Ms Katherine Licken:

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil libh as an deis a thabhairt dom an ráiteas seo a dhéanamh inniu. Gabhaim buíochas freisin le hOifig an Ard-Reachtaire Cuntas agus Ciste as an mbealach proifisiúnta a rinne a cuid oifigeach an obair a bhí riachtanach i ndáil leis an gcuntas sin.

I am very pleased to have this opportunity to address the committee at what I believe is a very critical period in time for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. As I address the committee, I am extremely cognisant of all of the ongoing efforts to mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic across society. This is particularly pertinent in respect of the sectors served by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. These sectors are fundamentally about people, audiences and participation. They include the arts sector, live entertainment and cultural events, which includes artists, entertainers and audiences; sporting participants and spectators; hotels, restaurants, bars or tourism attractions and services and the tourists and patrons who enjoy these facilities; and students attending coláistí samhraidh, the coláistí, mná tí and hallaí pobal that support this experience and businesses in Gaeltacht regions.

Our national and local media have also been critical stakeholders right throughout the pandemic. They have provided important public information and debate throughout the crisis, while also experiencing their own challenges.

The impact of the pandemic on all these sectors is well documented. Employing many hundreds of thousands of people, right across the country, these are the sectors that thrive when people congregate to enjoy their leisure time together. They were the first to close as a result of the pandemic, and they are among the last to return to full operations as restrictions ease. In response to the impact of Covid-19 across these sectors, the Department introduced several new schemes and initiatives over the past 18 months. These include the Covid-19 business continuity scheme, business adaptation schemes and restart grants for the tourism and hospitality sectors; a significant suite of supports for live performance across the events and entertainment industries; a support package for the sports sector, encompassing the IRFU, GAA, FAI, the national governing bodies of sport and clubs and communities; measures to support the Irish summer colleges sector; and measures to support media, and the independent and local radio sector in particular. These measures are all in addition to the significant suite of cross-sectoral supports that the Government has introduced.

The staff of the Department and its agencies have worked tirelessly to design and implement a wide range of initiatives and programmes in the optimal manner to focus the supports where most needed, while simultaneously pivoting to a new way of working that did not involve physical attendance at the office. The supports put in place needed to be flexible and dynamic in response to an ever-changing environment, and that still remains the position as we continue to monitor and assess the impact of both the pandemic and the mitigating interventions.

Regarding my appearance here, the briefing note provided to the committee outlines the background to the establishment of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in 2020 and some of the key outputs of the Department in that year, by programme area, and it also provides details regarding the Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture project, which is the subject of chapter 7 of the report of the Controller and Auditor General for 2020.

The European Capital of Culture is the longest running and one of the most high-profile European Union actions in the cultural space. It has been a great honour for Galway to hold the designation from February 2020 to April 2021, despite the complications that Covid-19 presented. During its designated year, Galway 2020 supported more than 600 artists and other cultural workers, such as producers, technicians and crew, to deliver more than 500 events through a combination of physical and online events in what was an unprecedented global pandemic. In delivering this programme, Galway 2020 employed a dynamic volunteer programme, consisting of more than 800 volunteers from 50 countries, and a strong community engagement programme, as well as vibrant international and partnership programmes.

As Accounting Officer for the Department, I welcome the Comptroller and Auditor General's examination of the oversight of funding for the European Capital of Culture 2020 project. I accept the recommendations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General on foot of the detailed examination, as outlined in chapter 7 of the 2020 report, and I will continue to work to ensure that all relevant grant management provisions are fully incorporated and implemented as part of future oversight of and reporting on grants.

I reiterate my commitment as Accounting Officer to ensuring that all projects under the remit of the Department are managed in accordance with the provisions of the public spending code and all relevant circulars. We will continue to take lessons from the past to ensure that we have the most appropriate and effective structures and processes in place to deliver effectively for all our stakeholders, many of whom have been and continue to be adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. I am happy to expand on any of these areas. I have brought my full management board team with me today because of the breadth, range and depth of our programmes. Therefore, we are very happy to expand on any of the programme areas.