Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am grateful to the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue. It concerns introduction of a youth culture card which, as the Minister of State will be aware, we have committed to in the programme for Government. I championed this in terms of our manifesto at the general election, but this is something we believe is critical to ensure young people have access to the arts, cultural events and cultural activities. This is supported strongly by the National Youth Council of Ireland and by many youth organisations. In many ways, Covid denied many young people access to those cultural events which formed part of our lives. For those of us who had fun growing up, we remember going to our first big concert, first gig or first play. It is important we look to recognise young people's access to those activities. It is also important for arts venues to ensure they grow young audiences and attract young people, whether it is to the theatre, concerts or other cultural activities.

We note that a number of countries, particularly post Covid, have introduced such schemes. They cover a wide variety of areas but I will give a number of examples. In Spain, where they have a youth culture voucher, it is €400 for every young person aged 18. Of that €400, €200 can be spent on live arts, culture, heritage and audiovisual arts, €100 can be spent on physical cultural goods such as art materials, and €100 can be spent on digital or online subscriptions. Subscriptions to newspapers or magazines could possibly be included part of our youth culture card. At a time when we face all sorts of questions about digital literacy and people understanding the importance of trust in news sources, encouraging young people to be able to subscribe to newspapers would be positive. In France, where they have the pass Culture, every 18-year-old gets a €300 voucher which allows access to cinemas, museums, theatres, concerts, books, art courses, art materials or, indeed, the purchase of musical instruments. There is a similar scheme in Italy - the culture bonus card. In Germany, there is the KulturPass scheme. In Cyprus, quite interestingly, where there is a €220 voucher, the Republic of Cyprus makes €200 available but the Bank of Cyprus has provided €20. It could be something the State does in partnership with a financial institution.

We recognise in this country the importance of cultural activities. I believe we will see theatres, arts venues and concert venues responding enthusiastically to this to try to encourage young people to come along and attend. In particular, it is important for us to recognise that, coming out of the Covid period, we need to encourage more young people to attend those venues. The previous Government did an awful lot of good work in the arts, such as the basic income scheme for the arts and significant increases in Arts Council funding. This is about building audiences, especially young audiences. The youth culture card has been committed to in the programme for Government and I hope we can move toward it in budget 2026.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for arts, Deputy O'Donovan. Having worked with the Deputy on the tourism and arts committee for five years during the previous Dáil term, I know how important this issue is and what a champion Deputy Byrne is for the arts and cultural sector. What he has raised today is significant and recognises the efforts we all need to take within Government to champion the arts and those who work within it but also to implement new initiatives, such as what the Deputy has presented in other jurisdictions. We all have to make a concerted effort to make that happen.

Research has confirmed the benefits of early arts and cultural participation for children, establishing lifelong patterns of engagement. The Department supports various institutions and initiatives to ensure access to arts and culture for young people nationwide, often at little or no cost.

The Arts Council has collaborated with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on an arts in early learning care and school-age childcare pilot. That is overseen by a steering committee with representatives from multiple Departments and organisations. The Arts Council has supported early years arts for over a decade, commissioning significant research and fostering practitioner development through the various agencies and organisations. The National Library of Ireland offers free tours of the W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney exhibitions. It also partners with various educational institutions to offer internship and academic and professional development.

The Chester Beatty runs creative workshops for teens and supports the youth advisory groups, with collaboration again from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The National Gallery of Ireland targets young people, aged 16 to 25, as a key audience with dedicated programmes supported by the Apollo Foundation. The gallery's youth panel curates events and festivals engaging thousands of young people annually.

Creative Ireland's youth plan 2023 to 2027 aims to embed creativity in young lives through cross-government partnerships with a budget of over €10 million for 2025. The Cruinniú na nÓg annual day of creativity involves over 1,000 events across Ireland. The creative youth nurture fund supports various projects, enhancing access to arts and culture. Post-primary schools and Youthreach centres participate in creative youth programmes, such as creative schools and creative clusters, promoting arts and education. These initiatives demonstrate the Government's commitment to fostering the arts and cultural participation among young people.

The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, is very conscious that the access provided under official programmes is only part of a wider sphere of activities in the arts. The Department intends to explore the contribution a youth culture card could make to encourage interest. The Minister has stated that he will welcome the views of the Deputy. Once the committee has been established, we will certainly look to further the understanding of the opportunities a youth culture card might present and it is in the programme for Government.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his kind words. It was a privilege and pleasure to work with him on the previous arts committee in a very collaborative way. I hope the new arts and culture committee will look at this commitment in the programme for Government as a priority. It is welcome that the Minister has indicated that his Department will carry out assessments as to how this culture card will operate in practice. I appreciate that there may be a cost to the State but that is why I also suggested that we look at Cyprus. We can look at a partnership approach. I have no doubt there would be a number of potential commercial partners interested in doing this.

I acknowledge the role of the national cultural institutions. I was in the National Gallery the other day and saw its continuing programme of engaging young people but this is about so much more. It needs to be done on a regional basis throughout the country. Whether it is young people in Wicklow and Wexford, which I represent, or in Mayo, which the Minister of State represents, they need to have access within their communities to artistic facilities and venues for concerts, gigs, dance and opera. I think venues will respond very positively to that.

We can learn from the experience in other European countries. As the Minister of State has outlined, considerable work is being done in other areas. This is a very strong commitment to young people and to the arts in the programme for Government. I ask that it be a priority for the committee and that the Minister agree to come before the committee in due course to outline progress on this matter, particularly in advance of the Estimates process, and give his thoughts on how this youth culture card can develop.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I again thank the Deputy for raising this important Topical Issue matter this evening. I will certainly relay his comments to the Minister. I am encouraged by what the Deputy said about the importance of the youth culture card. Every organisation providing a range of programmes, events and resources for young people, including both in-person and online events, needs to be supported.

There is an ambitious programme in the Department investing in the audiovisual sector to grow the sector, with new opportunities for younger people to participate in arts, culture and media activities. This group is also considering that we need to target it at young people. As I said, early access for young people allows them to grow within the sector. The Minister is keen to commence that exploration as an exciting concept. Given the Deputy's knowledge of the arts and cultural sector, his input will be important in how we shape this.

It is important that we have full appraisal and regulatory impact analysis on this important concept. It will need a budget and that will form part of the annual Estimates programme. The Department will make arrangements to examine this matter in its entirety. I look forward to working with the Deputy and many colleagues in this House in moving this forward as a whole-of-government approach. We welcome all contributions to the process.