Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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154. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of funding for Údarás na Gaeltachta; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8686/16]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Annual funding is provided to Údarás na Gaeltachta from my Department’s Vote. This amounts to a total allocation of €18.51m from the Exchequer in 2016, which Údarás na Gaeltachta supplements with income generated from investments and from the sale of assets. Within this budget, the capital allocation amounts to €6.687m for 2016. In this regard, I should point out that I was successful in securing €1m in additional capital funding for Údarás na Gaeltachta during the Revised Estimates process in 2015 and again in 2016.

With regard to the capital budget for Údarás na Gaeltachta, I wish to again reiterate that, as Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, I very much appreciate the importance of job creation in helping to retain sustainable communities in Gaeltacht areas. My Department is also engaging with Údarás na Gaeltachta to ensure increased efficiencies and improved delivery of Irish language services in the Gaeltacht, language planning in particular. I am, of course, aware of Údarás na Gaeltachta's proposal to increase its capital budget over time to €12m per annum. I am also very aware and supportive of the case advanced by the organisation that such an increase in funding would enable it to create an additional 300 jobs per annum.

The Deputy will, of course, be aware that funding for the various Departments, including my own, are decided through the Budgetary and Estimates process annually. Accordingly, the Deputy will appreciate that the capital allocation for Údarás na Gaeltachta for 2017 will be considered within the framework of the Budgetary and Estimates processes later this year.