Government investment in the arts, such as music and theatre, is a waste of money. Governments must invest this money in public services instead. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Currently, most governments spend a large part of their budget not only on public services, but

also

the arts.

Although

it is necessary to channel a proportion of

government

money toward

this

sector, most should be spent on public services. It is important that the

government

spends a significant amount of its budget on public services because these are our hospitals, roads and schools, and they determine quality of life. Taking the UK as an example, the

government

has recently reduced public spending on health and education, resulting in increased waiting lists for hospital treatments and fewer teachers, both of which will have

further

adverse effects in the future.

This

demonstrates the importance of ensuring that a large proportion of

government

money is spent on public services as it is the only way to maintain standards and accessibility for everyone.

However

,

this

does not mean that the arts should be completely neglected.

Firstly

, it is difficult for many arts institutions to generate much profit because people are not prepared to pay high entrance fees for places

such

as art galleries or theatres, so without some help from the

government

,

such

places may have to close.

Also

, the arts have an important impact on our quality of life, with many people getting great pleasure in going to see music and theatre performances. Not only

this

, the performing arts and literary arts

such

as dance and books help to keep our culture and history alive for future generations. To conclude,

although

the majority of

government

spending should be directed towards public services, spending money

on

Suggestion

for

the arts is not a waste and should continue. A balance is required to ensure public services are maintained whilst the arts remain available to all.