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

I thank Deputy Durkan for raising this matter. The arts and culture capital scheme is the most significant investment in regional arts and cultural centres in a decade. This kind of investment goes to the very heart of what I am trying to achieve through Creative Ireland and the Action Plan for Rural Development. Creative Ireland aims to place culture and creativity at the heart of every community nationwide, while the rural action plan seeks to revitalise rural towns and villages through a range of investments and initiatives. The Creative Ireland programme places a focus on investing in our cultural infrastructure, because high quality infrastructure is critical for a vibrant arts and culture sector, which in turn underpins social cohesion and supports sustainable economic growth.

I have visited numerous arts and cultural centres in recent years, and it is abundantly clear to me that we are well served in terms of the number of centres nationwide. The main objective of the capital grants is to maintain and enhance the existing stock of arts and culture centres across the country, many of which need to be upgraded. In that regard, more than 85% of the investment is going to projects outside Dublin. The scheme was considerably over-subscribed. My Department received 106 applications in total under stream 1 and 2 requesting funding of just over €20 million. Detailed selection criteria and eligibility requirements were published in the guidelines of the scheme. There was a two-stage assessment process. The first stage involved all applications being reviewed on receipt to ensure eligibility. All eligible applications were then forwarded to an assessment panel which undertook the second stage of the assessment of the applications which advanced from stage one. The assessment panel reviewed each eligible application within the defined criteria and scored them accordingly. The recommendations were then forwarded to me for decision as set out in the published scheme conditions. Following the assessment process, 56 projects are being funded and will benefit from this capital investment, including theatres, heritage centres, galleries, archives, integrated arts centres, artist studios and creative and performance spaces.

Unfortunately, some organisations, including the project to which the Deputy refers, have been unsuccessful on this occasion as they did not meet the eligibility criteria as set out under the terms of the scheme. However, my Department is happy to engage with each applicant on the specific applications. In this regard, my Department has been in contact with the applicant, which has since forwarded the outstanding documentation not provided at the time of the application. Should further funding become available, this application can be given further consideration. Unsuccessful applicants have also been informed of the stream three small capital grant scheme for arts and cultural facilities, which I will be announcing shortly. It will be geared towards providing smaller capital grants of up to €20,000 to not-for-profit organisations with a defined arts and cultural remit. Whereas the amounts involved are relatively modest, the grants will in themselves make a major difference to individual organisations.

I understand the disappointment of the Moat Theatre and arts centre, which is run on a totally voluntary basis, as the Deputy noted. I understand its disappointment but my Department is happy to work with the organisation.

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