Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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15. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide details of the music capital scheme 2017-18; the status of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26714/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides funding for the purchase of equipment under the Music Capital Scheme by way of capital grants.  Performing groups and individual talented musicians are entitled to apply for these grants.  The capital grant scheme is managed by Music Network on behalf of my Department. This initiative is in existence since 2008 and has proved very popular over the past decade.

In May of this year, a total of €224,000 in capital grants was allocated to performing groups and individual musicians for the 2017- 2018 academic year. 

The Music Capital Scheme is designed to provide support for the purchase of musical instruments, and to respond to a broad range of capital needs within the music sector in Ireland. A particular area of difficulty for musicians and ensembles is purchasing musical instruments. The cost of instrument purchase, maintenance and repair can be significant barriers to the development of many organisations and this scheme aims to address this.

The capital scheme is made of two distinct awards – Streams one and two - which provide funding towards the purchase of musical instruments both to performing groups and individual musicians at a professional performing standard.

Stream One Awards provide €160,000 towards the purchase of musical instruments to not-for-profit and community music groups across a wide range of musical genres including Marching/Concert/Pipe Bands, Multi-genre, Irish Traditional, Popular Contemporary, Choral and Samba.  A total of €35,000 of this amount was ring-fenced funding for prioritised counties in this case Counties Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary.

Stream Two Awards provided €64,000 to 17 highly skilled musicians performing at professional level to assist with the purchase of instruments/equipment. Musical genres covered in these allocations were as diverse as Irish Traditional, Classical, Jazz/Improvised, Punk/Electro-acoustic and Early/Baroque.

Music Network partnered with Local Authority Arts Offices to provide Music Capital Scheme information sessions that offered practical advice to applicants as well as addressing specific queries relating to the scheme’s guidelines.  

The Music Capital Scheme is a fantastic initiative which has benefitted thousands of people since the scheme was set up in 2008. The Music Capital Scheme is a key resource for musical groups and talented musicians. Over the last 10 years it has helped musicians who, for lack of a decent instrument, may have otherwise struggled to achieve their full potential. 

Full details of the scheme and a list of awardees can be accessed in the Music Network website.