Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 11: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the practical assistance which will be forthcoming from the new Culture Ireland body in 2005; the medium through which Irish writers will be marketed as an Irish entity abroad at international arts and diplomatic events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9174/05]

Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 12: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the objectives of the new body, Culture Ireland; the role it will have in the promotion of the arts abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9182/05]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the practical assistance which will be forthcoming from the new Culture Ireland body in 2005; if €2 million is a sufficient budget to fund and facilitate Irish culture and arts abroad; the reason the body and its board membership do not seem geared towards writers who are not poets abroad, unlike comparable bodies in countries such as Canada; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9164/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 12 and 26 together.

On 24 February, I announced the establishment of a new body for the promotion of Irish arts abroad, which will be known as Culture Ireland, and replaces the cultural relations committee. The board's remit is to promote Irish arts and artists in the international context, utilising the funds made available to it by my Department, in accordance with policy objectives and priorities notified to it by me as Minister. The board's remit includes all artforms as defined in the Arts Act 2003, which specifically includes literature.

The specific activities of Culture Ireland may include, but are not confined to: grant giving to Irish artists or arts organisations in response to applications received for such assistance and evaluated in accordance with transparent criteria to be determined and published by Culture Ireland; funding and facilitation of Irish participation at strategic international arts events; managing of special emblematic cultural and artistic events and-or activities either in Ireland or abroad as required by the Minister for Arts, Sport, and Tourism; and giving advice to me as Minister on international arts and cultural affairs.

Within 12 months of its establishment Culture Ireland is to submit to me a strategic plan for the discharging of this remit over the following three years. Culture Ireland has a budget of €2 million for 2005. This represents a very significant increase on the budget of €700,000 which was available to the cultural relations committee in 2004, and will allow Culture Ireland to bring the promotion of Irish arts abroad, in accordance with its terms of reference, to a new level. I understand that the first formal meeting of Culture Ireland is scheduled for 7 April. I look forward with interest to receiving the strategic plan for Culture Ireland in due course.