Written Answers Nos. 124-135
124. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when persons approved and paid in previous years under the turf compensation scheme will be issued with their 2013 payment; when deliveries of turf will commence for those that have taken up this offer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19607/13]
View answerSome 2,668 applications for compensation under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme have been received and acknowledged by my Department. A total of 2,192 payments and 205 deliveries of turf have been made in respect of the applications received. Payments and turf deliveries have been made on the basis that applicants have indicated in their application forms that they fulfil all the qualifying criteria of the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme. My Department has been checking, and is continuing to check, that all such criteria have been met in each case. Applications are currently being assessed with a view to beginning to issue payments in respect of 2013 in the coming weeks. An additional once-off payment of €500 will also be provided where legal agreements are signed with me, as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. My Department has begun to send out legal agreements to applicants. It will take some time for the Department’s contractor to have turf, suitable for domestic use, ready for delivery. I expect that such deliveries will begin in July or August next.
125. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will outline the funding, both the amount and source, provided to Inishboffin from his Department in 2012. [19672/13]
View answerThe following table illustrates for the Deputy, the amount expended by my Department in relation to Inishbofin in 2012:
|
Grantee |
Type of Expenditure |
Amount |
|
Inishbofin Island Discovery Ltd |
Passenger Ferry & Bus Service for Inishbofin |
€258,098 |
|
Blackshell Farm Ltd |
Cargo Ferry Service for Inishbofin |
€340,000 |
|
Brennan Fencing Ltd |
Fencing at Inishbofin Aerodrome |
€35,115 |
|
Galway Co Council |
Construction of passenger shelter at Cleggan |
€15,000 |
|
TOTAL |
€648,213 |
126. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the full extent of grant aid made available for the promotion of the arts in 2012; the extent to which he expects to be in a position to continue such support in the current year notwithstanding the economic situation inherited from his predecessors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19699/13]
View answerThe Revised Estimates Volume was published last week by my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. This contains full details of all funding to the Arts in 2012 along with allocations for 2013. Funding for the Arts Council in 2013 is €60.7m. These details are available at http://per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/REVISED-ESTIMATES-VOLUME-2013-final.pdf.
127. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which he and his Department or subsidiary bodies have, in the past two years, supported local community groups involved in musical or theatrical productions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19700/13]
View answer128. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will indicate, on the examination of applications for grant aid from local community based musical or theatrical groups, if the existence of some such groups who have never received such assistance has come to attention; if any evaluation can be done with a view to addressing such issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19701/13]
View answer131. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which his support for the arts sector continues to result in continued activity and employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19704/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 127, 128 and 131 together.
The Government's policy on the arts is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, to increase access to and participation in the arts, and to make the arts an integral and valued part of our national life. I am continuing to work towards this goal with my Department and the agencies within its remit and I remain committed to securing the best possible level of funding for the arts sector.
Primary responsibility for funding for the arts rests with the Arts Council. The Council is independent in its decision-making process. Details of the Council's successful applicants are available on the Council's website at www.artscouncil.ie, as well as the decision-making panel and statistics on applications. In 2013, the Arts Council will receive an allocation of some €60.7 million in current, capital and EU Presidency funding. Under the Arts Act, 2003, the provision of funding is a matter in the sole remit of the Arts Council. I am precluded by statute from intervening in the Arts Council's decisions on funding. I recently announced a new Philanthropy Initiative for 2013. This year, €210,000 will be available to arts organisations under the scheme. The application form is available on my Department's website and applications are dealt with on a first-come-first-served basis.
The State appreciates and values the contribution the arts sector makes to the internationally renowned artistic reputation of this country. Within the current economic constraints, that investment in the arts, culture and creative sectors is more important than ever, having regard to the employment intensity of the sector. In October 2012, the Arts Council published its latest update of the Assessment of the Economic Impact of the Arts in Ireland and it is available at http://www.artscouncil.ie/en/publications/research_publications.aspx.
133. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which his Department continues to support the film industry here; the degree to which external film interest continues to engage in the sector in this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19706/13]
View answerPrimary responsibility for the support and promotion of film-making in Ireland in respect of both the indigenous sector and inward productions is a matter for the Irish Film Board (IFB). The IFB is the statutorily independent agency responsible for the promotion and development of the Irish film industry and I have no responsibility in relation to its day-to-day operational matters, including policies and the allocation of resources to different support programmes and schemes.
My Department's operational role in supporting the film sector relates to the administration of elements of Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 that provides tax relief for investments in qualifying films. This involves the administration of certain elements of the scheme regarding satisfying cultural criteria. The types of film eligible for certification are feature film, television drama, creative documentary and animation. As Deputies will be aware, the benefits of film and television production in Ireland include not only job creation in the industry itself but also hugely positive spin-off effects for promoting Ireland as a tourist destination and as an industrial location for all aspects of creative endeavours.
134. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which the oldest historical and heritage sites in this country are promoted internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19707/13]
View answer135. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which his Department works in unison with the authorities in Northern Ireland in the promotion of heritage sites of Irish culture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19708/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 135 together.
Promotion of Ireland as a tourist designation is primarily a matter for Tourism Ireland, which as all-island body, promotes Irish heritage abroad from both North and South. The unique qualities of Ireland’s national heritage play a significant role in enhancing and projecting Ireland’s image abroad, and in supporting economic renewal through cultural and heritage tourism and in downstream opportunities, such as in the retail, catering and accommodation sectors. For example, according to Fáilte Ireland, some 3.5 million overseas visitors engaged in cultural activities while in Ireland in 2011. Over 2.5 million tourists visited historic houses or castles, while 2 million visited our archaeological monuments, with over 3.7 million visitors to heritage sites where the Office of Public Works provides a guide service. My Department’s network of National Parks and Reserves are also a major part of Ireland’s tourism attractions.
I am committed to availing of every possible opportunity to project a positive global image for Ireland and to this aim I recently met with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to enhance co-operation between my Department and both Toursim bodies in promoting heritage and tourism. I am particularly conscious in the context of 2013 being the year of The Gathering initiative. My Department is actively engaged in a wide range of activities to this end, both in co-operation with bodies such as Fáilte Ireland and the Office of Public Works, and in promoting its own initiatives such as our ‘Places to See’ and ‘Monuments to Visit’ websites, which provide directions to lesser known heritage sites and details of what the visitor can expect to find on arrival. In addition, my Department provides core funding for the Heritage Council, which supports a range of initiatives, including National Heritage Week.
This year, in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland, my Department is also initiating a pilot programme, the Historic Towns Initiative, in Youghal, Westport and Listowel with the Heritage Council and the local authorities in each town. This initiative is intended to promote heritage-led regeneration with the objective of harnessing cultural heritage to create desirable places to live, do business and visit. The redevelopment of Killarney House in Killarney National Park will also be a major tourism asset in years to come. These are but a sample of the overall range of initiatives and programmes my Department is helping to promote, support or guide as a means of preserving the quality and diversity of our heritage, which in turn, is basis for positively promoting that heritage abroad.
On the broader issue of North/South cooperation, my Department’s remit includes the Waterways Ireland and the Language Body (encompassing Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster Scots Agency) which have a key role in tourism and cultural development and my Department also works on a range of issues across the area of built heritage, arts and culture and the natural heritage with public agencies in Northern Ireland where opportunities for co-operation arise.
