at Art' in the Belfast Festival at Queens). We note the potential in this area of mutual benefit to the creative and economic health of the Province.

Alliance supports the promotion of film through the Northern Ireland Film Commission, and innovative partnerships such as the Media 2 Information Service, the European Commission's Support Programme, which funds local development, training and distribution in the audiovisual industry throughout Europe. These contribute a positive spiral of increasing local expertise, community confidence and ongoing projects.

Alliance supports a greater coverage of the arts on television and radio, with a particular reference to regionally produced work.

4.1 Recognising the role of the arts and creative culture in life-long learning:

Alliance supports the ongoing work of the Arts Council in promoting the arts in schools, colleges and adult education centres (including exmural art classes).

Alliance encourages the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (NICCEA) Review to give arts a more central place in the schools curriculum, including the creative use of IT.

Alliance notes the contribution of the library service in promoting our literary heritage and providing a range of cultural activities. We support their recent appointment of librarians with special responsibility for the promotion of the arts.

Alliance supports the ongoing role of the arts in hospitals, residential homes and prisons. We note the work of the trust 'Artscare' which stimulates and co-ordinates artistic activity in health care bodies.

5.1 Recognising the importance of preserving and developing our rich and varied mutual heritage:

Alliance believes that cultural tourism is currently underdeveloped. We encourage the growing partnerships between the cultural and tourism sectors. We support the ongoing co-operation between the Arts Council and An Chomhairle Ealaion on joint projects.

Alliance supports the development of speciality arts tourism in the areas of literature and traditional arts. We support the ongoing development of festivals throughout the Province and the work of the Northern Ireland Events and the Northern Ireland Millennium Company in promoting local talent and international cultural exchange.

Alliance supports the development of a network of 'heritage towns' as outlined in 'Shaping our Future' (DOE 1998)

Alliance supports the development of a regional arts gallery, both for the benefit of the resident population and tourists, in line with facilities in London, Edinburgh and Dublin.

Alliance will continue its support of the promotion of cultural diversity, in particular the work of the Cultural Diversity Department of the Community Relations Council. We believe support for cultural diversity can help different people from all sections of the community to celebrate and understand their own and each other's heritage. This is important both for conflict transformation and the appreciation of cultural diversity in its own right e.g. our rich cultural diversity includes ethnic minorities such as the Chinese, Indians, Pakistanis and Travellers.

Alliance believes that the preservation and exhibition of material and non-material heritage in museums and libraries should be an integral part of our cultural tourism strategy. We support the promotion of museums and libraries as resources for the arts as part of a strategic plan of network arts venues throughout the Province. Cross-discipline projects are to be welcomed.

Alliance supports the proposal to develop a 'Museum of the Sea and Sky' at Titanic Quarter in Belfast to celebrate our maritime heritage.

Alliance will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on the issue of Cultural Rights within its Bill of Rights to ensure that the cultural concerns of all sections of the community are considered.

Alliance supports Belfast City Council in its bid for European Cultural Capital in 2008.

6.1 Recognising the close links between cultural and environmental heritage in expanding the tourism and leisure opportunities of our inland waterways and fisheries:

Alliance supports the regeneration and development of our inland waterways system, including the Ulster Canal. We recognise that funding needs to be explored on a partnership basis with interested bodies.

Alliance believes that improving water quality, including the revision of pollution controls, and appropriate planning measures are priorities for the effective and efficient management of inland waterways, recreational angling and commercial fisheries. We believe that increased co-operation between angling organisations and other environmental bodies would be beneficial, for example in meeting the challenge of biodiversity.

Alliance is committed to supporting the work of the North / South Body on Inland Waterways, to ensure a co-ordinated approach in border areas and to develop their potential throughout both areas.

7.1 Recognising the importance of respect and mutual tolerance for the range of linguistic diversity within our community, in line with the relevant clauses of the Council of Europe Charter on Regional and Minority Languages:

Alliance supports the promotion of the Irish language and the work of Ultach Trust in widening its appreciation and use throughout the whole community.

Alliance supports the greater awareness of Ullans and recognises the importance of the Ulster-Scots heritage.

Alliance supports the promotion of ethnic minority languages e.g. Cantonese, Mandarin, and Hindi. We are aware that lack of recognition of such languages can lead to a restriction of access to community resources, such as health and education services.

Alliance supports the development of British and Irish Sign Languages and the recognition and appreciation of the deaf culture.

Alliance supports the work of the North/South Language Body, An Foras Teanga, The Boord O Leid.