Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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8. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 60 of 17 November 2022, the status of the legacy framework arising from Galway 2020; when the framework will be published; the breakdown of the way that the remaining €1 million from her Department’s commitment to Galway 2020 will be spent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3698/23]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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This question relates to the legacy framework arising from Galway 2020. Can the Minister give me the status of that framework? Has it been published? Is there a breakdown of the way the €1 million that is left will be spent? Could the Minister give me full details relating to this? She knows the background to this issue. It was not just Covid or bad weather. There was a history prior to these events and the Department set up a special monitoring unit.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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On 1 December last, I approved the allocation of the remaining €1 million from my Department's commitment to the Galway European Capital of Culture programme to support delivery of the programme under the proposed legacy framework.

It is expected that the legacy framework will be published on the website of Galway Culture Company, the successor trading entity to the Galway 2020 company, in the coming weeks. The website of Galway Culture Company, which is fully bilingual, has been live since last Monday and sets out the key high-level programme aims and actions under the legacy framework. The €1 million funding from my Department will be broken down to support the delivery of these programme aims as follows: €300,000 to facilitate EU and international relationships and funding, €500,000 to develop and support place-based cultural programming and €200,000 to provide supports to the cultural and creative sector.

Galway Culture Company, operating within Galway City Council and led by a board comprising local and regional leaders of organisations with a role and remit in the support of culture and creative industries in Galway, has already commenced work on facilitating EU and international relationships and funding. For example, it has established an ecosystem of EU supports comprising the key agencies on the board of the company. This inter-agency ecosystem is working to share knowledge and co-operate on EU funding applications. It has already been successful in the award of funding for the stimulating performance of ecosystems in creative territories and regional actors, SPECTRA, project under the Horizon Europe programme. This project is being led by the Western Development Commission in partnership with CREW, Atlantic Technological University and Galway Culture Company as well as a number of partners from other EU countries, including Germany, Bulgaria and Denmark.

Galway Culture Company is working to develop the legacy framework of Galway's designation as European Capital of Culture and to build on the learnings and outcomes of Galway's many European and global designations, including European Capital of Culture, UNESCO city of film, European Green Leaf city and European region of gastronomy.

Over the coming months, open calls will commence for projects under place-based cultural programming as well as the development of actions to support and enhance the capacity of the Galway region's cultural and creative sector. Regular updates on all actions and initiatives, as well as relevant EU and international funding opportunities, will be provided on the website of Galway Culture Company.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I do not know where to go with this language but I thank the Minister for her response. We had Galway 2020. A total of €15 million was committed by the Department. A total of €1 million is outstanding. That was for Galway 2020. I understand this company is gone as of this month and no longer exists and we now have Galway Culture Company. The only creativity here seems to involve the various organisations, including the organisation of the management of the city council, with regard to what they did with the €1 million. The 2020 has gone by the board.

The website of Galway Culture Company states that it was established to opportunities to engage with EU and international partners and local place-based programming that honours the relationships, buildings on the learnings - whatever that is - outcomes and legacies of Galway's many European and global designations, including European Capital of Culture, UNESCO city of film, European Green Leaf city and European region of gastronomy. I feel like saying "Mother of Jesus". What are we talking about here with regard to €1 million of a legacy in terms of infrastructure and artists on the ground getting money?

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As I said, of that €1 million, €500,000 will be to develop and support place-based cultural programming, while €200,000 will be to provide supports to the cultural and creative sector. Galway Culture Company is working to develop the legal framework of Galway's designation as European Capital of Culture and build on the learnings and outcomes. It operates within Galway City Council and is led by a board comprising local and regional leaders of organisations with a role and remit in the support of culture and creative industries in Galway.

It is the strategic objective of Galway Culture Company to bring together key agencies and stakeholders to drive forward a collective creative vision for Galway through meaningful partnership and collaboration, so creativity is at the heart of that. It will seek to complement the work of the two local authorities in Galway by working with the cultural units in the city and county councils and will assist in the implementation of both arts plans and the cultural strategy.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I know the Minister's heart is in the right place and she has done a tremendous amount for artists. Here she is left with this gobbledegook regarding Galway Culture Company, which has just been formed by various groups in the west of Ireland. Where do the artists come into any of this? Forgive me for being so naive to think that 2020 was about enhancing artists, working with them on the ground and leaving a legacy - a legacy on many levels, including buildings just like was done in the city in Croatia. Nothing like that has happened. The Department set up a specific monitoring unit because of the debacle relating to the Pálás Cinema that cost €9 million plus at the time and is losing money. We were to learn. The word they keep using - learnings - is a dreadful word. It means nothing. The capital of culture no longer exists, the company no longer exists and a new entity is being created as we speak. It is longer than pregnancy. I have no idea what it is about except that it is gobbledegook. I ask the Minister to take a hands-on approach to this.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I looked at the website and if you look at the itemised breakdown of investment in the local cultural sector during the lifetime of the projects, you can see the investment in local arts.

The Deputy may be referring to physical infrastructure as legacy. The bid book for Galway 2020 upon which it was awarded the designation of Ireland's 2020 European Capital of Culture set out that any new cultural infrastructure to be delivered would be part of Galway's culture strategy 2016 to 2020, Everybody Matters, which is developed and managed by the local authorities. The bid book also stated that infrastructure was not part of the European Capital of Culture project, which would rely on existing infrastructure and infrastructure that came on stream between designation and delivery through existing plans and developments. Infrastructure is not and never has been part of the direct delivery and legacy of Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture. I am running out of time but I am happy to engage with the Deputy afterwards.