Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Warfield for agreeing to defer this Commencement matter until this morning. It is much appreciated.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which is of huge interest to a large number of groups throughout the country whose members are currently recipients of Fáilte Ireland funding as well as their local authority funding. As Ministers, I and my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, set national tourism policy to grow a competitive and sustainable tourism industry. While our Department provides the funding for investment in tourism, it is not directly involved in the administration of funding programmes or in the development of tourism experiences. In that context, Fáilte Ireland has operational responsibility for these matters.

Senator Warfield will be aware that the Government’s tourism policy, People, Place and Policy, Growing Tourism to 2025, was published in 2015. It recognises the important role that local authorities play in tourism. That encompasses many elements, including infrastructural development, the provision of amenities and attractions, and the funding of events. Focusing on local government, People, Place and Policy, Growing Tourism to 2025 commits to an enhanced role for local authorities and recognition of the contribution of communities to tourism. Subsequently, the Department published the Tourism Action Plan 2016-2018. The local government sector is a key partner in regard to the action plan.

Arising from the action plan, Fáilte Ireland reviewed its regional festivals and participative events programme with a view to identifying a role for local authorities in the administration of regional festival funding in line with an enhanced tourism role for local authorities. The review has now been completed and Fáilte Ireland and the local authorities have established a funding agreement to bring greater focus to the development of regional festivals and participative events. This new funding arrangement will replace Fáilte Ireland’s existing annual regional festivals and participative events programme for 2018. Accordingly, Fáilte Ireland is transferring funding currently provided under its competitive regional festivals and participative events programme directly to local authorities, based on the equivalent 2017 funding awarded to individual regional festivals.

This new funding arrangement aims to simplify the application process for applicants. Organisations seeking funding for a local festival will now only have to apply to one State body rather than to two. All applicants and promoters seeking funding for 2018 should now apply directly to their local city or county council. Furthermore, local authorities' knowledge and experience of local assets, strengths and history at city and county level means they are best placed to target funding to those festivals and participative events which have the potential to attract additional visitors to local communities within their area. The local government sector already makes a significant contribution to the development of the tourist experience in each local area in numerous ways, including through supporting festivals and events. This new funding arrangement between Fáilte Ireland and the local authorities will strengthen that role.

At the heart of this is trying to cut out the duplication for who are in many cases volunteers making the applications. Given that Fáilte Ireland, relatively speaking, is administering smaller grants, the actual cost of administering the grants in many cases is higher than the grants being paid out. The local authorities, which have an enhanced role, have very good mechanisms and the local knowledge to administer the grants. That system is working well at local authority level.

I take on board what the Senator said in regard to the arts. I will discuss that with the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys. I have met Fáilte Ireland. I meet it regularly, as does the Minister, Deputy Ross. I believe this is the way forward in terms of how we administer grants, but I will liaise closely with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys.I will relay to her the Senator's observations and concerns as to how funding will be administered to recipients in future.