Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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85. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she will take to inform Foras na Gaeilge that the additional funding allocated in budget 2020 should be used to provide a yearly total of €55,000 to each new scéim pobal Gaeilge and that no reduction in funding should occur for any scéim pobal Gaeilge situated in an Irish network town; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35532/20]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Budgets for all Cross Border Bodies, including An Foras Teanga, are approved by the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC). An indicative provision of €13.383m was provided within this Department’s Vote for An Foras Teanga in 2020.

Budget 2021 provided an indicative increase of €1.779m for cross-border co-operation in the languages sector. This includes funding of €450,000 for commitments made by Government under 'New Decade. New Approach'. The 2021 allocation, which is subject to further discussion with the Department for Communities in the north and to approval by the NSMC, would allow Foras na Gaeilge (one of the agencies of An Foras Teanga) expand their language and cultural programmes to new areas and increase funding, where appropriate, for existing language groups, to include Scéim Pobal Gaeilge.