evidence: This claim is inaccurate. UK government expenditure on cultural services (measured by Eurostat) is just over half of the EU average. Within the UK, public expenditure in Northern Ireland is less than half than in Scotland, Wales, and England. However, Arts Matter Northern Ireland uses European statistics that reach beyond the arts, and make an invalid comparison between EU figures and public expenditure arts spend within the UK. [...] Public funding for arts and culture in the UK comes from national and local government sources, through Grant-in-Aid and the National Lottery Distribution Fund, administered by geographically based arms-length bodies. The spend per head of population in Northern Ireland in 2017 was £6.06, compared to £12.39 in Scotland, £12.97 in England, and £13.29 in Wales. Northern Ireland public expenditure is between 45.6% and 48.9% of other UK regions. [...] However, the data shows that public expenditure per head in Northern Ireland would need to increase by 105% (from £6.06 to £12.39) to match Scotland, the next highest spend per head in the UK. Furthermore, total government expenditure on cultural services (Eurostat) per head in the UK would need to increase by 45% to match the EU average.