Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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663. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which her Department continues to provide funding for the arts at local and community level, directly or indirectly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6085/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Primary responsibility for the promotion of the arts at all levels throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council. The Council is funded by my Department and is statutorily independent in its day-to-day operations, including its funding decisions. In 2015, there is an increased allocation to the Arts Council amounting to almost €59m, as published in December in the Revised Estimates Volume. Details of all funding provided by the Arts Council to arts practitioners, groups and venues, along with the reasons for funding, are available on its website at My Department also provides some limited supports for the development of physical infrastructure for arts and cultural facilities through capital grants. The funding of projects selected under the second Arts and Culture Capital Enhancement Support Scheme (ACCESS II) still continues, although the scheme is now closed. My Department also provides small capital grant schemes from time to time, as well as support to local and regional museums.