Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. As he will be aware, the Taoiseach has spoken about sectoral supports. In that respect my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Martin, has announced the establishment of a new task force for the recovery of the arts and culture sector under the chair of Clare Duignan. It will consider the impact of Covid-19 for culture and the arts, the audiovisual industry and the live entertainment industry. The Minister announced a new €10 million culture fund. Additional funding was also provided to the Arts Council, which has been allocated €105 million in total, which is 40% higher than it had received in 2019. There is a further €10 million for the audiovisual sector, which is going to pilot a performance and production support package. Many supports are available from the Departments of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Transport, Tourism, and Sport. We will continue to engage with the sector because I fully understand the difficult situation they are in. These people want to go back to work.

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