Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 January 2014
1. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the actions he will take to ensure the next national city of culture initiative application process is conducted in a more transparent manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4109/14]
View answer2. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the contacts he has had with the organising committee of the Limerick city of culture; and the progress made in ensuring Limerick city of culture will be a success. [4111/14]
View answer5. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the current selection process or nomination process involved in the selection of Ireland's city of culture; if he will consider granting Waterford the status of the next city of culture; the formal representations Waterford city would need to make to his Department in this regard; if he or his Department has thus far given any consideration to choosing the next city of culture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4342/14]
View answerI have received a message indicating that Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl has been delayed as a result of an accident. While he is not involved, he has been caught up in the traffic jam, and in light of the exceptional circumstances I suggest that Deputy Kitt be authorised to take the question in his place.
That is agreed.
If Deputy McLellan wishes, she can introduce her question as it being grouped with others. I advise the Minister that here is a new procedure whereby a Deputy can introduce his or her question.
I am aware of that.
Deputy McLellan can introduce her question as Deputy Ó Fearghaíl is not here.
I ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the actions he will take to ensure the next national city of culture initiative application process is conducted in a more transparent manner.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1, 2 and 5 together.
As Deputies will be aware, the Government approved an allocation in the budget of €6 million to Limerick City of Culture 2014. While the original aspiration was to have a national city of culture designation every two years, it became clear, however, that it would not be feasible to make a similar resource commitment again as soon as 2016. It is the intention, therefore, that the next city of culture will held in 2018. It is envisaged that a call for proposals from cities, including Waterford, will issue later in the year, following which a selection process will take place to select the next national city of culture.
I wish to advise the Deputies that the selection criteria for the designation of city of culture will include the following elements: an emphasis on the arts, culture, heritage and the Irish language in the location, scale and attractiveness of the programme of events planned for the designation year; community involvement in the planning of the programme of events, with a preference for a bottom-up approach which seeks to unite cultural and socioeconomic stakeholders in a common project, together with a focus on bringing communities together to work towards a shared vision; a programme to increase participation in the arts by local residents; the involvement of local schools in the arts and in the programme for the year of culture; the capacity to foster creativity; the city's ability to maximise its existing infrastructure and facilities to the benefit of the arts; and the lasting and positive impact on the location long into the future.
Regarding Limerick City of Culture 2014, the appointment of an interim head and the broadening of the city of culture board to include local authority and arts community representatives have been important and welcome steps in ensuring the designation will be a success for Limerick.
I have great confidence in the local organisations, the arts community and the people of Limerick to work together to make this a success. More than 100 events are scheduled to take place in the first quarter of this year and, as Deputies are aware, significant funding is in place. The keystone events so far - the opening concert on New Year's Eve, the Riverdance performances, the Michael Warren exhibition and the Haselbeck photography exhibition - have been hugely popular and critical successes. I believe that this bold and confident artistic start to the year can continue and when Limerick is judged by its programme for the year, it will be seen to have exceeded all expectations.
My officials and I remain in contact with the local authority and the other key stakeholders. I am confident that, working together, these partners can ensure the best of Limerick is showcased to a national and international audience this year and that an enduring and positive legacy for arts and culture in Limerick is the primary outcome of the year.
I thank the Minister for his response. This is the first discussion we have had in the Dáil on this important issue since the Christmas recess. By his own account the Minister found out about the crisis of confidence in the city of culture committee in the media, as this occurred during the holiday period. Surely he had been in touch on a regular basis in the run up to the launch in Limerick. He is the Minister and he should provide leadership. Is he confident that the outstanding issues have been resolved to everyone's satisfaction, most of all those community-based arts and drama groups which have been working incredibly hard to ensure Limerick can justifiably take a bow and proclaim itself the city of culture for 2014?
When I announced the city of culture designation, it was indicated that it would be up to the city council to decide on all personnel issues and the artistic director to decide on programming issues. Obviously, I was aware there were tensions but as I said on a radio interview, I was not aware at the time of the resignation of the artistic director. I am happy to state in the House that since then the city of culture has taken off and the events to date have been very well attended and have received a very positive response.
I was at Riverdance, which was a spectacular event. I opened the Hasselbeck exhibition, which was a resounding success and had a full house. The Michael Warren exhibition received critical acclaim in The Irish Times last Saturday. Overall, it has been positive. I was in Limerick on Monday evening and the Irish Technology Leadership Group, ITLG, in Silicon Valley attended. It showed how technology and culture can come together to create jobs and creativity, which is so needed in Limerick city. It has gotten off to a great start and I am confident, despite the initial difficulties and challenges. These are not new to the city of culture programme and the same problems existed in Derry, Liverpool and Cork.
The Minister specified community involvement and the bottom-up approach, which is central to the application process. Does it not account for a proportion of the cuts in the arts in every city and town in Ireland? An example is that over the past five years there has been a nationwide cull of funding to regional theatre companies. There is a widespread perception that funding to smaller regional companies is being sacrificed for the five, mainly Dublin-based, companies. When the Minister's Department examines the applications for the city of culture designation, will the impact of funding cuts that have taken place in each city's arts scheme be taken into account?
I was faced with the same challenges as every other Minister. Cuts were commensurate across all Departments but I tried to minimise, over the past three budgets, the cuts to the Arts Council. The Arts Council allocates funding that I give. It makes the decisions on who gets funding and it is a matter the Deputy can bring to the attention of the Arts Council. There is an arm's-length approach that prevents me from interfering with the Arts Council allocation.
