Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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445. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the targets and key performance indicators included within the Arts Council funding process to ensure that funds are distributed among all socioeconomic sectors; and if targets are met and the results of these. [37090/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under the Arts Act 2003, primary responsibility for the promotion and support of the arts, including music, throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council. In this regard, I secured significant additional funding for the Arts Council as part of Budget 2017. This will see an increase in the Arts Council allocation in 2017 of €5m, or 8%, and will assist the Council in implementing its 10-year strategy Making Great Art Work(2016-2025). This Strategy places specific emphasis on the need to plan and provide for children and young people. The 5 high-level values of the Strategy include a commitment to excellence, as well as respect for diversity of artistic practice, of public engagement, and of social and cultural traditions. The Strategy also commits to working to achieve full implementation of the Arts in Education Charter.

Making Great Art Workwill be implemented through three 3-year plans, starting in 2017. The first of these, the Three-Year Plan 2017-2019, is now published and describes the investment strategies, projects and programmes that the Council will prioritise, as well as the achievements and milestones it has set over this period.