Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the work being done regarding the Gathering 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45401/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to report continued good progress in the preparations for The Gathering Ireland 2013 which will be Ireland's biggest ever tourism initiative. Fáilte Ireland is the lead agency for the implementation of the initiative and has put in place a project executive team to implement it. Tourism Ireland has specific responsibility for promoting The Gathering Ireland 2013 in overseas markets and has also provided staff for the project team.

The St. Patrick's Day festivities were used for the overseas launch while a major domestic launch took place on Friday, 11 May 2012 in Dublin Castle. Since then the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, and I have attended a number of events overseas to mobilise support for the initiative. The Gathering Ireland 2013 was the title sponsor of the Notre Dame versus Navy American football game in September which received widespread coverage in the United States. President Higgins also promoted The Gathering Ireland 2013 during his recent visit to South America and further publicity events in our main overseas tourism markets are planned for the remainder of the year.

In terms of domestic activity, local Gathering co-ordinators have been appointed in each county and steering committees have been formed. Over 7,000 people have attended 52 community meetings throughout Ireland since June. Individuals and community groups can see what is already planned in their area by logging on to The Gathering Ireland 2013 website where planned events are shown by county. The website also provides online supports and ideas for those interested in setting up their own event. I am informed that there are now more than 600 individual events pledged on The Gathering Ireland 2013 website and this is increasing daily. Among the most common are clan gatherings, twin-town trips, school and work reunions, genealogical projects and family reunions.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I have had the opportunity to meet Mr. Miley, who has responsibility for running the event and he is very clear in what he wants to do. I am concerned that it does not appear to have a comprehensive budget. I have spoken to representatives of a number of community groups in my area who are anxious to be part of The Gathering Ireland 2013 and see it as their civic duty. However, it is not clear what kind of funding will be available to these groups in the organising and promotion of such events. I accept, as the Minister said, that there is a level of activity among small communities involving things like family gatherings. I believe there should be some assistance with the cost of the communications that need to be put in place.

Other groups are seeking to organise larger events and it is unclear whether the State will be in a position to provide the necessary funding. That matter needs to be clarified relatively quickly because as the Minister and the Minister of State both know, people who are coming from our important tourism markets cannot decide to do so at the last minute. While it may apply to those coming from our nearest neighbour, which is a very important tourism market for us, people coming from the United States would make those decisions now towards the end of the year if they are planning on coming here next summer or autumn. I ask the Minister to provide information on the overall budget.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Some funding is available through Fáilte Ireland's festival and events programme. The Minister of State, Deputy Ring, made some announcements on that matter recently. There is a top-up fund for festivals with a Gathering dimension. I believe we need to examine the smaller projects at county level to which the Deputy referred. Obviously, the Department is a bit short of cash at the moment, but that is something we need to examine. If we were able to find a private or corporate sponsor, that would be very helpful. It is something we are trying to work on, but I cannot make any commitments at this stage.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister is aware, a number of the smaller existing festivals receive funding either from the Arts Council or the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. We should utilise to the greatest extent possible funding that already exists. For this particular year there should be a requirement for Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht funding to have a Gathering dimension. In Counties Mayo and Clare there are many arts festivals, which receive support from the State through the Arts Council and have significant tourism potential. They have the capacity to act as a catalyst to attract tourism as part of the overall Gathering project.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I recently met representatives of the Arts Council, who when deciding on their funding programmes are taking into account how the arts and arts centres can contribute to The Gathering Ireland 2013. However, they do not envisage being in a position to allocate their funding until the new year. Obviously we would prefer to see that happening before the new year, but that is their call and not mine. The Minister of State, Deputy Ring, has been in contact with the county managers and mayors of the local authorities to ask them to set aside even a small amount of money from their budgets next year to support events such as this.