Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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331. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the plans being put in place to protect the employees of the hospitality sector (details supplied). [22309/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Government has introduced some very effective supports for tourism businesses and employees since the pandemic began last year, including the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme, the CRSS, the EWSS and the PUP.  The Government has stated that there will be no cliff-edge ending to these supports.

Fáilte Ireland, along with its stakeholders, is working to address issues such as skills shortage and labour supply in the tourism hospitality sector through initiatives such as a Recruitment Event which took place earlier this week to address sector-wide HR reopening challenges.  Fáilte Ireland is also engaged in the provision of a range of supports and services to employers to fill vacancies (in collaboration with Dept Social Protection); and exploring new initiatives, such as a proposed Tourism Education Gateway to provide education and skills training for all tourism employees.

My colleagues the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD and Minister of State for Skills, Niall Collins TD, also recently announced two new skills programmes to assist hospitality and tourism sectors with COVID-19 challenges and ensure they are ready for reopening of the sectors.

I am committed to continuing support for tourism through this difficult period and to working towards reopening and recovery and I continue to engage with bodies representing the tourism hospitality sector.  As part of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Government will be outlining how it will help people return to work and further support sectors which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.  Along with my colleagues in Government, I will consider more targeted measures to help reboot those sectors, such as tourism, which will face particular challenges during the recovery phase when the economy reopens. 

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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332. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the additional supports her Department has considered implementing to assist the tourism sector here during the summer months. [22311/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I am fully aware of the impact COVID-19 has on tourism and hospitality nationwide and I also acknowledge that public health restrictions continue to be very challenging for the tourism sector.  The national vaccination programme is critical and provides hope that in 2021 we will see the beginning of the recovery for the sector but this will not happen overnight.  For now, the focus remains on helping businesses and jobs in tourism to survive the pandemic and be ready for recovery.

 In line with the plan set out in The Path Ahead and after taking full account of the current status of COVID-19 in the community and the public health advice, the Government has been implementing a limited phased easing of some Level 5 restrictions through the month of April.  The Government is due to make further decisions and announcements this week regarding the position to apply for May and beyond, with a view to facilitating the safe reopening of more services as the public health situation permits. 

In addition to horizontal supports such as CRSS and EWSS, there was a record level of funding for Tourism overall, of just under €221 million in Budget 2021 and there have been additional measures to support tourism, such as the VAT rate reduction to 9%, as well as the €55m Tourism Business Continuity Scheme, the Covid-19 Adaptation Fund and other tourism sector-specific schemes.  I am committed to continuing support for tourism through this difficult period and to working towards reopening and recovery.  As part of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Government will be outlining how it will help people return to work and further support sectors which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.  Along with my colleagues in Government, I will consider more targeted measures to help reboot those sectors, such as tourism, which will face particular challenges during the recovery phase when the economy reopens. 

I also recently announced details of Fáilte Ireland’s €17m Outdoor Dining Grant Scheme, which will be delivered in partnership between Fáilte Ireland and the Local Authorities and is designed to support tourism businesses increase their outdoor dining capacity.  I also launched Phase Two of Fáilte Ireland’s Platforms for Growth Tourism Investment Programme, which will provide €19m in funding for the development of activity facility centres in selected waterside locations around the country, where water-based activities are a key visitor attraction. 

I am aware that Fáilte Ireland, at the appropriate time, will be launching their domestic tourism marketing campaign, ‘Keep Discovering’. International access to Ireland is also pivotal for tourism.  In this regard, I continue to work closely with my colleagues in Government in respect of international travel policy, in particular the European Commission proposal on a Digital Green Certificate.   We will make every effort to reopen safe international travel and tourism at the earliest possible opportunity.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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333. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the financial support and business assistance available for the funfair and circus industry which has not been included in any of the financial support schemes to date, but which has remained closed for most of 2020 and 2021, thus incurring significant losses (details supplied). [21124/21]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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360. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will address matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding support for the cultural sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21657/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 333 and 360 together.

Primary support for the arts is delivered through the Arts Council which was set up as a statutory agency under the Arts Act 2003. Funding for the Arts Council has increased steadily in recent years, reaching €130 million in the context of Budget 2021. Under the Arts Act, the Arts Council is independent in its funding decisions.

While the Arts Council does not provide funding to funfairs, the Arts Act 2003 specifically cites circus as one of nine artforms. Circus is supported by the Arts Council by way of grants under a range of categories including Bursary, Strategic Funding, Project Awards and Touring and Dissemination awards. In that regard, 2019 and 2020 saw a very significant increase in supports provided for circus, with over €2.2 million allocated for to Circus, Street Arts and Spectacle in 2021. In 2020, many circus artists also qualified for the Council’s COVID-19 Crisis Response Award. Details of all grants are available on the Arts Council’s website at

Supports from the Arts Council are in addition to the wide range of non-sector specific horizontal supports available for businesses and individuals impacted by COVID-19. The Government's response to the impact of the pandemic on the economy is comprised of a broad range of supports delivered across a range of Departments. Along with the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, there are a number of enterprise supports including the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme and the Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID-19. Information in relation to the business and financial supports provided by the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Employment place for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis can be viewed at the following link .

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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334. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps being taken to support the return of live performances and events in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21183/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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We all aspire to a safe resumption of live performance which is so fundamental to the arts, culture and entertainment sectors.  I am engaged directly and through my Department with stakeholders and colleagues across Government to prepare for such a resumption when public health considerations permit.  In the interim, my Department operates a range of sector specific supports in addition to a broad range of horizontal supports.  These include the €25m Live Performance Support Scheme.  Applications made under this scheme are currently being assessed.  

The Government’s COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 - The Path Ahead plan sets out the Government’s objectives for the full recovery of social life, public services and the economy.  The plan committed to the development of sectoral guidance for very large purpose built event facilities, for example: stadia, auditoria, conference and event centres. I established a Working Group to facilitate stakeholder consultation on the development of COVID-19 Guidelines for the Live Entertainment sector.  This group had its first meeting on 21 April 2021.  The Live Entertainment Working Group includes stakeholders with appropriate technical knowledge in the planning, management and delivery of events and it will produce a set of overarching guiding principles which all venue promoters can adopt for their specific purposes. 

In addition, the Arts Council and Fáilte Ireland entered into a strategic partnership in order to develop guidance for the safe presentation of festivals and live events. This document is currently at the consultation stage and is due to be published in the coming weeks.

While the timeframe for the resumption of entertainment events remains uncertain and, is dependent on public health considerations, it is critical that a set of COVID-19 guidelines is developed and ready in advance of any re-opening of the sector.