Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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543. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the protocol for organisations that wish to organise outdoor cultural and sports events for August 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31754/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Guidance documents to provide for the safe reopening of the sectors have been developed by and with the sector and my Department’s health and safety consultants, in order to prepare for capacity numbers increasing in July and August, subject to the public health situation pertaining at that time. These include:

- Reopening Sportsgrounds (published)

- Theatre Forum – Guidelines for Reopening of Arts Centres (published)

- Live Entertainment Guidance (due to be published)

- Covid-19 Reopening Guidelines for Young People, Children and Education (published)

- Fáilte Ireland Festivals and Live Events Guidelines (due to be published)

My Department is currently providing for a number of pilot events in the cultural and sporting sectors. Pilot events are necessary as a proof of concept for the safe management of events whilst Covid is still circulating in our communities and in order to evaluate and build confidence in the Covid guidance and event management protocols developed by the culture and sports sectors.

These proposed events will assist in safely charting a path back to greater levels of activity in line with developments in public health guidance over the coming weeks and months. We will review progress as we go through those events and build on experiences gained and the information gathered.

The issue of increased capacities will be reconsidered toward the end of the month when the Government is making decisions around the appropriate restrictions for the period from 19^thof July onwards, subject to the public health situation at the time. I cannot pre-empt the Government’s decision in this regard but I have underlined to Government colleagues the importance of providing for increased capacity at both cultural and sporting events. I have been working very closely with sectoral stakeholders to ensure their concerns are heard and perspectives understood and I will continue to communicate these to Government.