NI election issues guide: Sport and arts

  • Published

Northern Ireland goes to the polls on 5 May to elect a new assembly. Browse the parties' key sports and arts priorities below:

  • Commit to raising arts spending to at least the average spend on arts in these islands per capita, and review how to make this spending effective

  • Adopt a specific strategy to improve access to the arts by sections of the community who have lower-than-average uptake rates

  • Promoting grassroots sports by investing in appropriate facilities

  • Support community relations programmes which reduce the tendency for some sports, or structures within sports, to be dominated by one part of our community, or which aim to reduce sectarianism, racism, homophobia or other hatred within sports

  • We will support public art projects to leave a lasting legacy for the Northern Ireland centenary celebrations in 2021

  • Establish the Institute of Ulster Scots to drive forward a positive research and educational agenda for this vital strand of Northern Ireland's identity

  • Continue support for community facilities such as 3G pitches

  • Work to overcome barriers to the engagement by many communities with the arts

  • Develop art contract clauses similar to community benefit clauses for multi-million pound film and screen projects in NI

  • Support core investment for the arts at local and executive level to further realise the value and positive impact of the arts

  • Sport contributes to health promotion, therefore there should be co-operative working between the Department of Communities and Department of Health

  • Support increased physical education at an early age in schools

  • Stronger focus on creative industries

  • Deliver arts and cultural activities to disadvantaged communities

  • Promote the continued growth of the Irish language

  • Encourage wider participation in sport for healthier communities

  • We will form a cultural advisory group to the minister and introduce a new culture and arts strategy

  • As every £1 invested by the arts generates a return of over £3.60 to the local economy, we should nurture business entrepreneurship within our arts community

  • Northern Ireland should have further powers over broadcasting devolved to the assembly

  • Create a collective alliance in philanthropy in Northern Ireland by developing a co-ordinated strategy, including peer and professional support networks for philanthropists and advisory services

  • Fight for the right of athletes from Northern Ireland in all sports to compete on the international stage for the United Kingdom

  • TUV ensured that the issue of sectarianism in boxing reached the floor of the last NI Assembly. We are committed to keeping up the fight for a Northern Ireland Amateur Boxing Association

  • Continue to highlight inequality in funding for sporting organisations

  • Oppose preferential treatment to the GAA while other sporting bodies are left comparatively with a pittance

  • Empower our teachers to recognise and nurture the creative potential of our children

  • Work with 11 local government administrations to ensure cohesion in planning targets and outcomes

  • Develop a 10-year strategy for excellence - challenging the arts sector, creative industries, universities, FE colleges and business to co-design a strategy that will future proof our place as competitors on the world stage

  • Increase participation in sport at all ages and levels in conjunction with the health department to encourage better health and wellbeing

  • See greater cross-community activity and development through participation in organised sport and arts involvement

  • Support a unifying British culture which is open and inclusive to all, regardless of their ethnic or religious background

  • Support the 'green and white army' and the Northern Ireland football team. We wish them a memorable tournament in France

  • UKIP are content to grant 60-40 funding in terms of grants or loans for the arts, provided attendances can be attained to merit using public money