Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 18: To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which he continues to liaise with the various interest groups throughout the country who are involved in the arts and various cultural activities such as Irish music or drama, live, recorded or broadcast; the extent to which he can provide for the promotion of such activities directly or indirectly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36619/11]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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The Government's policy on the arts is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, to increase access to and participation in the arts, and to make the arts an integral and valued part of our national life. I am continuing to work towards this goal with my Department and the agencies within its remit and I remain committed to securing the best possible level of funding for the arts sector. In that regard I meet regularly with arts and cultural groups throughout the country to ascertain their views on the sector and to assist me in formulating the most appropriate polices to progress their activities.

The State appreciates and values the contribution the arts sector makes to the internationally renowned artistic reputation of this country. Within the current economic constraints, that investment in the arts, culture and creative sectors is more important than ever, having regard to the employment intensity of the sector and their potential for assisting with cultural tourism initiatives. In the context of the 2012 estimates, I will, of course, be endeavouring to maximise continuing Government support for the arts and culture sector.

On a practical level, over the summer I launched Culturefox, a mobile website and app to promote all Irish arts events. The idea is that, because your smartphone is location aware, the Culturefox app immediately puts up on your screen all the arts events that are going on around you. It lets you read about them, book tickets and even gives you directions to the venue. The system is run by the Arts Council, and I understand that anyone running a bona fide arts event can upload and promote their event.