Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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698. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she and her Department can assist various local musical and dramatic societies in respect of annual productions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3474/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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My Department funds the Music Capital Scheme which provides grants to groups and individuals for the purchase of musical instruments.  I am pleased to inform the Deputy that on 9 January last, I launched the new Music Capital Scheme with an increased allocation this year amounting to €245,000.  Music Network manages the Scheme on behalf of my Department and the organisation referred to by the Deputy can apply for funding under the scheme.  All details are available at

www.musicnetwork.ie/musicians/award1-infoand www.musicnetwork.ie/musicians/award2-info.

While my Department does not fund local dramatic societies, the Creative Ireland Programme does support the work of local authorities in enabling creativity in every community.

In 2017, my Department allocated €1m to 31 local authorities to enable them to develop and implement their Culture and Creativity Action Plans which included an associated programme of events and initiatives in each county. I plan to double this funding in 2018. A key principle underpinning the Creative Ireland Programme is community empowerment and therefore each local authority decided themselves what events/projects they wished to include in their respective plans.

The local authorities are currently preparing long-term Culture and Creativity Strategies which aim to ensure that people and communities across Ireland will have the opportunity to fully realise their creative potential. As part of this process, each culture team is consulting widely in relation to how it will implement and deliver the Creative Ireland Programme vision at local level. These Strategies will be accompanied by a separate Activity Programme for 2018 and for every subsequent year of the Strategy.  It is expected that both the Strategies and Activity Plans will be published during the Spring of 2018.