Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1277. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the financial provisions and supports her Department will make available to theatres once they are permitted to re-open that will have reduced capacity as a result of social distancing requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8711/20]

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1287. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if a one-off emergency post-Covid-19 restart grant payment in association with the Arts Council will be considered for small regional theatres in view of the potential loss of six months or longer in ticket sales (details supplied) [9130/20]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1277 and 1287 together.

The COVID-19 crisis gives rise to many challenges for the nation as a whole and is having an unprecedented impact on the arts, culture, heritage and Gaeltacht sectors.

The Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business, published on 1 May 2020, sets out an indicative path to the easing of COVID 19 restrictions and other actions in order to facilitate the reopening Ireland’s society and economy in a phased manner. The Roadmap specifies that decisions in relation to which actions will be taken and which public health measures might be lifted will be made in accordance with the Framework for Future Decision-Making.

My Department has worked with the Arts Council from an early stage in the COVID-19 crisis, on measures to sustain our cultural infrastructure, support artists and arts practitioners and ensure the ongoing provision of cultural services. Following a meeting I convened on 12 March with the Arts Council, the national cultural institutions and Screen Ireland, the Arts Council announced a series of immediate measures, including an undertaking to honour all funding commitments made to organisations and allow grantees to draw down up to 90% of their funding commitment.

Government has introduced a range of supports for those affected by COVID-19 and those working in the arts, culture and audiovisual sectors are eligible to apply for these supports.  My Department has published a new booklet on its website which sets out support and information available to the arts sector in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Officials from my Department are in ongoing contact with the Arts Council and as well as with a broad range of sectorial stakeholders including resource organisations, advocacy groups as well as individual artists and arts practices. 

The Council has undertaken a detailed survey of arts organisations to identify the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on audiences, employment and finances for March, April and May as well as a survey of artists seeking information of the economic impact on individual artists and the results are published on their website.

In the context of the wider cultural sector, officials  from my Department are continuing to work with the Arts Council as well as other parts of Government, to assess and measure the effects of COVID-19 on the cultural sector and to ensure that optimal use is made of available resources to sustain the sector through this crisis.