Written answers
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Programme for Government Priorities
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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413. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide in tabular format the commitments under the programme for Government which her Department is responsible for; the progress made to date with regard to each commitment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32389/14]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am committed to implementing the priorities set out in the Programme for Government and in the Statement of Government Priorities 2014-2016,published by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste on 11July last.
The commitments in the Programme for Government for which my Department is directly responsible are outlined in the table below.
As the Deputy will be aware, reports on progress in relation to theProgramme for Government are published periodically on the Department of An Taoiseach's website at
| 1 | We will make strategic policy formulation the primary function of the Department, with line agencies and bodies responsible for policy implementation |
|---|---|
| 2 | We will encourage the Arts Council to continue to dedicate resources to touring in order to protect the State’s investment in regional arts infrastructure around the country and to bring cultural tourism opportunities to towns and villages across the country |
| 3 | We will work with stakeholders in the arts community to develop new proposals aimed at building private support of the arts in Ireland exploring philanthropic, sponsorship or endowment fund opportunities |
| 4 | We will make the Culture Night Initiative a twice yearly event, and introduce a National Lottery Funding Anniversary Day, whereby all facilities which have received funding from the National Lottery will open their doors to the public free of charge. |
| 5 | We will also review the opening times of our national cultural institutions |
| 6 | We will develop a cultural plan for future commemorative events such as the Centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016 |
| 7 | We will promote genealogical tourism by updating the National Cultural Institutions Act in relation to the Genealogical Office to put it on a proper statutory footing, modernise its operations and to enable publication of the 1926 census to stimulate genealogy tourism |
| 8 | We will also explore philanthropic opportunities for the development of a national archives and genealogy quarter, providing easy access to archives and tapping into an area of cultural tourism which is of huge interest to the vast Irish Diaspora |
| 9 | We will encourage greater cooperation between local authorities to provide assistance where possible for local authorities currently lacking a local authority Arts Officer due to recruitment restrictions and to cooperate in developing cultural tourism opportunities |
| 10 | We will seek to capture some public good from NAMA by identifying buildings that have no commercial potential and which might be suitable as local facilities for art and culture |
| 11 | Responsibility for policy-making will revert to the Department, while agencies will be accountable for implementing policy, assessing outcomes and value for money. |
| 12 | We will support the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 and will deliver on the achievable goals and targets proposed |
| 13 | Gaeltacht regions will benefit from the jobs action plan outlined in this document. Under our proposals, we will deliver new job creation prospects to Gaeltacht regions. We will invest in energy, broadband and water infrastructure, creating the modern infrastructure needed to attract and support new businesses and jobs. We will also strongly support the potential for jobs in tourism and marine activities. We will continue to support the Irish language broadcasting and arts sector. |
| 14 | We will review the Official Languages Act to ensure expenditure on the language is best targeted towards the development of the language and that obligations are imposed appropriately in response to demand from citizens |
| 15 | We will review current investment and funding programmes that benefit Irish language organisations in order to achieve visible value for money for citizens and tangible outcomes on a transparent basis |
| 16 | We will allow an exemption for domestic turf cutting on 75 national heritage area sites subject to the introduction of an agreed national code of environmental practices |
| 17 | We will establish an independent mediation between all relevant stakeholders with specific objective of facilitating resolution to 55 special area of conservation designated bogs. |
| 18 | We will establish an independent mediation to resolve outstanding issues associated with turf cutting on blanket bogs. |
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