Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

139. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the total number of eligible applicants to the grassroots music venue supports scheme who met necessary criteria to avail of the scheme; the total number of successful applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34898/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

149. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the total number of eligible applicants to the grassroots music venue supports scheme who met necessary criteria to avail of the scheme; the geographical distribution of the successful applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34899/25]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of the criteria that were used for the grassroots music venue support scheme. I commend the Department on introducing this scheme. As a festival director, I am acutely aware of the challenges for major festivals, like our own, but also the grassroots music venue supports. The scheme was very welcome, but it is devastating to learn how the Department divvied out this money on a first-come first-served basis. Not one venue north of Galway or west of Louth got money, despite the fact that there are sound technicians, music technicians and artists playing in venues that were eligible. The whole region has been left out because of the criteria used by the Department. This needs to be examined quickly. Some of these venues need the support and I ask the Minister reconsider the decisions that have been made.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 149 together.

I launched the grassroots music venue support scheme in March this year to support small, established music venues that promote themselves and are known in the community for programming grassroots music artists, in recognition of the contribution they make to the music industry and the wider night-time economy.

The scheme aims to provide employment opportunities for emerging artists and professionals, including production staff and crew who are dependent on live performances. The scheme operated with a total fund of €500,000 and grants were available of up to €15,000 to host events showcasing the talent of emerging, grassroots artists, performing live music that they have written or created themselves. The scheme was extremely popular and it was closed in early April as it was oversubscribed. A total of 96 applications were received by my Department. Applications were assessed by my officials strictly by order of date and time of receipt and all venues had to meet the eligibility criteria and conditions of funding, in accordance with the guidelines of the scheme. Of the 96 applications received, a total of 45 were eligible for funding. I recently announced the names of 33 venues that were awarded funding under this scheme. Of the 45 venues eligible for funding, there was a broad geographical spread with more than 40% of the venues located outside of the major cities and more than 70% outside Dublin.

The majority of eligible applications were from Munster with a total of 19 venues eligible for funding; 13 applications were eligible for funding in Dublin; ten in Leinster; two in Connacht and one in Ulster. I acknowledge that the number of eligible applications for Ulster is low but we only received four applications for funding from that province and six in total for the north-west region. Unfortunately, we could not allocate funds to the remaining 12 eligible applicants, based on available funding resources. My officials have written to all successful applicants to ask if they will use their full allocation and should any funding become available, they will redistribute the funding to the next eligible applicant on the list. I understand that there may be disappointed applicants but, as I have stated, I recognise the value of this scheme to venues across Ireland and I am committed to considering another phase of this in the not too distant future.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome the scheme and that money was provided. It was announced that the scheme was open and there was a closing date for it. The only venue in County Donegal that is eligible for the scheme is The Social in Gaoth Dobhair. I will give an example and the Minister will be aware of it because all the details were provided. The Social operated 84 eligible grassroots events during the two years that the scheme was available. This means that the venue was, on average, operating one of these events every week. This is a stand-alone facility; this is not a pub. It hosted ticketed events with artists such as The Hothouse Flowers, Muireann Bradley and others from across the island of Ireland. This supported sound engineers, lighting engineers and, most importantly, the acts themselves. To my knowledge, not one venue in the north west has been granted this money.

The Minister announced this scheme that went from €5,000 up to €15,000 and the Department decided that 12 eligible applicants would get no money whatsoever. It would have been fairer for the Department give every eligible applicant €11,000 or thereabouts. There was €500,000 available so each could have got €11,000. However, the Department decided to give the money on a first-come first-served basis, despite the fact that in the case of The Social, its application was in to the Department within a week. They were told that someone got in before them and that was it. That is completely unfair. Good luck to all the venues that got the support. I imagine that there are very few that were as active and had as many eligible events as The Social in Gaoth Dobhair. The Minister will have this data.

My question to the Minister chimes with what Jim McGuinness has been talking about regarding Donegal GAA for a while. Does the Minister not recognise that there are grassroots venues in the north west, that there are acts that need to be supported in these venues and that there are sound engineers and technicians who need to have a way of life as a result of that? The night-time economy initiative in Buncrana is completely different. No venue in Buncrana is eligible. No venue in counties Donegal, Sligo or Monaghan fit the criteria that have been set, bar The Social.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have outlined the rationale for the distribution of funding under the scheme and I have said that I am committed to additional schemes of this nature in the future. It is remiss of the Deputy to try to run down the officials in the Department. Ultimately, this was a pilot scheme. We tried to give out the money as quickly as possible. I have outlined the number of people outside of Dublin who got it. No matter how the officials in the Department distributed this money, they were going to be wrong in somebody's eyes. They have done a very good job and I hope that there will be cross-party support for the continuation of the scheme in budget 2026. I hope we will have a bigger pool of money and that we will be able to address all of those who were disappointed. There are disappointed people in many other counties as well, which the Deputy did not reference.

I am glad the Deputy referred to the night-time economy officer. There are many towns in the country that are way smaller or way bigger than Buncrana that do not have one. The Deputy did not reference this in his retort. I am sure that the officer is working very closely with venues in Buncrana and I will be able to evaluate the work in the not too distant future.

Regarding this scheme, I intend to have a repeat of it as soon as possible. When I have the necessary resources, we will be able to evaluate the output that of the scheme. Hopefully, we will also be able to address some, but maybe not all, of the disappointment.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am a Donegal TD. I will not stand here and say that the Department did a great job when it excluded the entire north west from this support scheme. The venue that I am talking about provides more grassroots events than many of the others that were eligible. I am sure that the Minister will be delighted when he goes back to Limerick. How many got the grant in his own county? Was it four or five? That is good for them. I support every single grassroots venue and every single festival. That is really important. However, in Donegal and the north west generally there is an industry that needs to be supported as well. The idea that the Department decided without telling the applicants that funding would be provided on a first-come first-served basis is simply wrong. I commend the Minister on being able to secure this as a pilot project. However, there was enough money in the pool, limited as it was, to ensure that every eligible venue got support. Why is that important? It is important because the acts, the sound engineers and the lighting engineers get the support. There are people in my county and the north west who need that support, just as much as they need it in Limerick, Cork and Dublin. The Department has made a major mistake in how this was allocated. It has completely ignored the north west. Because it is not a huge amount, I appeal to the Minister to provide funding to the other 12 eligible applicants. It would be about €150,000. The Minister should at least make an appeal to the Minister for public expenditure or to his own Department to make sure that every eligible applicant gets their fair share of this support.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the single transferable speech. No matter what I did on this, the Deputy was going to be opposed to it any way. Let us call a spade a spade. There was one eligible application from Ulster. I have said and made it very clear that as soon as we get an opportunity to have a second scheme, I am sure the Deputy will have all the wisdom of Job in articulating what should be in that scheme.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

A bit of regional balance and stop screwing the north west-----

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

You have had a good run now for your video. My priority was to get the maximum amount of money out to the maximum number of locations. Rather than run down the locations that got it-----

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I did not run them down.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's party should be supportive of the locations that got it, rather than running them down.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister said there was good regional spread. On which map of Ireland does good regional spread mean no venue north of Galway and west of Louth?

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Deputy Doherty, please resume your seat.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

If the Minister thinks that is true, he is off his rocker.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

How is Sinn Féin's infrastructure Minister doing?

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

That is not good regional spread.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Has Sinn Féin's infrastructure Minister heard of the north west and the hames they made of the A5?

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Thanks very much, Minister. Will you make way for the Tánaiste? He has to come in.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I do not want to interrupt.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Now for round two.