Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Is mór agam an deis seo a fháil inniu chun Meastacháin mo Roinne do 2018 a phlé. I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss with the committee the 2018 priorities for my Department. I will also mention the significant programme of capital investment outlined for my Department under Project Ireland 2040 and acknowledge the hugely positive impact this will have in terms of strengthening and expanding the valuable work of my Department in supporting and promoting our national culture, heritage and language.

The responsibilities of my Department are broad and diverse and include the conservation, preservation, protection, development and presentation of Ireland's heritage and culture, the promotion of the Irish language and support of the Gaeltacht and island communities. I propose to address the issues arising across my Department's Vote on a programme by programme basis. In the first instance, I will provide a broad outline of the overall position.

A gross provision of slightly less than €303 million is available to my Department in 2018. An additional €700,000 in funding has been carried over from the 2017 capital provision for expenditure on priority projects in accordance with the provisions of public financial procedures. In broad terms, the 2018 breakdown of allocations to my Vote is as follows: €167.3 million for arts, culture and film, including €68.2 million for the Arts Council; €45.3 million for the national cultural institutions; €18 million for the Irish Film Board; €10.4 million for cultural infrastructure and development and a dedicated funding stream of €6 million for Creative Ireland, the Government’s legacy project for Ireland 2016; more than €47.1 million for the conservation and protection of Ireland's built and natural heritage, including almost €12 million for natural heritage; slightly less than €6.4 million for the Heritage Council and slightly more than €5 million for built heritage, including the successful built heritage investment scheme; €48.6 million for the Irish language, Gaeltacht and islands; and slightly less than €40 million for North-South co-operation, including support for two North-South implementation bodies, namely, Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga.

The gross allocation for my Department in 2018 is more than 5% higher than the comparable figure for 2017 as per the further Revised Estimates for 2017 which took account of the transfer of the regional and rural functions and associated allocations to the Department of Rural and Community Development.

The 2018 provision allows for increases in funding across a range of bodies under my Department's remit, as well as increases in funding for a number of arts, heritage and Gaeltacht schemes. This additional funding is targeted at key initiatives, including an additional €3 million for the Arts Council, a 5% increase in its annual budget; an additional €1.5 million for the Irish Film Board, representing a 9% increase in its annual allocation; boosts in funding for all of the national cultural institutions; dedicated funding of €6 million for the implementation of the Creative Ireland programme; additional funding for a further round of the very successful arts and culture capital scheme in 2018; an additional €1.5 million for heritage, including measures to support biodiversity; an extra €2.5 million for the Irish language, Gaeltacht and the islands; and an extra €1 million for Waterways Ireland.

The significance of Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and associated national development plan launched by the Taoiseach in Sligo cannot be overstated in the case of my Department. For the first time ever, the value and importance of our culture, language and heritage are fully recognised and given equal standing with economic targets and essential infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals. The national development plan has allocated an unprecedented €1 billion for capital investment in our culture and heritage over the next ten years. This is in addition to an investment of €178 million in the Irish language and in supporting and sustaining our unique Gaeltacht and island communities. The scale of this investment will be transformative, allowing us to renew and redevelop our national cultural Institutions, enhance the cultural offering in theatres and other cultural facilities throughout the country, digitise the national collections and support Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture.

Our creativity and culture investment programme will deliver on the objectives of Creative Ireland, both in terms of enhancing our cultural infrastructure and making significant investments in expanding our creative industries. A particular focus for this investment will be in the audiovisual sector.

Our national heritage was specifically identified in Project Ireland 2040 as essential for enhancing the liveability of our communities and creating opportunities for tourism. Under the plan, my Department will invest in our built heritage to ensure that the historical cores of our cities, towns and villages are protected and regenerated. I also intend to significantly ramp up investment in our inland waterways, including in the restoration of the Ulster Canal.

The value of our natural heritage should not be underestimated either. Over the next ten years, my Department will develop and implement a major new investment programme for our national parks and nature reserves. These invaluable natural assets teach us the value of our natural heritage, as well as being hubs for outdoor activities and tourism. In 2017 alone, 4 million visitors visited our six national parks at Wicklow, Killarney, the Burren, Connemara, Ballycroy and Glenveagh.

We also need to protect our natural environment. The plan will provide for the implementation of the national biodiversity plan, protecting our unique landscapes, peatlands and biodiversity for future generations.

My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, and I shall both make brief remarks on individual programme areas. We are happy to later expand on any matter that members wish to raise.

I shall commence with some details, with the permission of the Chair, on the culture programme. A sum of €167 million will be provided for arts, culture and film in 2018. As members will know, the Creative Ireland programme is the Government's legacy project for Ireland. Creative Ireland aims to harness the goodwill, engagement and momentum created by the Ireland 2016 programme and places creativity at the centre of public policy. 2017 was year 1 of a five-year initiative, which has already yielded positive results in both rural and urban communities with more people engaging with creativity than ever before. The increased funding allocation for 2018 will build on the momentum by further developing the programme as well as providing increased funding to key institutions, agencies and initiatives that deliver arts, creativity and culture across the country.

The 2018 allocation for my Department's Vote includes boosts in funding for all of the national cultural institutions. The combined total allocation for 2017 was in excess of €45 million. The Arts Council will receive an additional €3 million this year to enhance its support to artists and arts organisations of all sizes throughout the country. The Irish Film Board will receive an additional €1.5 million to build on its vital work in supporting Irish film, television, drama, documentary and animation. The work of the board is key to the successful roll out of Pillar 4 of the Creative Ireland programme, which focuses on fostering Ireland's potential as a centre of excellence in media production.

Increasing access to arts, culture and creativity is the driving force of the Creative Ireland programme. A sum of €1 million has been allocated to accelerate the Creative Children initiative under Pillar 1 of the programme. The funding will be matched by a further €1 million from the Department of Education and Skills. The programme will be delivered in partnership with the Arts Council. Similarly, the Department's funding to local authorities in 2018, to support and build on the work of the local Creative Ireland culture teams, has been doubled with a view to harnessing the energy of Pillar 2, entitled Enabling Creativity in Every Community, which saw 750 events take place across Ireland in 2017.

Culture Ireland will receive an extra €500,000 this year thus enabling an enhanced culture programme to be presented across Great Britain in 2018. The initiative will build on the unique cultural relationship between the two countries and expand the reach of Irish culture to new audiences. It will also build on Pillar 5 of the Creative Ireland programme, which hinges on extending our cultural footprint globally and highlighting our culture as a unique national strength.

The Creative Ireland programme is the implementation vehicle for a wider, all-of-Government policy on culture in Ireland. It also links to the heritage, Gaeltacht and Irish language sectors, which all enjoy increased funding for 2018.

Funding of over €47 million has been made available for my Department's heritage programme for this year.