Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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46. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the plans she has to improve supports to the Irish film sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13263/16]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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52. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in view of the recent success of a number of Irish films internationally, her plans to improve supports for the audiovisual sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13265/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 52 together.

The Programme for a Partnership Governmentcontains a very important commitment to progressively increase funding for the arts over the lifetime of the Programme, with specific reference to the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board. I can assure the Deputy that I will be engaging with my colleagues in Government and with the Oireachtas to seek to advance this commitment in the context of the forthcoming estimates and budgetary processes.

The Programme for a Partnership Governmentalso contains a commitment to work with the Irish Film Board to ensure that Ireland is maximised as a location for international film production.

In this regard, I am pleased that I have already been able to provide some additional support to the Film Board this year, with additional current funding of €500,000. This increased investment will help to maximise the benefits brought about by the Government’s enhancement of the Section 481 film tax credit system, including the decision to increase the cap for eligible expenditure on film projects to €70 million, as announced as part of Budget 2016. Decisions in relation to tax relief are, of course, a matter for the Minister for Finance.

Under the Action Plan for Jobs,my Department, in conjunction with other stakeholders, is committed to commissioning an economic analysis of the current value of the audio visual industry in Ireland, to assess the scale, strengths and contribution of the sector in terms of economic activity and employment levels and its potential to expand further. My Department has also concluded a new co-production treaty with Canada, which will come into effect in the coming weeks.