Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

956. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will consider creating a vision and learning structure at primary school level to ensure that every child is exposed to engagement with the built and natural heritage around them and that they graduate from primary school with a sense of cultural history and knowledge of key elements of natural heritage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24890/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Heritage Council, which is funded by my Department, is committed to promoting education, knowledge and pride in, and facilitating appreciation and employment of our heritage.

The Heritage in Schoolsscheme is one of many heritage programmes supported by the Heritage Council. Last year my Department provided €205,730 for the Heritage in Schools scheme to support the work of the Heritage Council in its role of improving heritage infrastructure, heritage awareness, and promoting best practice in conservation and sustainable heritage management. Funding in the sum of €255,000 has been allocated towards this scheme for 2016.

It is primarily the role of the Heritage Council to allocate funds to educational programmes such as the Heritage in Schoolsscheme in the manner in which it deems best. I understand that, in 2015, 736 schools were visited by heritage specialists with 1,922 visits in total. Of these, 713 visits were to disadvantaged schools. The total number of children involved was 91,184, of which 30,144 were children from disadvantaged schools.

As Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, I am committed to supporting, in a manner appropriate to these challenging times, educational programmes which further the protection and conservation of our built and natural heritage.