Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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. The Arts Council and County and City Management Association (CCMA) have a joint ten year agreement which is strongly focused on continued investment. 

Capital schemes including the Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018 and the Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022 provides capital grants for not-for-profit arts and culture organisations and are administered by my Department.  The schemes focus on enhancing the existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout the country.

I will be shortly announcing details of a further Stream of capital funding for these not-for-profit arts and culture centres. The focus will be on reducing an organisation’s carbon footprint and also providing additional capacity for artists in terms of artists' workspaces, for artistic production, or other capital projects that are deemed necessary including health & safety projects, universal access etc. The full details of this new Stream of capital funding will be available on my Department’s page of the gov.ie website when it is launched.