Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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560. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will announce a new arts and culture capital scheme from 2019 onwards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40872/18]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Project Ireland 2040 has given explicit recognition to the importance of our culture, language and heritage to our sustainable development by the unprecedented commitment by Government to invest €1.2 billion over the next decade. 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 €785 m for Culture. This level of investment will transform our cultural infrastructure right across the country and includes plans to reinvest in our regional cultural infrastructure.

The recent Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018 is focused on the refurbishment and enhancement of the existing stock of arts and culture facilities throughout the country. To date, funding of €10.214 m has been allocated to 134 projects under three complementary grant streams. This is the most significant investment in cultural infrastructure in a decade with funding provided to a range of facilities, including arts centres, theatres, galleries and museums, as well as artists’ studios and creative spaces. A full list of all successful projects is available on my Department’s website at the following link .

This Scheme is making a huge difference to each of the individual organisations and my Department is already seeing good outcomes and receiving positive feedback. My Department is currently giving consideration to a new round of grant funding under Arts and Cultural Capital Scheme to be announced in the near future.