Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the funding but I must agree with previous speakers. We were all delighted at Christmas when the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, announced funding for the pantomimes. Many had to be cancelled at short notice because of Covid. We have an excellent company in Carlow, Striking Productions. It had to cancel all of its shows, which had been booked out. I met the Minister. A portal was opened for the company to apply for funding. Striking Productions still has not received its funding. I am trying to contact the Department and the local authority to see who pays it. This is unacceptable. It is now May. This excellent group had sold out all of its shows. It owes a lot of money to people it had hired and cannot pay them. Will the Minister of State confirm whether the payment is through the local authority or the Department? There is confusion between the two. The group needs to be paid.

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