Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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506. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to confirm if her Department is responsible for the funding of ongoing operational costs (rent, rates, staffing, administration etc.) of publicly funded programmes such as music generation and ETB music services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52019/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Since 2014, my Department has provided annual funding to Music Generation to support the provision of performance music education to children and young people. Music Generation is a national programme that aims to transform the lives of children and young people through access to high quality performance music education in their locality. It is established as a Designated Activity Company and is a charity which adheres to the Charities Regulator’s Charities Code of Governance. Music Generation is delivered through 29 Local Music Education Partnerships (LMEPs) around the country, which provide vocal and instrumental music tuition for young people. Education and Training Boards are lead partners, and employ a Music Development Officer and an administrator.

In December 2017, as part of the Creative Youth Plan, Government announced its commitment to support the roll-out of Music Generation nationwide by 2022. The commitment to funding Music Generation was continued in the successor Creative Youth Plan of 2023-2027, and is also reflected in the Programme for Government.

In 2025, funding of €6.98m was provided to Music Generation by my Department. As well as funding delivery of services by the LMEPs, and ETB staffing, the funding supports central leadership and quality support and development. From the allocation, each LMEP receives DEY funding of €200,000 annually through their ETB, and is expected to raise matching funding locally.

Separately, schools of music within four ETBs have been funded by my Department for many years, under a long-standing mechanism to support specific objectives called Cooperation Hours. Through this mechanism, 68,781 teaching hours have been funded annually. The schools of music deliver a wide range of programmes and special projects for further development of talented young musicians.

My Department is committed to working closely with Music Generation and the Education and Training Boards to support the continued provision of non-mainstream music education for the benefit of children and young people nationally.