Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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277. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the details of the supports that her Department has provided for Ukraine and for Ukrainian people since February 2022, whether in Ukraine or within the State; the number of people supported, where relevant; the estimated cost and value of the support where available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8876/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As I advised the house in my response to Dáil Question No. 206 of 10 March 2022, since the illegal, unprovoked, and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces on 24 February, Ireland has stood in unwavering solidarity with the people and government of Ukraine.

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is not responsible for the direct provision of public services.Therefore my Department has not provided direct supports to Ukrainian refugees in the State. However, in addition to supporting the Department of Children, Equality, Diversity, Integration and Youth in seeking to source accommodation, my Department has undertaken a range of measures to support Ukraine and Ukrainians.

In October I wrote to my Ukrainian counterpart, Minister Tkachenko, to advise him of a donation of €100,000 to UNESCO to assist with the protection of cultural heritage in Ukraine by supporting UNESCO’s efforts to provide protective materials and assist museums in their preservation. This matched funding provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The Creative Ireland programme has also supported events for children and young people, facilitating the full participation of young Ukrainians in Ireland in a variety of ways. Many of these events were part of the Cruinniú na nÓg programme of activities on 11 June - Ireland’s annual national day of free creativity for children and young people under 18.

With support from the Creative Ireland Programme and local authorities, my Department also extended support valued at €262,000 to Festival in a Vanto deliver the Shared Music Sessions, involving 143 Ukrainian musicians in 22 locations across the country from September to November.

My Department also sanctioned extra language assistants’ hours to 10 Gaeltacht schools in Galway, Mayo and Donegal benefitting 80 Ukrainian pupils, while Irish Summer Colleges also offered Ukrainian Citizens located in Gaeltacht areas places on their 2022 summer courses.

In addition to these measures those agencies under the aegis of my Department and the National Cultural Institutions continue to support Ukraine by opening up funding streams to applications from Ukrainian refugees, hosting performances by Ukrainian artists and introducing initiatives to facilitate Ukrainian families and children in accessing sporting and cultural resources.