Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

740. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she will take to increase the provision of arts education to schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20090/17]

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

TheCreative Ireland Programme, 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 – Creative Children - to enable every child in Ireland to access tuition in music, drama, art and coding by 2022. My Department officials continue to work with relevant Departments and other stakeholders to develop this plan with a launch timeframe of early Autumn 2017. The Creative Children plan will build on work to date in implementing the Arts in Education Charter where my Department continues to work closely with the Department of Education and Skills and the Arts Council to deliver the key objectives of the Charter within the wider context now of the Creative Ireland Programme.

The objectives of the Charter have been 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. Indeed, I look forward to attending the next National Arts Day, this Saturday 6 May, in St Patrick's College DCU, Drumcondra.

Arising from the significant increase of support of €5m which I secured for the Arts Council as part of Budget 2017, I am pleased that the Arts Council decided to increase funding in this area for 2017 from €3.1m in 2016 to €3.7m this year.

These initiatives demonstrate the overall commitment of Government to deliver for children as we work in finalising the Creative Children plan.