Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Much of the nationwide infrastructure of venues and arts centres used by the professional arts were initiated and funded by local authorities. The network of venues and arts centres established receive ongoing funding for programming from the Arts Council.

My Department focuses on providing capital grant funding for arts and cultural facilities. The primary focus of these schemes is towards securing and enhancing existing arts and culture facilities rather than the development of major new centres.

Arts Centres in receipt of capital funding from my Department in Cork County includes funding of €600,000 awarded to Cork County Council, towards rebuilding the of Briery Gap Theatre & Library, Macroom Co Cork after it was destroyed by fire. In 2014, the Department awarded a grant of €1.5m towards the West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen.

Proposals for the development local arts centres are a matter in the first instance for the local authority. In this case, Cork County Council. County and city development plans are drawn up by local authorities in accordance with their functions under the Planning and Development Acts.

I understand that the Cork County Development Plan 2022-2028 was published in 2022 and that the main policy document and sets out the policy objectives for development in the county including the arts. This document can be accessed at the following link:

www.corkcoco.ie/en/resident/planning-and-development/cork-county-development-plan-2022-2028/volume-one