Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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32. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of Creative Ireland; the way in which this programme links with the Action Plan for Rural Development in terms of promoting the arts in rural counties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11546/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Taoiseach and I launched the Creative Ireland Programme/Clár Éire Ildánach 2017-2022 on the 8 December 2016 as the Government Legacy Programme for Ireland 2016 and as the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach, the draft cultural policy which I published in July 2016.

This is a cross-Government initiative to mainstream culture and creativity in the life of the nation and to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. The Creative Ireland Programme will embrace the whole cultural sector, bringing together all those involved in the arts, film, broadcasting, visual arts, cultural heritage, the Irish language and Gaeltacht, with Government Departments and State agencies.

Realising our Rural Potential,the Government's Action Plan for Rural Development, was launched on the 23rd January. The Action Plan will act as an overarching structure for the co-ordination and implementation of initiatives right across Government which will benefit rural Ireland. It seeks 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.

Arts and Heritage are covered under the fourth pillar of the Action plan- Fostering Culture and Creativity in Rural Communitieswhose key objectives 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.

This is reinforced by Pillar Two of the Creative Ireland Programme - Enabling Creativity in Every Communitywhich focuses on the contribution which local government can make to enriching the cultural life of the community.

I am confident that that the initiatives being planned for the arts and cultural sector in both the Creative Ireland Programmeand in the Government's Action Plan for Rural Developmentwill complement each other and go a long way towards enhancing culture and creativity across the whole of Irish society.