Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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79. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason for the delay in the publication of the final Culture 2025 policy document; when it is expected to be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3078/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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In July 2016 my predecessor, Minister Humphreys, published the draft framework policy document Éire Ildánach/Culture 2025. This underwent a round of consultations, with submissions received from Government Departments, local authorities, and cultural bodies and stakeholders in the cultural sector. The draft framework policy was submitted to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in July 2016, who published its 'Report on Culture 2025 – Éire Ildánach, Framework Policy to 2025' in July 2017.

My Department is now in the process of finalising the framework policy. In this regard, the Joint Oireachtas Committee made a number of very good suggestions including  in relation to how the policy document should be reshaped. My Department is giving careful consideration to these suggestions.

In addition, the Creative Ireland Programme, which was launched in December 2016, restated the key aims and values set out in the draft Culture 2025 document but took these a stage further in terms of setting out key deliverable actions both in year 1 and over a 5 year period. In effect, the Creative Ireland Programme  has become the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in the Culture 2025. In this regard, the main emphasis of the Department during 2017 was to get the Creative Ireland Programme up and running.

It is important however, notwithstanding the significant achievements under the Creative Ireland Programme, that we have a broad overarching policy document for culture which sets out the strategic aims of Government for future years.  I am committed therefore, following receipt of the Oireachtas report ,and in light of the significant progress made over the past year under the Creative Ireland Programme to publish a final Culture 2025 policy document.

My intention is to complete this work in the coming weeks and to bring the final policy to Government for approval and subsequent publication.