Written answers

Thursday, 12 December 2019

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Departmental Budgets

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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373. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the capital allocation of her Department in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and the areas to which funds will be allocated in each year. [52207/19]

Photo of Josepha MadiganJosepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Under Project Ireland 2040 - the National Development Plan €1.188 million in capital expenditure has been allocated to my Department for the period 2018 to 2027.  Annual capital allocations were provided for the first five years of the plan covering the period 2018 to 2022.  For my Department, the annual  capital allocation under Project Ireland 2020 for the coming years are as follows:

- €76 million in 2020,

- €80 million in 2021, and

- €110 million in 2022.

A further €793 million has been allocated for the years 2023-2027, however, this has not yet been disaggregated by year.

In addition to this Project Ireland 2040 investment provision, Budget 2020, also saw €5 million being allocated to my Department as part of this Government's commitment to climate action.  This additional funding will be used to support peatlands restoration projects. 

In terms of our investment under Project Ireland 2040, my Department has developed a detailed sectorial investment plan, Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage, which sets the high-level, strategic capital investment priorities for the Department to 2027.

The investment plan sets out three strands of activity, capital investment and infrastructure programmes, capital grant schemes and major capital projects, across the following programme areas:

- €725 million towards enhancing our cultural infrastructure, incorporating,

- A €460 million investment in our National Cultural Institutions and,

- €265 million for a national Culture and Creativity Investment Programme;

- €285 million towards a heritage investment programme; and,

- €178 million towards investment in our language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands.

In 2020, we will support a broad range of projects and initiatives under these three strands.  Key outputs for the year are as follows:

- Progress the next phases  of the National Library of Ireland and National Archives redevelopment projects

- Progress projects at the Crawford Art Gallery, National Museum of Ireland - Natural History, National Concert Hall, Abbey Theatre, and others through the appraisal stages of the Public Spending Code

- Deliver Galway 2020 - EU Capital of Culture project 

- Invest in regional arts and cultural centres 

Continue to invest in our programme of trails and visitor centre upgrades across our National Parks and Nature Reserves

- Protect our built heritage through an investment of €4.3 million under our Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund

- Support proposals for the development of a flagship language and culture hub in Dublin City.

- Support our agencies and partners in delivering culture, heritage and language projects across the country including Screen Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Waterways Ireland and local authorities.

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