Ms Stephanie O'Callaghan:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to come here. As Ms Lowry stated, in consultation with colleagues, we recognised in the Arts Council that the requirement to raise funding domestically was becoming an impediment, even at the outset, for organisations to even consider making applications. In 2016 we introduced a co-fund which provided successful applications to the Creative Europe programme with co-funding for the activities that occurred in Ireland. That has been successful to date and so far 25 applicants have been awarded nearly €600,000 in that co-funding award. That has realised total EU grants of just over €1.7 million, with an Irish spend of just under €1.2 million, and it has seen projects funded in Dublin, Galway, Cork, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford. That has given the programme a momentum because from its introduction in 2016, its success has bred success and it has demonstrated to other would-be applicants that this was available and in a way it cut out one of those other barriers to making a project successful in Ireland. We intend to continue with that because the evidence to date suggests it is working well and is breaking down one of those other barriers to engaging with the programme. We will continue to deliver that. It is a key part of the Arts Council's commitment to develop work internationally and to support international collaboration, which we would see within the EU and in the context of the UK as well, to refer to the earlier question. We have other supports that we make available and we encourage that through our policies.