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

Funding for the running of the arts centres is provided by the Arts Council. I do not provide any direct funding for the running of arts centres. The local authorities are involved at local level.

Like the Deputy, I believe the community services programme is great. I was able to assist in a programme not too far from me at home. There are arts involved in addition to community services such as meals on wheels. The programme gives employment to people who might not otherwise get an opportunity. I have spoken briefly to the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Leo Varadkar, regarding the programme. I will be having further discussions with him because I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív that, even in terms of the rural areas brief we will be speaking about later, there are great opportunities. A village with nothing in it and a closed post office could use the community services programme to gain assistance where it would not otherwise be financially viable. It is a great programme. I will certainly be having conversations on this with the Minister for Social Protection.

The timely transfer of the archives is an issue right across government. My Department, with the National Archives, is about to embark on a study with a number of Departments to determine whether improvements can be made and how money could be saved on the storage of non-essential files and paper.