Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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144. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on the absence of cultural spaces in Dublin city and county specifically for performance and artistic exhibitions; and the actions she plans to take to address same. [2650/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 144 together.

Urban planning and development policy is primarily a matter for local authorities  and the Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government.  County and city development plans are drawn up by local authorities in accordance with their functions under the Planning and Development Acts and I understand that the new draft City Development Plan 2022 – 2028 for Dublin City Council proposes addressing the deficit in Artists Workspaces. 

Recent decades have seen the development of a nationwide infrastructure of venues and arts centres, many of which were initiated and funded by local authorities.  These centres also benefit from capital schemes operated by my Department.Annual support provided to these arts centres by local authorities and the Arts Council is critical to ensuring that a stable and vibrant network can be maintained.

In recent years my Department has allocated up to €3 million that is available for grants towards artists’ workspaces in Dublin City.  Dublin City Council has been examining a range of sites for their suitability over the past number of years. This investment will greatly benefit the artists in this area and help address the deficit in artist workspaces in Dublin City.

The Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022 provides capital grants for arts and culture centres and is administered by my Department.  The schemes focus on enhancing the existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout the country. In line with the Government's action on climate change, projects that reduce an organisation's carbon footprint that will make a real and positive impact on the environment, are prioritised, as are projects that provide additional capacity for artists and artistic production. The Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022 is constructed of a number of funding steams one of which is Stream C which is aimed at upgrading visual artists' workspaces and was run by Visual Artists Ireland (VAI) on behalf of my Department.

The Arts Council operates many current funding schemes and initiatives for the particular support of visual arts, including the Visual Artists Workspace Scheme, to support artists’ and provide the best possible working environment for visual artists.

The  Creative Ireland Programme is a culture-based programme led by my Department to promote individual, community and national wellbeing.  Under its Creative Communities initiative, my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provide funding to each of the 31 local authorities to enable them to implement their individual Culture and Creativity Strategies 2018-2022.  These strategies were developed by local authorities, including their Arts Offices, following extensive local public consultation.  They are unique to each local authority, reflecting the breadth of cultural and creative work being undertaken in each area thereby empowering creatives and artists to live and work in their local communities.

The Creative Ireland Programme has also explored community and collaborative place-making initiatives that might serve as a catalyst for change and opportunity for further investment.  With Programme funding during 2021, for example, the Irish Architecture Foundation worked with a network of 46 community organisations - Community Organization and Residents Network (CORN) - across the South West Inner City to reimagine a future for Marshalsea Barracks that once loomed large in Dublin 8 community life and local history.

In response to Covid 19 the Outdoor Public Space Scheme was introduced by my Department  to help local authorities open up and create public spaces and facilities dedicated to the arts, culture and festivals. The scheme was developed in consultation with the County and City Management Association and with input from Fáilte Ireland. Each local authority can apply for up to €250,000 under the scheme. To date, 18 local authorities have been awarded funding of more than €4.4 million under this scheme.  Under the scheme, local authorities are encouraged to prioritise place-making projects that support cultural endeavour and enable safe social activity.

Under the commercial entertainment capital grant scheme, a total of 88 grants of up to €25,000 each have been awarded to venues, performance facilities and private sector classes throughout the country for Covid adaptation improvements, including ventilation. These grants have been paid out by my Department last month.

The issues raised by the Deputies were discussed during the consultation process for the Report of the Night-Time Economy which I launched last year.  Planning was a key discussion point for the Taskforce and they recommended thedevelopment of specific best practice guidance to assist local authorities in including appropriate, locally-tailored provisions to plan effectively for the Night-Time Economy, which includes cultural spaces, in a multi-use urban context.  I will also be hosting a high-level workshop with Minister O’Brien and Minister of State Burke this year with the night-time economy sector and key stakeholders to discuss possible solutions and ideas in this area and I look forward to the outcome of those discussions.  There are many other recommendations which will work towards finding solutions to the issues raised including a number of Arts Council led actions to facilitate more use of publicly-owned cultural buildings and heritage sites for events and to create a viable model for the development of sustainable creative co-operatives looking at national and international best practice. 

My Department does not provide funding to organisations to purchase land or buildings. 

The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support more compact and sustainable development.  The Department for Housing, Planning, and Local Government has responsibility for its implementation. The URDF is supporting a programme of significant transformational capital projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s five cities and other large towns.  I understand that there were two calls for proposals already under the URDF and  there has been an allocation to Dublin City Council in respect of Artists Workspaces.

My Department is also funding a major programme of investment in our National Cultural Institutions under the National Development Plan.  These institutions are largely based in Dublin City.