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 or disagree 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 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.