Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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957. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will set benchmarks for investments in culture and heritage that put Ireland alongside our European counterparts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24891/16]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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958. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the way in which she plans to create an environment where the cultural sector can be supported through multiannual budgeting to allow a more strategic and sustainable focus, particularly among the State's cultural institutions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24892/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 957 and 958 together.

The Programme for a Partnership Governmentcontains a number of important commitments in relation to the cultural sector. These include a commitment to work to progressively increase funding to the arts and the cultural sector as the economy continues to improve and to prioritise the publication of Culture 2025, the first national cultural policy.

In relation to funding, 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.

Regarding long-term policy, I forwarded a draft of Éire Ildánach/Culture 2025to the Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in July.

This draft policy framework includes as priorities to -

- carry out a critical analysis of direct and indirect supports that are funding arts and cultural activity; and

- improve funding structures through multi-annual funding, investments in capital infrastructure, cross-streamed funding and investment in regional and local services.

The draft policy framework envisages a cross-sectoral plan being developed, which will be guided by the priorities set out in the document. These issues will be considered as part of that plan and taking into account the views of the Joint Oireachtas Committee as part of its consideration of Éire Ildánach/Culture 2025.