Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the level of engagement her Department has had with the Department of Education and Skills to implement the recommendations of the arts in education charter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27571/17]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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109. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she has taken to develop arts in education practices by professional artists in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27570/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 109 together.

The Creative 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 with a view to launching this plan in Autumn 2017.

The Creative Children plan will build on work to date in implementing the Arts in Education Charter to include the delivery of arts rich schools, making the arts a key part of school life across the country. My Department continues to work closely with the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Youth and Children Affairs and the Arts Council to deliver the key objectives of the Charter within the wider context now of the Creative Ireland Programme to include non-mainstream education.

I am pleased to say that continuing professional development through teacher - artist partnerships is ongoing and this July will see a significant increase in the number of courses taking place across twenty one Education Centres throughout the country.

Arising from the significant increase of support of €5m which I secured for the Arts Council as part of Budget 2017, I am also pleased that the Arts Council increased 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.