Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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234. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the work her Department has carried out with the Department of Education and Skills on enabling the creative potential of every child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40268/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Education and Skills in relation to Pillar 1 of the Creative Ireland Programme - Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child. Substantial progress has been made in relation to this Pillar and it is intended that a plan to Enable the Creative Potential of Every Child will be launched later this year.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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235. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the work her Department has carried out with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government regarding the provision of suitable studio places for arts and implementation of initiatives under pillar two of Creative Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40269/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department has had general discussions with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in relation to providing support to local authorities under Pillar 2 of the Creative Ireland Programme - Enabling the Creativity in Every Community. As part of this pillar each of the 31 local authorities has produced a 2017 Creative Ireland Plan which were formally launched on the 25th May 2017.

Each of the local authorities is now in the process of producing a more detailed 2018 Creative Plan setting out a five-year vision for local creativity. These plans will set out a range of initiatives to be implemented under Pillar 2 of the Creative Ireland Programme. Local authorities can use these plans to identify the issue of the  provision of suitable studio places for the arts, where that is appropriate.

In terms of practical support, so far this year I have announced funding of over €10 million under my Department's Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018 to a total of 122 arts organisations around the country in 2017. This allocation included over €900,000 in funding for 12 projects involving artist's studios and creative spaces.  In addition, as part of the Government’s initiative on the North East Inner City, I awarded a grant of €35,000 last year to Fire Station Artists' Studios, Buckingham Street, to assist in providing additional studio space in conjunction with Dublin City Council.

My Department has also had discussions with the Arts Council, Dublin City Council and the OPW to consider some possible short-term and longer-term approaches to the issue, both in relation to specific issues in Dublin and to wider national approaches.