Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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175. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding his Department is providing for the creative youth programme in 2017; the allocation it will receive in 2018; and, if his Department is allocating funding, the amount being provided for media promotion of the programme. [53551/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department has supported the Creative Ireland programme throughout 2017 with funding for two elements of the Creative Youth programme.

Two teachers were seconded to the Arts Council in September of this year to begin work on Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools. This initiative will begin a pilot cohort of 150 schools across primary and post-primary levels in 2018.

Additionally, the primary school CPD initiative, ‘Teacher-Artist Partnership’ was delivered in twenty education centres during the summer as part of Creative Ireland. This was followed by artist residencies in schools between September and November. This initiative was supported by my Department, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and the Arts Council for a total cost of approximately €290,000. It is intended that it will run in all twenty-one education centres as part of the Creative Youth programme in 2018.

My Department was allocated €1 million for Creative Ireland in 2018. However, I have been able to secure an increase of €0.25 million, bringing the total allocation to €1.25 million. All funding from my Department will be allocated towards initiatives in the Creative Youth programme, with no funding from my Department being spent on media promotion.

I look forward to engaging with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Arts Council in delivering the Creative Youth programme over the coming years.