Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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218. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the allocation from her Department for the 1916 commemoration, by local authority in 2015 and in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39857/15]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The work of the local authorities is central to the 1916 Centenary Programme, with community participation one of the seven key strands of the programme. I allocated €30,000 to each of the 31 local authorities in 2015. The purpose of this funding allocation is to:

-Support engagement and facilitation within local communities to generate awareness of the Ireland 2016initiative and the commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising; and

-Support each local authority in developing and delivering a plan for a suitable programme of events and initiatives to take place at a county level in line with the national plans for Ireland 2016.

Dublin City Council have been allocated an additional €20,000 to develop a specific urban project and €40,000 extra was allocated to Kerry County Council to develop a Roger Casement Exhibition.

I greatly appreciate the tremendous commitment and effort of all of the local authorities over the past number of months, which resulted in the launch of 31 imaginative, inclusive and exciting county plans on 8^thOctober. The range of diverse initiatives and events planned at county level in line with the national plans for 2016 is very impressive and will undoubtedly inspire local communities to participate in the commemoration of this very significant period in our history.

Funding allocations for next year are currently being considered I expect to make an announcement in this regard shortly.