Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein)
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The Irish Government and the Finnish Government have something in common. In recent years, both have made a commitment to publish a plan for the creative industries in their countries. The only difference is that the Finnish Government has completed its plan. Why has the Government not produced a plan for the creative and cultural industries in Ireland? Such a plan for the creative industries was promised in the programme for Government. According to the Creative Ireland website, more than 100 meetings were held with academics, EU officials, industry representatives and small businesses, 120 people took part in three large workshops and there was a survey of more than 150 people from design businesses. If the Government sits on its hands any longer, all of this work will be lost.

The creative economy is one of the world's fastest growing sectors, with up to one in 20 jobs in some EU countries being in these industries. In some cities around Europe, one in ten jobs is in the creative and cultural industries. That is the kind of potential that exists in the regions of this country. If the Government does not prioritise this sector, Sinn Féin will do so. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, must up their game. Key agencies like Enterprise Ireland, the local enterprise offices, LEOs, and Design and Crafts Council Ireland need to be ambitious and they must be included in this plan. My only request today, which I made before in 2021 and again in 2022, is to ask when this roadmap, as promised in the programme for Government, will finally be published and brought to the Cabinet.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Warfield for raising this matter. I assure him the roadmap is being prepared and co-ordinated by our colleagues in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and will include inputs from my Department, Enterprise Ireland and Design and Crafts Council Ireland. The Senator referred to the extensive consultations that have taken place, and continue to take place, on reaching consensus on a series of action plans or recommendations that will ultimately form the basis for implementation of the roadmap.

I understand the roadmap for digital creative industries will be published this summer. I will revert to the Senator with a detailed update on that. Its goal is to set out a framework through which Departments and enterprise agencies can collaborate with digital creative industries in a concerted and integrated way in the future. This approach is identical to that taken with the film tax credit and the audiovisual action plan, which realised substantial investment in and success for the Irish audiovisual sector. As I said, consultations between my Department and our agencies will result in an agreed set of actions as part of the implementation of the roadmap.This will ensure the relevant Government Departments can support the digital creative enterprises in a more cohesive and effective manner.

As Senator Warfield has said, Enterprise Ireland and the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, DCCI, already actively work with client companies in the digital creative industry space. Many of these companies have benefited from the full range of Enterprise Ireland and Design and Crafts Council of Ireland supports, including sales and digital marketing funding, strategic market review grants, digital marketing capability funding and market discovery funding. For instance, the DCCI is centrally involved in the development of programmes promoting design-driven innovation, such as Design Week and the very successful Irish Business Design Challenge, IDBC. The DCCI has recently established a design academy to provide practical, blended and online learning solutions for the craft and design community in Ireland and internationally.

The digital creative industries roadmap consultations, to which Senator Warfield referred, have highlighted an interest across the sector for early-stage start-up support. This year, Enterprise Ireland has launched a refreshed pre-seed support to help companies beginning that enterprise journey. Applicants can apply for €50,000 or €100,000 in investment. Therefore, EI is also actively working with clients in the digital creative industries, such as the animation and gaming companies, to develop and scale in addition to supporting these companies to enter new international markets. I had the pleasure of visiting the new centre in Sligo, which will be dedicated to digital gaming in particular. It is funded through my Department’s regional enterprise programme.

There are opportunities to increase company engagement and awareness of our extensive existing supports among digital creative enterprises. Enterprise Ireland’s client solutions hub provides insight, information and events on practical support for all small- and medium-sized businesses, SMEs. Certainly, I am open to the Senator’s suggestions and inputs as to how we can create further links between Enterprise Ireland and the digital creative industry.

In summary, we are actively working in co-ordination with colleagues in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to finalise the roadmap itself. That roadmap will create a more solid infrastructure to enhance opportunities for enterprises that are involved in the digital creative industries. However, alongside this work, there are active supports available. I am more than happy to work with the Senator to further increase the knowledge of those supports and to tie those supports into further companies in this space.

Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response, and I welcome the fact that it will be published this summer. I encourage the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, to take ownership and to show an interest from the side of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It is part of the implementation group, alongside the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin’s, Department. I therefore encourage the Minister and Minister of State to show an interest and to be ambitious.

I also want to acknowledge that there is a lack of research, which is something the roadmap could address. There is a lack of research and data on our creative and cultural industries. I refer to the European Commission documents, and in the most recent 2019 document, Ireland’s data often come from 2010. That is nine years out of date. We need to understand the value of our culture and creativity, and we need to take it seriously enough to track it on an ongoing basis. On the definition of the roadmap, in future, when we get this roadmap over the line, I would welcome having one for the cultural industries, for example, the music industry, festival companies, the work of artists, commercial galleries and publishers.

The final thing I will say, which is completely unrelated to this Commencement matter, is that we still do not have a digital legal deposit. It is the responsibility of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to archive the.ie domain so we do not lose our nation’s memory from the web.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator.

Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein)
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It is disappearing every day. We have legal responsibilities to archive every piece of printed material, but we lose digital online archive information every day as we are not archiving it.

Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator and call the Minister of State.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As I indicated, we are currently focused on agreeing the actions that will form the roadmap.We are working very closely with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and the Media. I have outlined our commitment to the digital space and those in the augmented reality, AR, and virtual reality, VR, animation and games development. There is huge potential there. I will keep the Senator informed. I know he has raised the .ie domain with me previously. I will get an update for the Senator and get back to him on that.