Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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109. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if responsibility for dance policy and funding is categorised as part of sports within the remit of the Minister of State with responsibility for the Gaeltacht and sport; and if not, if it is categorised as arts and remains her responsibility. [10671/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Section 2 of the Arts Act 2003 defines the arts to mean any creative or interpretive expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and including, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture.

Dance is a widely practised artform in Ireland and covers activities which range from highly trained professional dancers who earn their income from their art to people of all ages engaging in various forms of dance as a hobby.

The Arts Council supports dance across a number of genres through grant programmes and awards, and invests in future developments through special initiatives devised in partnership with others. The Arts Council have in place a number of schemes and initiatives for the particular support of dance and a list of dance organisations funded by the Arts Council can be viewed on the website at the following links . The Arts Council’s current dance policy is published on its website at this link .

In addition, my Department provides funding to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ), which is the largest organisation involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music and dance. CCÉ has hundreds of branches in every Irish county including in small towns and villages. My Department provides annual funding to CCÉ for its work in the protection and promotion of Irish dance, Irish traditional music and culture.

My Department does not have responsibility for oversight of the commercial provision of dancing in the State.