Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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672. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the expansion of arts and capital culture scheme as announced under Project Ireland 2040; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43500/19]

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. 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 includes a total of €40 million, or €4 million in each of the 10 years from 2018 to 2027 to secure existing investment in arts and culture infrastructure nationwide and ensure a regional balance. A total of €3.9m was spent on arts and culture infrastructure in 2018. This level of investment will ensure the upkeep of regional infrastructure right across the country.

The recent Arts and Culture Capital Scheme allocated €10.214m to 134 projects under three complementary grant streams for the refurbishment and enhancement of the existing arts and culture facilities throughout the country. Over €2.5m of this was drawn down in 2018 and to date in 2019 and over €7.2m remains to be paid out over the coming years. This is the most significant investment in cultural infrastructure in a decade with funding provided to arts centres, theatres, galleries and museums, artists’ studios and creative spaces. The list of these projects with the amounts of their allocations is available on my Department’s website.

The Arts and Culture Capital Scheme is making a huge difference to many individual organisations and my Department is already seeing good outcomes and receiving positive feedback.

The Arts Council in conjunction with local government through the County and City Management Association recently commissioned CHL Consulting Company to undertake an independent, strategic review of the network of venues and arts centres across the country. The review focused on the infrastructure of professionally-managed arts buildings that are open to the public throughout the year. A consultation phase was incorporated into the study and stakeholders had an opportunity to participate. The resulting Review of Arts Centres and Venues provided a valuable input to develop a coordinated, spatially-informed strategy to support and develop the built infrastructure for the arts. The Review was published in June 2019. The Arts Council subsequently published its Arts Centre Policy which sets out its funding criteria for arts centres from 2020 onwards.

My Department is currently giving consideration to a new round of grant funding for Arts and Cultural Capital and the reviews have informed the Department's framing for the next round of arts and culture capital funding. I hope to announce a new scheme for capital grants in the very near future.