Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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246. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 27 of 19 November 2020, the Department responsible for oversight of the commercial provision of Irish dancing. [40253/20]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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262. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 27 of 19 November 2020, if she will confirm that no State support is available for commercial providers of Irish dancing, including tutors who do not have possession of a business premises, and the reason no support is being provided to same. [40256/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 262 together.

My Department does not have responsibility for oversight of the commercial providers of Irish dancing. As commercial businesses, providers of dance classes may apply for a wide range of supports with varying criteria, available to assist organisations impacted by the pandemic. Information on these schemes is available at

These supports include the COVID Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) for which some businesses may qualify. The CRSS is a targeted support for businesses significantly impacted by restrictions introduced by the Government, at Level 3 restrictions or higher. Qualifying businesses can apply to the Revenue Commissioners for a cash payment in respect of an advance credit for trading expenses for the period of the restrictions. Detailed information is provided by the Revenue Commissioners at .

It is a matter for each business to determine the scheme for which it may qualify.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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247. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will ensure Irish dancing is specifically included in any further announcement of lockdown restrictions or easing of restrictions made. [40254/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I am fully cognisant of the significant impact the COVID-19 crisis has and continues to have on the sectors that my Department supports. The Framework for Restrictive Measures is a risk management strategy designed to allow individuals, families, businesses and services to better understand, anticipate and prepare for the measures Government might introduce in response to COVID-19. Each level of the framework contains a “basket” of measures which are intended, collectively, to contribute to lowering risk of transmission in alignment with the risk level at that time. The set of measures, individually, do not comprise a list of activities or places which are equally safe. Instead, they are “baskets” of measures which are informed by public health understanding of the disease and recognise that we can and must prioritise some activities over others.

The priority in level 3 is to keep health services, schools and early learning and childcare services open and minimise disruption in the work force. In order to keep people safe the public are asked to reduce the number of people they meet to a minimum and stay in their own county, until 18 December. Furthermore people are asked to work from home unless absolutely necessary to attend in person.

Many of the sectors under the aegis of my Department involve audiences and people congregating. This is the very thing the Government is trying to minimise, we need to reduce the number of people congregating across a range of settings in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, this means that certain elements of the various sectors remain closed.

I fully recognise the importance of the Christmas season from social and community perspective, as well as from an economic perspective. In that context, Government has decided to make certain exemptions to help people celebrate this important time at the end of an extremely challenging year. In the context of the Deputy’s Question, the guidance specifies that no exercise or dance classes are allowed at Levels 3, 4 or 5. This precludes any exercise class, including gymnastics classes, and any type of dance class – traditional, step, jazz, or ballet. While classes are not allowed, individual training and one-to-one instruction can take place.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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248. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on a matter regarding the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40288/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware, from today (Tuesday 1 December), all counties have been placed on level 3 of the Government’s Resilience and Recovery 2020 – 2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19.

From Friday 4 December, restaurants and pubs operating as restaurants (serving a substantial meal) can open for indoor dining with additional restrictions. This includes access for non-residents to restaurants in hotels.

As regards provision for domestic travel, the public are asked to stay within their own county until 18th December, from which time inter-county travel will be allowed – a provision due to remain in place until 6th January.