Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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84. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the investment plan timelines for regional cultural infrastructure in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39504/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Project Ireland 2040has given explicit recognition to the importance of our culture, language and heritage to our sustainable development over the next decade and beyond. This recognition is underpinned by the unprecedented commitment by Government to invest €1.2 billion in our culture, our language and our heritage. Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018-2027 sets out the Government’s objectives for capital investment in Ireland’s culture, language and heritage. The plan sets out significant investment on a phased basis over the next 10 years including €785m for Culture. This level of investment will transform our cultural infrastructure right across the country and includes plans to re-invest in our regional cultural infrastructure.

In terms of investment in County Louth, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that under the Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018, three organisations in County Louth were successful and have been allocated funding. These were An Táin Arts Centre, Oriel Cultural Centre CCE and Carlingford Heritage Centre. All three organisations have been active in drawing down their funding and this will continue into 2019. This Scheme will make a huge difference to each of the individual organisation and my Department is already seeing good outcomes and receiving positive feedback. My Department is currently giving consideration to new round of grant funding under Arts and Cultural Capital Scheme to be announced in the near future.