Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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195. 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. [20123/16]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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196. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which her Department directly or through bodies under her aegis continues to support various festivals or cultural events organised annually or on a once-off basis throughout the country; the amount of such support provided in the past three years to date under specific headings directly, through the Arts Council or other bodies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20124/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together.

Most of my Department's arts and culture budget is allocated to the agencies under its remit. Within these allocations, the Arts Council is the primary State agency for funding the arts. Details of the Council's funding decisions can be found on its website at the following link www.artscouncil.ie/Who_we_funded/.

Direct funding from my Department for arts primarily relates to capital funding for individual projects, as well as the promotion of Irish arts and culture abroad through Culture Ireland. A small number of summer schools and similar events receive funding from my Department. Details of these are on my Department’s website at www.ahg.gov.ie.

In addition, my Department’s support for commemorative events can cover many artistic and cultural responses to the Decade of Commemorations. This year in particular the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programmeis providing a rich and inclusive diversity of events both nationally and internationally, to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising.