Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

7. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the progress being made in the development of Culture 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32193/15]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

This simply seeks to establish from the Minister the progress being made on the publication of Culture 2025. I commend the Minister on her commitment in bringing forward that piece of work. Does she see herself being in a position to have the policy in place before the general election, given that it may not be until spring next year according to what the Taoiseach has suggested on many occasions?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The aim of Culture 2025, Ireland's first national cultural policy, will be to set out the high-level aims and policies of the Government in this area in the period up to 2025. To help inform the public consultation process, I launched a discussion document on the proposed cultural policy on 7 August last. That document was informed by a colloquium of cultural stakeholders organised by my Department, in association with the Royal Irish Academy, on 25 May last.

My Department is currently undertaking a series of regional public meetings around the country on the development of this policy. I hosted the first meeting in Cavan last week. These meetings provide an opportunity to hear directly from local cultural organisations throughout the country. In addition, I am inviting everyone to submit written observations on the discussion document and the specific questions which it poses. Details of the public meetings and the postal and e-mail addresses for submissions are available on my Department's website. I also announced last week that the deadline for submissions is being extended to 31 October 2015.

Culture 2025 will reflect the important role culture plays in our daily lives and will help integrate cultural policy within broader social and economic goals. It will explore how culture can contribute to building an inclusive society, provide avenues for expression for our citizens, drive innovation and contribute to our societal growth and economic well-being. The final policy document to emerge from this process will be submitted for the approval of Government and it is envisaged that the new policy will be published in early 2016.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

That is a bit of good news. I hope the document and the policy will address the obvious disconnect that exists between national and local policy. The Minister has clearly engaged the local authorities and their arts officers who are doing a fine job, but from the funding streams coming down the line, we see that the Arts Council has, in a number of regional and local venues and initiatives, reduced funding as it is of the view that local authorities should be putting up the money. There is a disconnect. Will the policy the Minister is bringing forward address that or do we need to wait for the publication of Culture 2025 to see the obvious difficulty being addressed? It is a difficulty that needs to be addressed urgently.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am aware of this and the short answer is "No". The development of our first national culture policy provides an important opportunity for everyone to have their say on what we want to achieve in terms of our arts and culture over the next decade. Setting out high-level aims up to 2025 will help to protect and promote our culture and encourage new cultural forms to flourish. The development of Culture 2025 provides us with a chance to reflect on the important role culture plays in our life. It will also create a platform to bring together cultural bodies and groups at local, regional and national level.

I agree with the Deputy that arts officers in local authorities have a huge role to play in this, because they are at the coalface and engage with local arts organisations. I want them to be part of it and I also want artists to join in the conversation. We are going to a number of different venues and I hope to attend a number of them personally. I am going to Galway next week for consultation and we will extend the deadline for submissions until 31 October. I want to hear from heritage organisations because heritage is also very much part of our culture and I want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved in this consultation document.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We look forward to the symposium in Dublin, which should be worthwhile. I am struck by the fact that the Minister and I grew up in an Ireland that was, to a large extent, a monocultural place, while we are now multicultural. I was talking to Deputy Kitt about the Carole King song "Tapestry", in which she sings of a "tapestry of rich and royal hue". How will the Minister ensure that, in this Culture 2025 document, the rich and royal hue of the tapestry that is now Ireland can be reflected in order that the multicultural nature of the society we have become can be reflected in Government policy and can be responded to by arts officers and others involved in arts and heritage and all the myriad aspects of the cultural life of a country?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I absolutely agree that we have become a multicultural society and we want to engage with other cultures because that diversity will continue to enrich our culture. We want to protect our own culture but, at the same time, embrace new cultures. We are also going to be looking at new technology because that is going to have a huge impact on our culture as well. I have put out these areas as headlines to get people's ideas on how to bring together all the richness we have.

Locally there are a number of different cultural events. In my own county of Monaghan new communities have celebrated their culture and we have celebrated our different cultures together. By bringing them together, our own culture will develop into a richer culture and how we do that will be part of the discussion. I want to encourage as many people as possible to make their views known on how we should move forward because culture is so much a part of what we are as a people. Everyone who leaves this country talks of our culture so it is important we protect it and allow it to grow and flourish.