Scots won’t be pillaged for City of Culture

She also said the Londonderry Culture Company will have to secure £7.75m from sponsors as she is reluctant to provide more than the £12.6m her Department has already committed to UK City of Culture 2013.

The Minister roundly rejected claims that the Ulster Scots budget has been pillaged and money diverted to other schemes.

DUP MLA Michelle McIlveen asked the Minister if the Culture Company could not secure the additional £7.75m for marketing and programming would the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) make up the shortfall.

“If so, will the Minister give an assurance that any further funding required will not come as a result of a further pillaging of the Ulster-Scots and museums budgets?” she asked.

She responded: “I will take the last point first. Those budgets were not pillaged. When people do not spend their money, it is brought back into a central fund.

“It is a disgrace that the Ulster Scots did not spend their money, because that community loses out. I am on the record as having said that before.

“If that continues to happen, I will look at the future arrangements. It just cannot continue to happen. Museums got a big uplift in their budget the last time. The money was used to pay for libraries, so it had nothing to do with the City of Culture.”

Ms Ní Chuilín said she had been told by the Culture Company and Derry City Council “they are confident that they can get the remainder of the sponsorship.”

“Indeed, there was an event in London organised by Hugo Swire to help to secure additional sponsorship. I am reluctant - I think that the Executive are reluctant - to go above and beyond what we have already paid for.

“That is only fair. Almost £20 million of Exchequer money is going into Derry City of Culture 2013. It is incumbent on Derry City Council and the Culture Company to secure the remainder of the sponsorship,” she said.