Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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91. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is required to consult with the Arts Council and or be represented on its committees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46089/18]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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Under section 42 of the Education Act the Minister for Education and Skills may designate an organisation which has a special interest in the exercise by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) of its functions. Such designation entitles the designated body to be consulted by the NCCA. The Arts Council are a designated body of the NCCA under section 42 of the Education Act.

Section 4.11 of the Arts in Education Charter outlined that “the Arts Council shall be consulted by the NCCA and, where appropriate, represented on its committees that address art education, creative entrepreneurship, digital media, and cognate areas of arts in education.  The Charter, launched in 2013, is a joint initiative of the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht working in association with the Arts Council to promote arts-in-education.

The NCCA is not represented on any of the Arts Council’s committees. However, the NCCA have regular contacts with the Council on a range of relevant work and matters. For example, the Arts Council had a representative on each of the NCCA’s Subject Development Groups for development of the Junior Certificate Visual Art and Leaving Certificate Art specifications recently. Most recently, the Arts Council have been consulted on the NCCA’s draft Strategic Plan 2019 – 2021.