Written answers

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Cultural Policy

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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397. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the way in which the Government plans to ensure arts funding is used to ensure minority and new Irish voices are heard as part of cultural output. [4087/17]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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404. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will work with the Minister for Health to develop and roll out an arts and health strategy across acute and children’s hospitals and across the community health sector; and the other innovative approaches being considered to use the arts as a means to promote well-being across society. [4096/17]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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405. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the action she is taking with her government colleagues to systematically address social, geographic and economic barriers to full participation in the artistic and cultural life of the country, particularly for children and young persons. [4097/17]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 397, 404 and 405 together.

Under the Arts Act 2003, primary responsibility for the promotion and support of the arts, including inclusivity in the arts, throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council. In Budget 2017, I secured significant additional funding for the Arts Council. 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. The Strategy is available on the website of the Arts Council.

The Creative Ireland Programmeis the Government’s Legacy Programme for Ireland 2016 and the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025/Éíre Ildánach the draft framework policy which I published in July of last year. It is a five-year all-of-government initiative, from 2017 to 2022, which places creativity at the centre of public policy.

The Programme is built around five pillars one of which Enabling Creativity in Every Community. The Centenary Programme demonstrated two critically important aspects of local governance: first, local authorities are the primary instruments of community engagement and second, local authorities have a particular capacity for local programme delivery, especially in the context of citizen engagement. Further details of the Creative Ireland Programme can be accessed at the following link .

In addition to the Creative Ireland Programme, I recently launched the Action Plan for Rural Development which is the first whole-of-government strategy aimed at people living and working in rural Ireland. It aims to unlock the potential of rural Ireland through a framework of supports at national and local level which will ensure that people who live in rural areas have increased opportunities for employment locally, and access to public services and social networks that support a high quality of life. The Plan contains 276 actions which aim to improve both the economic and social fabric of rural Ireland spread across five pillars.

The fourth pillar of the Action Plan is Fostering Culture and Creativity in Rural Communities. The key objectives of this Pillar are to:

- Increase access to the arts and enhance cultural facilities in rural communities.

- Further develop and enhance culture and creativity in rural Ireland through the establishment of culture teams and creativity hubs as part of the Creative Ireland Programme.

- Promote the Irish language as a key resource in Gaeltacht and other rural communities.

These objectives will be delivered as part of the work programme across my Department, and in particular as part of the Creative Ireland Programmewhich was launched by the Taoiseach on 8th December last.

All of these initiatives by my Department and its agencies will seek to address the issues set out in the questions.

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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398. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to support the development of the creative industries sector; if she has reviewed the report from the previous Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on the hearings on examining the potential for job creation, innovation and balanced economic development in the creative economy; and if she will implement the recommendations of the report in tandem with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. [4088/17]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am keenly aware of the potential of the creative sector to contribute to sustainable jobs growth, as set out in the report to which the Deputy refers. My Department continues to work with other Departments, in particular with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, across a range of areas as set out in the Action Plan for Jobs and in the context of my wider remit to promote and support Ireland’s cultural and creative sectors.

I recently announced the commissioning of an economic analysis of our screen-based creative industries by my Department in partnership with the Departments of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. This study has commenced and will examine the economic impact and potential of the Irish film, TV and animation sector and analyse the scale and economic contribution of the screen-based creative industries and examine its potential to expand further. The study, when complete, will help to inform Government strategies and initiatives as we seek to enhance Ireland’s reputation as a home of creative talent.

My Department will continue to promote the creative industries and economic development across its remit including, for example, through the recently published Creative Ireland Programmeand Action Plan for Rural Development.

The Creative Ireland Programmeis the Government’s Legacy Programme for Ireland 2016 and the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025/Éíre Ildánach the draft framework policy which I published in July of last year. It is a five-year initiative, from 2017 to 2022, which places creativity at the centre of public policy.

The Action Plan for Rural Developmentis the first whole-of-government strategy aimed at people living and working in rural Ireland. It aims to unlock the potential of rural Ireland through a framework of supports at national and local level which will ensure that people who live in rural areas have increased opportunities for employment locally, and access to public services and social networks that support a high quality of life. The Plan is spread across five pillars and the fourth pillar is Fostering Culture and Creativity in Rural Communities. The key objectives of this Pillar are to:

- Increase access to the arts and enhance cultural facilities in rural communities.

- Further develop and enhance culture and creativity in rural Ireland through the establishment of culture teams and creativity hubs as part of the Creative Ireland Programme

- Promote the Irish language as a key resource in Gaeltacht and other rural communities.

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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399. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has liaised with the Minister for Education and Skills with regard to the development of contemporary art education at primary and secondary level in schools. [4090/17]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for a Partnership Governmentcommits to the continued implementation of the Arts in Education Charter and my Department is working closely with the Department of Education and Skills and the Arts Council to deliver the objectives of the Charter.

The work of the two Departments and the Arts Council in implementing the Charter is achieved largely through existing structures such as education centres. Good progress has been made to date in terms of launching Ireland’s first Arts in Education Portal,holding National Arts and Education Days, and developing Teacher Artist Partnerships through the Education and Training Centres.

