Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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46. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps his Department is taking to improve access to the arts, particularly in terms of accessibility of arts spaces for disabled people and the inclusion of ethnic minorities and disadvantaged socioeconomic populations in the arts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52580/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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My Department is taking a number of steps to improve, increase and widen access to the arts.

The Creative Ireland Programme has invested in local communities, through a strategic partnership with local government, with my Department allocating funding of €36.8 million to the 31 local authorities to support the delivery of over 7,350 creative and cultural projects throughout the country.

Each of the 31 local authorities have developed a Culture and Creativity Strategy 2023-2027 and all share priorities in relation to social cohesion and investment in communities. Of these, 20 local authorities use the Creative Communities partnership to support social inclusion, taking account of changing demographics. In implementing Creative Communities, local authorities have demonstrated how creative and cultural projects with local communities broadens access to, and participation in, cultural and creative activities, including events, exhibitions and concerts. This encompasses Cruinniú na nÓg, the National Day of Creativity for children and young people, that delivered 1,300 free events across the island of Ireland on Saturday 7 June. One of the guiding principles of Cruinniú na nÓg is to prioritise harder to reach children and young people, including seldom heard children, those with disabilities and children in direct provision.

One of the Strategic Objectives of the Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027 is to “Strengthen equity of access to creative activities for the most seldom heard children and young people.” The Plan supports targeted initiatives to ensure all children and young people, from many diverse backgrounds, can engage in creativity and the arts. These include:

• Local Creative Youth Partnerships (LCYPs) - aimed at children and young people aged 0-24 who are at risk of disadvantage or marginalisation have opportunities to express themselves creatively in out of school settings. There are now 8 LCYP’s in the following ETBs: Limerick Clare ETB; Kerry ETB; Laois Offaly ETB; Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB; Cork ETB; Galway Roscommon ETB; Cavan Monaghan ETB; Tipperary ETB.
• The Creative Youth Nurture Fund 2023-2025 - a pilot scheme to support organisations that reach specific cohorts of seldom heard children and young people and engage them in a creative programme in which their voice is central. With the scheme currently being evaluated, nine projects were supported over two years.

• As part of the Live Aid Exhibition at the National Photographic Archive, the National Library of Ireland has established an ongoing partnership with the ECI (Ethiopian Community in Ireland) which will be the basis for a varied events and community engagement programme during the period of the Exhibition.
• The Chester Beatty Library has hosted a variety of events in 2025 including workshops at a reception centre for Syrian refugees, participation in English and integration classes offered to recent refugees and asylum seekers, and a Dublin City Foundation workshops for disadvantaged teens and disadvantaged children.
• The National Museum of Ireland hosts community events / community projects that are often targeted at underrepresented groups and can be a one-off tour or form part of a longer project. The NMI has had visits from Direct Provision Centres, and is currently working on a targeted plan of engagement for the communities of Dublin 7 and Dublin 8.
• The National Concert Hall operates a range of programmes designed to provide access to music to groups who are unable to attend music venues for health reasons. Music in Children’s Hospitals, a partnership between the NCH and Music & Health Ireland, brings live music directly to children and their families in paediatric healthcare settings. In the National Rehabilitation Hospital, tailored musical interactions support the therapeutic work of the NRH, delivered with sensitivity and care. There are also programmes for people living with dementia and their carers, those living with mental health difficulties offering group music-making to promote self-expression, resilience and social support.
• The National Gallery of Ireland’s “Your Gallery at School” programme includes Transition Year/Work Experience Programmes, a Schools Fellowship and in-depth residencies for DEIS primary schools in Dublin City, “My Primary School is at the Gallery.
• The Crawford Art Gallery (CAG) operates the Crawford Supported Studios, an initiative built on a long-term partnership between MTU Crawford College of Art & Design and Crawford Art Gallery, providing two weekly studio sessions to disabled artists and seeking out exhibition and training opportunities for them. CAG runs a collaborative art programme for children living in Direct Provision, with some having been granted leave to stay in Ireland as well as Beyond the Frame, a series of discussion-based workshops centred around artworks in Crawford Art Gallery’s collection for inmates in Cork prison. CAG also runs Lonradh, an arts programme for older adults experiencing memory loss, their families, and carers.