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

I intend to fill the position of director of the Creative Ireland programme through an open competition managed by the Public Appointments Service, PAS. The position will be for a five-year fixed-term contract and I am advised that applications will be sought shortly.

A key element underpinning the success of the Ireland 2016 centenary programme was the extent to which it was embraced by the Irish people at home and abroad. My Department's Creative Ireland programme is the Government's legacy programme for Ireland 2016 and the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in the draft framework policy, Culture 2025-Éire Ildánach, published by my Department in July last year. Through Creative Ireland, we want to build on the huge level of collaboration we experienced throughout the centenary year between central and local government, across embassies and consulates, between universities and State agencies and between creative artists and industry.

The five-year initiative from 2017 to 2022 places creativity at the centre of public policy and its core proposition is that participation in cultural activity drives personal and collective creativity with significant implications for individual and societal well-being and achievement. To advance the implementation of this ambition programme, I have established a dedicated project office within my Department.

See this speech in context