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

I published the report of the night-time economy task force in September 2021. It contains 36 practical recommendations in the areas of regulation, licensing, planning, transport, safety and increasing the diversity of night-time activities. The night-time economy unit in my Department continues to work with the implementation group of the task force report, the night-time economy sector, relevant Government colleagues and agencies to progress the 36 actions in this report.

As part of this work, the Arts Council conducted an audit of all arts and cultural facilities in Ireland. A number of key findings were compiled detailing programming and opening hours, facilities, the suitability for night-time economy opportunities, accessibility, climate culture and energy use. This data is being shared with relevant stakeholders and will encourage later programming and new partnerships between late night producers and existing cultural venues.

In addition to this, the Arts Council led the late-night events pilot programme, in partnership with my Department. Funding of €800,000 was allocated to support arts centres and cultural spaces to open later and diversify their offering. Some 14 art centres were selected to take part. The pilot programme aimed to further extend and diversify the offering for later night activity. Each pilot was required to undertake research and evaluation to identify the challenges and opportunities in relation to staying open later. The report on the outcomes of this pilot is currently in development and I look forward to the learnings.

My Department is also funding night-time economy advisors in nine locations across the country on a pilot basis for two years. All night-time economy advisors have been appointed and action plans are being finalised, with many initiatives and pilot projects under way. My Department will work with the local authority sector to review the findings of this pilot and share the learnings with relevant stakeholders. This will help inform any next steps required regarding the further roll-out of this project. The night-time economy remains a dynamic policy area with complex issues to resolve, but also wonderful opportunities to grasp. The collaboration and support of all key stakeholders are vital, and we will continue to add new actions where needed, amend and adapt where appropriate, and build our progress to date.

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