Ms Katherine Licken:

I will ask some of my colleagues to come in on some of those questions. We are subsidising ferry services to 14 different islands, including those to which Deputy Collins referred. Since 2013, that has facilitated 2.5 million passenger journeys. Clearly they are lifeline services and I am glad he has not had any complaints about them. We are cognisant of the issue to which he referred and I will ask Ms de Brúch to talk about that in a moment.

I am glad we are supporting the BA in visual arts on Sherkin Island with €120,000 in funding.

Social housing is not a matter for this Department but we work across Departments. In fact, everything we do in our Department is through working with other Departments because our reach extends into everything. We are happy to take up the issue of social housing with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

The Deputy is correct about the rural regeneration fund. The Department's budget is €356 million and we received €9 million in rural funding. That is a policy issue for the Department of Rural and Community Development. The funding we received was on the Gaeltacht and heritage side so it was all about investing in our national parks. It is about rural communities, as is the case for much of what we do. We also do a lot in respect of improving infrastructure in Gaeltacht areas. We will put that funding to good use for citizens in rural areas, including Glengariff. Mr. Ó Donnchú might fill us in on the project there in a moment.

I am glad to hear Deputy Collins' feedback on the festivals. The Department funds festivals directly, as does the Arts Council. Cruinniú na nÓg is a day of creativity for young people organised by Creative Ireland and there will be 700 events across the country next month. We are very much seized of the idea of empowering local communities. That concept has come from the decade of centenaries programme, the sense of well-being and empowerment that gives and how it sustains jobs and communities.

We will do anything we can to help. Ms de Brúch will speak about the islands.