The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has given priority to the work of extending opportunities for individual artists to develop their practice, as part of its five-year arts plan. The council stated that although there are already many opportunities for the employment and commissioning of artists under its Access Program and New Work Scheme – in areas such as public art, musical composition and scriptwriting – it has recently worked to expand these systems. A full list of the council's schemes and guidelines are available online at: www.artscouncil-ni.org/award/award.htm