Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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29. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his priorities for the coming year; if he is satisfied with the current negotiations for a budget allocation for his Department in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38464/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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A consequence of the significant fiscal deficit facing the country is that the Government has not had the resources available in recent years to fund all the services that it would like to provide and the 2014 allocations will again reflect this position. The Deputy will appreciate, however, that any negotiations of the nature referred to in his Question would form part of the deliberative process for the forthcoming Budget and the preparation of the 2014 Estimates. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on any such matter at this time.

Notwithstanding the challenging economic environment, my priority is to continue to seek, to the greatest extent possible, to balance the competing demands of funding reductions and the various upward pressures on expenditure, while at the same time maintaining my Department's core functions and the range of services provided to the public.

Against that background, my Department will, within the resources available, continue to place emphasis on:

-supporting jobs in the film & TV sector and in the Gaeltacht;

-targeting investment in priority areas in the culture and heritage sectors that will support cultural tourism as one of the most important elements of Ireland's tourism product;

-complying with relevant EU Directives, including investment in solutions for those affected by the cessation of turf cutting in raised bog Special Areas of Conservation; and

-supporting the built heritage and the strategic development of our national parks, as well as the development of our waterways in the context of the implementation of the Good Friday and St. Andrews Agreements.