Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Much of the nationwide infrastructure of venues and arts centres nationwide used by the professional arts were initiated and funded by local authorities. 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 and then by the Arts Council for ongoing current funding. My Department focuses on providing capital grant funding for arts and cultural facilities. The primary focus of these schemes is towards securing and enhancement of existing arts and culture facilities rather than the development of major new centres.

Any proposal to develop of a local arts centre would be primarily be a matter in the first instance for the local authority. In this case, that would be Galway County Council. County and city development plans are drawn up by local authorities in accordance with their functions under the Planning and Development Acts. In this context I understand that the Galway County Development Plan 2022 - 2028 sets out policy objectives for development in the county up to 2028. If there is a community element, the Department of Community and Local Development may have supports that would be relevant.