Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The 2021 total gross funding allocation to my Department, as per the Estimates, is €1.082 billion. This represents an increase of €79 million, or 8%, on the 2020 allocation, as per the Revised Estimates voted for the Department on 8 October 2020. The 2020 figures published as part of those further Revised Estimates included additional funding of €183 million, which was secured during 2020 to deal with the impacts of Covid-19 and to ensure the survival and recovery of businesses and operations in sectors for which I have responsibility. In broad terms, the 2021 funding for those sectors represents an increase of 35% on the 2019 levels.

Some of the funding increases, such as the €55 million support fund for strategic tourism businesses and the €50 million for the live entertainment industry, are exclusively directed at interventions to mitigate the impact of Covid-19. Other measures, such as the €8 million for the transfer of the National Symphony Orchestra and funding to support the Irish language, are not Covid related but relate to the development of sectors generally and, in the case of Údarás na Gaeltachta, recognise the Brexit-related challenges faced by its client companies.

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