Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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90. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the measures being taken to boost the domestic and international film industry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3082/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Film Board is the national development agency for Irish film making and the Irish film, television and animation industry. Its statutory remit is to assist and encourage the making of film in the State and the development of a film industry in Ireland. The Film Board supports writers, directors and production companies across these sectors by providing investment loans for the development, production and distribution of film, television and animation projects.

The Film Board also supports the Irish screen industries at major international markets and festivals, promotes inward investment, the use of Ireland as a location for international production and provides support for companies filming in Ireland. The Board liaises with IDA Ireland and Tourism Ireland to maximise opportunities for the promotion of Ireland as a location for film productions as well as a tourism destination. Information on its funding scheme is available on the Irish Film Board website at www.irishfilmboard.ie.

The Section 481 tax credit system also plays an important role in making Ireland an attractive location for internationally mobile film and TV drama productions and in providing significant high level employment in the audiovisual industry. Recent projects locating in Ireland include the BBC’s Little Women, AMC’s Into the Badlandswhich returned to Ireland last April to film a third season in Ardmore Studios, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens and the hugely successful Vikingsseries developed and produced here for the History Channel.

Of relevance for future policy will be the recommendations of the economic analysis of the sector commissioned by my Department in partnership with the Departments of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and Business, Enterprise and Innovation. This analysis, which is being finalised, will provide an input for the development of an industry-wide long term plan for the production of Film, TV Drama and Animation in Ireland under Pillar 4 of the Creative Ireland Programme.