Regarding future applications for designation as a national city of culture, there is strong interest already including from Deputy Halligan's city, Waterford. An injection of €6 million into a city is an enormous boost for the arts organisations and the arts community. Apart from the €6 million this year, a further €2 million has come in from the Arts Council and other national cultural institutions. That amounts to an injection of €8 million for Limerick and as well as private funding. There has been a very good response to the call for private funding in Limerick. I can see a major boost to the arts in Limerick, in the region and in the country because of the designation of Limerick as a city of culture.
I am lucky that we are taking Questions Nos. 1, 2 and 5 together. My apologies to the Ceann Comhairle and the Minister for being late.
I explained the Deputy's position. It could happen to a bishop.
It is generally acknowledged that what was done in respect of Limerick, in terms of its selection and the idea of having a city of culture, was a superb idea and one for which the Minister can take a bow. The lack of transparency about the appointment of the CEO should not have happened and it is important we all learn from the mistakes made. I contend that, as the initial decision was a superb one, it should be built on and carried forward. That is why I expressed, at the committee meeting dealing with the Estimate, disappointment that we see a two-year setback to 2018 for the selection of another city. We should not be downcast in respect of the mistakes made in Limerick, we should learn from them and move ahead with 2016, which was the original intention.
As I explained to the previous Deputy, the issue of appointments was a matter for the city council. Programming was a matter for the artistic director and the CEO. From the beginning, I had no involvement and our Department manages the funding and ensures everything is done in a proper fashion. We are completing a service level agreement with Limerick City Council to ensure that. It will be subject to the examination of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform so everything will be done in the correct manner. As regards the original designation set out in 2016, the huge financial contribution meant it could be difficult from a budgeting point of view. Also, there would not be a long enough run-in for preparation. The year 2014 was designated because Limerick sought it as a result of the change in governance. I mentioned Limerick as an ideal city because of the vibrancy of the arts but the Limerick regeneration implementation group, chaired by Denis Brosnan, made a very strong proposal. Some people questioned whether it was done on a whim but it was done on the back of a very good proposal from Limerick that linked culture, arts, community and economic activity. It is a prototype for other cities. In the future, it will give cities a chance and we will look for applications. Hopefully I will announce the next city of culture at the end of the year. It will give people the chance to plan the future.
Limerick sees this as preparation for the European city of culture, which will be in Ireland in 2020. It is ideal preparation and is bigger than the designation as national city of culture. For the other cities, it will be part of their preparation to try to be the European city of culture.
I raised the issue of funding in September and there were indications that all was not well. It is important it runs smoothly to show Limerick to its best potential. The Minister informed the House the actions he has taken to ensure he is up to speed and in touch for the duration of the city of culture programme. What structures have been put in place to ensure there is no repeat of the New Year's debacle? Can the Minister state on record his confidence in the chair of Limerick city of culture?
The Minister agreed that the city selected in 2018 will have to seek matching funding from the private sector. Given the current economic climate, it is crucial that time is allocated to the city. The Minister has confirmed that the decision will be reached on the selection soon. I congratulate the Minister on the huge effort for what happened in Limerick. I ask him to consider cities that have been economically devastated, like Waterford, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country but a history associated with its culture. Whatever city is allocated the status, it will have a major impact on the city businesses and in building confidence that has been hurt by the current economic climate. I congratulate the Minister on the effort he made in this venture.
I seek assurance from the Minister that those making a pitch for 2018 will have a bottom-up approach and that we will look at communities, including schools and the arts community, being actively involved. Then, we can see a coming together on the ground of all the players making a pitch for this valuable initiative that highlights the culture and heritage and provides a platform to the arts community. That has an intrinsic value but what flows from it is the added socio-economic benefit. Can we be assured that is what will happen?
I lend my support to Deputy Halligan's comments. Cities like Waterford have been devastated by economic disadvantage in recent times and that should be weighed in the balance as well.
With regard to Deputy McLellan's question, I was always up to speed with this project, and that is why Limerick was designated as such. It is a suitable designation because of the challenges faced in Limerick, both economic and otherwise, and this was a way not only to lift the morale and self-esteem in Limerick but to shape Limerick and brand it for the future. That was part of the designation process and I am convinced at the end of the year, that is what will happen. I have an observer on the board and the arts community, on my advice, is also represented, along with local authorities. The board is broader now than what it was initially and everybody has welcomed that.
With regard to Deputy Halligan's comments, I am aware that Waterford faces similar challenges to Limerick. There is a new governance structure for Waterford and last year I recommended that the Georgian section would be designated under the living city initiative. I understand from Deputy Deasy that there was an event to recognise and, more or less, to launch the initiative with the Irish Georgian Society recently. I am delighted the Deputy is considering the matter in that way, and this can be seen as a way to lift the morale and economy of Waterford. The same applies to Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's comments.
This is apart from the intrinsic value of the arts, which is so important in all communities, and I can see how in Limerick this is lifting communities in so many different ways. There are now bigger international performances in the city and the people of Limerick have been energised by what is happening. The programme for the first three months is excellent and any city would be proud of it. It is an international programme of high quality. I agree with Deputy Ó Fearghaíl in that there is a major socioeconomic aspect to this, which is why the top people in Silicon Valley were in Limerick last weekend and Monday night. It is the national city of culture and they wanted to show how technology, the arts and culture can come together to produce creativity and jobs. I hope people will recognise these aspects, as Deputies have done this morning.
