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

Venues are a critical part of the landscape of musicians and bands, and music venues in west Cork are among the most high profile in the country. I am pleased a number of venues in that part of Cork were among the grantees under the live entertainment schemes operated by my Department, including the iconic De Barra's, Shanley's bar, Levis's in Ballydehob and Connolly's of Leap.

In regard to any delay, all requests for payment are being processed and the Department is supporting any grantees who have outstanding information to submit it. Payment continues to issue on a rolling basis as grantees submit their documentation and payment requests, and all payment requests and requests for information are being addressed without delay. Once an application has been deemed eligible and a grant offer made, a service level agreement, SLA, issues to the grantee along with further information on the drawdown procedures and notice of the feedback required on conclusion of the activity the grant supports. Once the signed SLA and payment request have been returned along with other necessary supporting documentation, the payment request is examined and, if all is in order, payment is made. From time to time, further information may be required or vital documents may not have been included with the payment request. In that instance, the Department will contact the grantee and provide assistance with what is needed. That can cause a delay in payment, but as soon as all the necessary documents are there, it will be processed.

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