Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 395: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the cost of running the Culture Night Project on 25 September 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37391/09]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Culture Night 2009 took place on the 25th of September last, with 11 towns and cities throughout Ireland participating in the event. On Culture Night, key artistic and cultural organisations, including the National Cultural Institutions, extended their opening hours until late in the evening to allow the public increased free access to the various collections, workshops and other events on offer.

Culture Night encourages people of all ages and from all backgrounds to experience a wide range of cultural activities in a relaxed and family friendly manner. Whilst the attendance figures for the 2009 event are not quantified, initial indications are that the event was a huge success in all the areas.

Temple Bar Cultural Trust has been co-ordinating Culture Night in Dublin since its inception in 2006 and my Department has provided an allocation of €50,000 to the Trust for the 2009 event. In addition, Temple Bar Cultural Trust provides assistance to the various regional venues with the development and promotion of the national event and will receive a further allocation of €20,000 for this service in 2009.

All other participating cities and towns will receive allocations on a matched funding basis subject to a maximum of €10,000 for each location. The final cost of the regional event is not yet available as participants have until the end of this month to submit claims. In addition to the sums outlined above, Culture Night in Dublin and Limerick were each allocated an additional €10,000 by my Department for an outreach programme.

The above amounts represent my Department's direct cost towards the running of the event. They do not include the costs of the individual institutions and organisations, which participated in the event, or the value of any sponsorship or contributions in kind received by the Temple Bar Cultural Trust.