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

I have no responsibility for Galway City Museum. My Department has not expended any funding on Galway's bid to be a European Capital of Culture in 2020.

I have been in Galway. I do not have to tell the committee how good the Galway Arts Festival is and how successful. I remember speaking at an event at it. The two weeks in Galway when the arts festival takes place are worth somewhere in the region of €23 million to the local economy, which is absolutely wonderful in terms of what it does for Galway and the wider area. There is a commitment that Government funding will be made available for the European Capital of Culture 2020, but that will be subject to assessment and the requests that are received. It will go through the necessary checks. I am due back before the committee to discuss the Revised Estimates and I will go through the Picture Palace in more detail at that stage, if the committee wishes. I have discussed it with the committee before but I am happy to go through it again.