Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The aim of the government’s Culture programme is to promote and develop Ireland’s world class artistic and creative strengths at home and abroad, maximising their value for the country, and supporting the sectors in their recovery. I have summarised hereunder the main measures that have been undertaken to strengthen and develop the arts and culture sectors since 2020.

In response to Covid the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce published a report, ‘Life Worth Living’, in November 2020 which included ten recommendations to assist the recovery of the arts and culture sector post-pandemic. In April 2021, I established an Oversight Group tasked with appraising the recommendations set out in Life Worth Livingreport. The Life Worth Living – Oversight Group: Implementation Progress Report which is published on my Department’s website, charts the progress on the implementation of the recommendations made by the taskforce up to and including December 2021.

Over 2021 my commitment to the sector was evidenced by funding allocations, among them €25m to pilot a Basic Income Scheme for Artists; record Arts Council funding of €130m and the announcement of a €50 million funding package for the Live Performance Sector.During this year we saw the following initiatives:

- Launch of the Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme

- Launch of Mná 100 podcast series

- Launch of 2021 Programme for the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023

- Markievicz Award recipients for 2021

- Artists-in-Residence under the Decade of Centenaries Programme

- Launch of Cruinniú na nÓg 2021

- €455,000 funding for the promotion of Irish arts globally

- Recipients of €25 million funding under Live Performance Support Scheme was announced

The allocations made under Budget 2022 made possible the following measures:

- introduce a pilot Basic Income Guarantee scheme for Artists

- continue and expand its support of arts, artists and the arts sector as a whole including maintaining funding of €130m for the Arts Council

- provide supports of €50m for the live entertainment industry

- enhance support to the National Cultural Institutions

- support initiatives for the Night-time Economy

- increase support for the audio visual industry

The 2022 budget was cast in a time when the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the sectors my Department supports was still all-encompassing. Throughout 2022, the arts and culture sector in Ireland was either closed completely, or operating at significantly reduced capacity levels. The 2022 budget included funding aimed at supporting these sectors through the worst of the pandemic. From the total allocation for 2022 which was €1.222 billion, being €1.019 billion in current funding and €202 million in capital funding. Of the €1.019 billion in current funding, €219 million was provided on a once-off bases for COVID-19 support measures including initiatives to support Live Entertainment and Sport, and Business Continuity funding for the Tourism sector, all aimed at ensuring these sectors were sustained through the pandemic.

Budget 2023 provides for gross expenditure of €1,142.419m for my Department in 2023 consisting of current expenditure of €935.937m and capital expenditure of €206.482m and is available online atwww.gov.ie/en/publication/eb6ec-budget-2023-expenditure-reports/. The overall allocation for Culture in my Department's Vote for 2023 is €352.382m, an increase of 83% on the initial 2020 allocation of €192.905m.

As we emerged from the pandemic, in line with the cessation of horizontal supports following the lifting of public health restrictions, sector specific interventions have been tapered and will not operate in 2023.

I have secured a comprehensive package for Arts and Culture for 2023, this includes:

- The retention of the record €130 million funding for the Arts Council in 2023 in recognition of the transformational impact of this funding and to support artists and arts organisations as we look to further develop the sector.

- An additional €10 million in 2023 to fund the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme, a 3-year, €105 million scheme involving 2,000 artists and creative arts workers which will support each beneficiary in developing and sustaining a professional arts practice.

- €2 million increase in funding for Culture Ireland for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide.

- €7 million in additional capital funding for artists’ spaces and climate adaptation, including a new scheme, details of which will be announced shortly.

- An additional €2.5 million will help ensure the National Cultural Institutions continue to provide high-quality programming, to promote learning and engagement opportunities and to safeguard the National Collections.

- Up to €500,000 for supports for artists and arts workers put in place by the department in partnership with the Irish Theatre Institute and others as part of the ‘Safe to Create’ programme, coordinated by ITI.

- Up to €2 million in capital supports for stakeholders in the Night Time Economy in the context of the implementation of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce Report. This is in addition to €4 million in current spending for a range of initiatives and pilot projects to support a more vibrant and diverse Night-Time Economy.

- €1 million extra for Screen Ireland for the continued implementation of the government’s 10-year Audiovisual Action Plan. This is in addition to a decision by Government to extend a key tax incentive for the film industry, Section 481, to 2028.

- An allocation of €3 million to develop, oversee and manage a new archive and exhibition space as part of the overall National Centre for Research and Remembrance. This is a significant and unprecedented project of national and international importance which is being developed in partnership with a number of agencies over the coming years including the National Archives and the National Museum of Ireland.

The Deputy may have noted the recent announcement in relation to the extension of the Government’s Creative Ireland Programme 2017-2022, which is led by my department. This article can be accessed via this link www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e172f-community-and-inclusion-prioritised-by-government-as-it-extends-creative-ireland-for-another-five-years/.

Through the Creative Communitiesinitiative in the Creative Ireland Programme, I have significantly increased the funding provided to local authorities for implementation of their Culture and Creativity Strategies from just under €3 million in 2019 to €7.2 million in 2022. This funding supported additional community-led initiatives including in relation to children & young people, health & wellbeing of older people, economic development and climate action.

I welcomed the Government’s support last week for my proposal that the Creative Ireland Programme would continue for a further five years, encompassing the period 2023-2027. Throughout 2022, the 31 local authorities are developing, through public consultation, new 5 year Culture and Creativity Strategies to enable the delivery of community-led creative projects and initiatives.

Through Creative Youth, I launched a number of additional initiatives to support children and young people including Story Seeds with Fighting Words and Creative Technology with Kinia.Other schemes, launched since 2020, include Creativity in Older Age, the Creative Climate Action Fund and Traveller Wellbeing through Creativity.