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

Policy on providing access to the arts for people with disabilities is a matter for the Arts Council. As the Deputy is aware, the Arts Council is entirely independent of my Department in its funding and executive decisions. That said, I will ask the council to revert to the Deputy directly on the policy it is devising which I am sure it will be more than happy to do.

In terms of my Department, the Deputy will be aware that I recently announced the successful applicants for the €9 million arts and cultural capital scheme, the largest investment in regional arts facilities in over a decade. Approximately 85% of the funding went to projects outside Dublin. The Deputy will be aware that the town hall in Cavan received €750,000, while the Patrick Kavanagh Centre in Inniskeen and the old post office in Clones also received funding. It is important to point out that all of these major capital projects must comply with the strict building regulations in place in terms of disability access. That is only right because we want these state-of-the-art facilities and amenities to be inclusive and available for everyone to use and enjoy.

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