Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the recommendations issued by the report the Effectiveness of Investment in Sport and the Arts as a Deterrent Against Youth Substance Abuse presented to the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in April 2004 that have been implemented by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17672/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the Report in question contained a number of recommendations. While some of these recommendations were relevant to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (and Agencies under the Department's remit), there were a number of recommendations which come under the remit of other Government Departments, including the Department of Education and Science.

The Irish Sports Council (ISC) has a statutory role in the promotion and development of sport, including initiatives such as the Local Sports Partnership (LSP) network, through which sports initiatives at local level are delivered and coordinated.

The LSPs are charged with increasing participation at a local level, ensuring that local resources are used to best effect and making sure that the experiences of participants in sport are positive.

I understand that recently the Irish Sports Council has announced that the national LSP network is complete and will be fully operational by July 2008. In relation to Buntús, the ISC have indicated that the number of primary schools involved in the Buntús programme should be increased when the roll out of the national network of LSPs is completed.

With regard to the recommendations in relation to the Arts, I should point out that responsibility for the promotion of the arts at all levels throughout the country is primarily devolved to the Arts Council. The Arts Council is the principal agency through which State funding is channelled to the arts. Under the Arts Act, 2003, the general functions of the Council include the following:

to stimulate public interest in the arts;

to promote knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts; and

to assist in improving standards in the arts.

The Arts Council has consulted with the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA) in relation to the arts curriculum in schools and has also prepared guidelines for people in the arts working with children and young people — "Guidelines for the protection and welfare of children and young people in the arts sector".

Much work has been done by the Arts Council to develop the arts at a local level, not necessarily based on the Local Sports Partnerships, which are a specific model of practice. The Council has worked strategically with local authorities for 23 years in developing the arts at local level and the focus was more on embedding arts expertise at the heart of the local authority service. Each of the 34 local authorities in Ireland employs a full-time Arts Officer. In many instances local authorities lead in providing a broader Arts Service, employing several specialist arts staff in addition to the Arts Officer.

Throughout this time the Arts Council has enjoyed a unique partnership with local authorities in developing the arts and cultural landscape at local level throughout the country. Originating in 1985 with a strategy to place professional arts expertise directly within the local authority, this has been an area of exponential growth and development over the past two decades.

In 2007 Local Authorities, spent in excess of €36m on the arts, demonstrating the huge commitment that is being made at local level to arts development. Under a provision of the Arts Act 2003, local authorities are required to prepare and implement plans for the development of the arts within their functional areas, and in so doing to take account of government policies on the arts. Many local authorities had already established a track record in planning for the arts and, in several cases, are now on their third such strategy.