In terms of direct support for the arts, this is primarily a matter for the Arts Council and its ten-year strategy, Making Great Art Work 2016-2025 , which places specific emphasis on the need to plan and provide for children and young people.  The strategy also commits to working to achieve full implementation of the Arts in Education Charter.Arising from the significant increase of support of €5m which I secured for the Arts Council as part of Budget 2017, I am pleased to say that Arts Council funding in this area for 2017 has in turn increased from €3.1m in 2016 to €3.7m this year. This is a very clear indication that the Arts Council is prioritising arts participation by young people and children. In addition to the Charter, the Creative IrelandProgramme,which the Taoiseach and I launched in December, places a special focus on “Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child”. Building on the Arts in Education Charter this will involve the development of an integrated plan to enable every child in Ireland to access tuition in music, drama, art and coding by 2022. My Department will be working with relevant Departments and other stakeholders over the coming months to develop this plan.

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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400. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to develop a national cultural strategy up to 2025. [4091/17]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Last July I published the draft framework policy Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach, which was submitted to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs for input. I understand that the Committee is currently preparing a report on the draft framework policy which I will consider when received. I have also received submissions from various organisations on the draft document. Following receipt of the report from the Committee it is my intention to finalise the Policy.

In the meantime, as referred to in my reply to the Deputy on 29 November last, I believe that it is important to continue momentum in terms of delivery of the priorities set out in the framework policy and to build on the positive legacy of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.

To that effect therefore, on December 8thlast, the Taoiseach and I launched the Creative Ireland Programme/Clár Éire Ildánachas the Government’s Legacy Programme arising out of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programmeand as the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025. The Creative Ireland Programmeis a high-level, high-ambition, all-of-Government initiative to mainstream creativity in the life of the nation.

My Department is now working to implement the Creative Ireland Programme with partners across Government and other key stakeholders. This includes an ambitious Year 1 Programme to deliver 10 initiatives by the end of 2017. Details of the Programme can be found on www.creative.ireland.ie.

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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401. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to develop musical education and make instruments available to young persons and the general population through facilitating schools, youth groups and libraries to enhance their music resources and the provision of access to musical training and instruments for the benefit of local communities. [4092/17]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Government appreciates the importance of the cultural and creative industries to Ireland, including the music industry. 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. I am pleased that I secured significant additional funding for the Arts Council in Budget 2017 amounting to an increase of €5 million, or 8%.

This increase will enable the Council to enhance support to artists and arts organisations around the country, including young and upcoming artists, in line with its strategy statement, Making Great Art Work,which prioritises support for the artist and public engagement.

In addition, my Department, through Culture Ireland, provides supports for Irish artists and musicians to travel abroad and develop their careers. I am pleased that I have increased the annual baseline funding for Culture Ireland from €2.5m in 2016 to €3.5m in 2017.

My Department also provides funding for an annual scheme to assist in the purchase of musical instruments by talented individuals and groups. Under the Music Capital Scheme, which is managed by Music Network, grants are made available to groups to support the purchase of musical instruments. Further details are available on the website of Music Network at www.musicnetwork.ie.

My Department also provides funding to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) for its work in the protection and promotion of Irish traditional music and culture. In 2016, funding of €1,448,000 was provided to CCÉ by my Department. CCÉ provide weekly classes in a variety of traditional instruments, singing, and dance through its network of centres and branches all over the country as well as summer schools. CCÉ maintains a full schedule of educational events, such as lectures, exhibitions, workshops and concerts, sometimes in conjunction with the Fleadhanna Cheoil. Further information is available on the website of CCÉ at www.comhaltas.ie.

The Creative IrelandProgramme is the Government’s Legacy Programme for Ireland 2016 and the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025/Éíre Ildánachthe draft framework policy which I published in July this year. It is a five-year initiative, from 2017 to 2022, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. It is built around five pillars the first of which is the Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child. Arising out of this my Department will be working with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs over the coming months to develop a plan so that by 2022 every child in Ireland will have access to tuition in music, drama, art and coding.

The full Creative Ireland programme is available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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402. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has examined any proposals to facilitate, on a national basis, the use of vacant retail premises by exhibiting artists based on successful schemes (details supplied). [4093/17]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am aware and supportive of the use of vacant premises by artists and arts organisations and I understand that a number of such buildings are currently being utilised by arts organisation across the country.

In general, I would consider that local approaches driven by artists, local arts officers and the owners of vacant buildings are best suited to respond to the specific local circumstances involved and provide the most effective outcomes.

In terms of investment by my Department, last year I launched a €9m investment scheme for arts and cultural centres to run over the next three years, focussed on securing and enhancing our arts and culture infrastructure.  The scheme targets investment at a range of different facilities, including arts centres, theatres, galleries and museums, as well as creative spaces.  I will announce grants under this scheme very shortly.

I will also shortly be announcing details of a new small capital grant scheme for arts and cultural facilities for not-for-profit organisations with a defined arts and cultural remit. I will consider how best this scheme could assist with the provision or enhancement of artist studio space.

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