Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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418. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her priorities for the remainder of her term in office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32770/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to implementing the priorities set out in the Programme for Government and in the Statement of Government Priorities 2014-2016,published by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste on 11July last. These will form theunderlying basis of the work of my Department for the remainder of this Government's term of office. The Statement of Government Prioritiesidentifies 6 key priorities for the coming period. I believe that my Department will have a particular contribution to make in relation to 3 of these priorities:

- Strengthening the domestic economy and prioritising new jobs for the unemployed;

- Rebuilding trust in politics and public institutions; and

- Protecting and enhancing peace in Northern Ireland.

It will remain a key objective for my Department to maximise the economic and employment creation potential of the arts, heritage and Gaeltacht sectors. In this context, it will seek to continue to develop synergies between the arts, cultural, heritage and Gaeltacht sectors, most notably in the area of tourism product development and cultural tourism.

The Statement of Government Prioritiesmakes specific reference to the coordination and organisation events and commemorations related to Ireland's path to independence that are respectful to the different traditions and communities on the island of Ireland. In that context, I will continue to advance plans for the programme of commemorative events in the context of the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2022, including the centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016.

I also look forward to working for the promotion of North/South co-operation in the context of the remit of my Department and, in particular, through the work of the North South Implementation Bodies that my Department co-funds – Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga.

Other key issues in the context of the Programme for Governmentwill be the continuation of efforts with stakeholders to implement the National Peatlands Strategy and the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language.