Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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620. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the priorities in her Department for the remainder of the term of this Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49017/14]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to implementing the priorities set out in the Programme for Governmentand the Statement of Government Priorities 2014 – 2016, published by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste on 11 July last. This will form the underlying basis of the work of my Department for the remainder of this Government's term of office. In particular, the commemoration to mark the hundredth anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising is a major priority for me. On the 12 November 2014, the launch took place of Ireland 2016, a national initiative led by my Department, to mark the anniversary of the Easter Rising in an inclusive, respectful and appropriate way. This programme is underpinned by the €4 million I secured in the recent budget, which will support a wide range of activities and events by interested groups, including local community groups and the arts community. This is in addition to the €22m capital provision allocated in 2015 for a number of flagship commemorative projects.

Another important priority for me is to deliver Ireland's first national cultural policy. Last June, an agreement was reached to draft a national cultural policy called Culture 2025. It will set out the high-level aims and policies in the area of culture for the period up to 2025. This is the first time in the history of the State that a Government has undertaken such an endeavour. My Department is finalising a draft discussion paper. Following the publication of this I will initiate a wide-scale consultation process early in the New Year to ensure all can make their views known.

It is also my intention to publish the National Concert Hall Bill early in the New Year which will place the National Concert Hall on a statutory footing and update its governance and accountability arrangements. To-day, I received the pre-legislative scrutiny report from the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, following its public hearing held on the 30 September 2014.

It is very important to me that the arts are made more accessible. Immersing school students in the arts through a targeted strategy will benefit future generations and give young people a greater understanding and appreciation of the arts as they progress to adulthood. I have met my colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, on a number of occasions to discuss the Arts in Education Charter. We are both very keen to progress implementation of the Charter without delay to promote the arts among children and young people.

It will remain a key objective for my Department to maximise the economic and employment creation potential of the arts, heritage and Gaeltacht sectors. In this context, it will seek to continue to develop synergies between the arts, cultural, heritage and Gaeltacht sectors, most notably in the area of tourism product development and cultural tourism. The finalisation of the National Peatlands Strategy in 2015 is a key objective in this area and my Department will also continue its work with stakeholders to implement the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language.

Finally, I look forward to working for the promotion of North/South co-operation in the context of the remit of my Department and, in particular, through the work of the North South Implementation Bodies that my Department co-funds – Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga.