Terence Flanagan
Question:857. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her Department's priorities for the remainder of this Dáil; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29579/15]
View answerDepartmental Strategies
Questions (857)
Written answers
My Department's Statement of Strategy for 2015-2017, available on its website at www.ahg.gov.ie, details the high-level goals for the period concerned and the strategies to be employed to deliver on these goals. Key priorities over the coming months include: the continued development and roll-out of the Government's commemoration programme, with a particular emphasis on Ireland 2016; the development of the first National Cultural Policy - Culture 2025; the enactment of legislation relating to the National Concert Hall; continued management of issues in relation to the protection and conservation of Ireland’s designated peatlands; the continued development of a heritage tourism strategy, in cooperation with other partners, with particular emphasis on Ireland’s national parks, as well as our wider built and natural heritage; the continued implementation of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 and the language planning process under the Gaeltacht Act 2012; and ongoing North-South co-operation in relation to areas under the remit of my Department.
Easter Rising Commemorations
Questions (858)
Seán Fleming
Question:858. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the criteria in place, the assessment process, the approval process and the appeals mechanism in place in respect of funding allocated and to be allocated by her Department and organisations under the aegis of her Department, including the Arts Council, in respect of applications for funding for projects to commemorate the centenary of 1916; the guidelines as to the division of these funds between public bodies and non-public bodies that are undertaking projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29609/15]
View answerWritten answers
A capital provision of €22 million was allocated for 2015 to support a number of specific flagship commemorations projects being advanced under the aegis of my own Department, the Department of Defence and the OPW. These include the GPO Interpretative Centre, the Tenement Museum in Henrietta Street, refurbishment works at Richmond Barracks, Dublin, a new visitor centre at Teach an Phiarsaigh, Ros Muc, the new Military Pensions Archives building at Cathal Brugha Barracks, the refurbishment of the Kevin Barry Rooms in the National Concert Hall, and the development of Kilmainham Courthouse as a visitor centre for the Gaol. In addition, I secured a dedicated allocation of €4 million in current funding for my Department to support the development in 2015 of the Government’s Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. In line with that Programme, funding is being broadly allocated to bodies and programme strands as follows:
Community Participation Strand: Some €1m has been divided equally between the local authorities to drive programme development at local level. The local authorities have consulted widely at community level and many have already invited applications and submissions for this funding. The assessment process and appeals mechanisms are a matter for the local authorities in this instance.
Cultural Expression Strand: Some €1m has been allocated to the development of a cultural commemorations programme through the National Cultural Institutions and other similar national cultural bodies, following an assessment by my Department of proposals received from the bodies in question. This allocation will fund a programme of exhibitions for 2016, digitisation of key records and artefacts, lecture series, website development and publications.
Youth and Imagination: Some €250,000 has been allocated towards the development of a creative and innovative programme for the education sector in conjunction with Department of Education and Skills. This allocation will fund the development of a range of educational initiatives, to include a significant North-South element, to be rolled out to schools across the country in the autumn.
An Teanga Bheo: Some €250,000 has been allocated in 2015 towards the development of a dedicated Irish language commemorations programme strand. The key elements of this programme strand were adopted following a consultation process with a wide range of language bodies, both statutory and non-statutory. Funding allocations will be made in the coming weeks, following an assessment of applications carried out by my Department. The standard Departmental appeals process will apply.
The balance of the current budget has been allocated to the operations of my Department’s 2016 Commemoration Project Office, including a range of communications and engagement initiatives being advanced by it.
With regard to the Arts Council, I secured €2 million in additional funding for the Council's commemorative programme in preparation for 2016. The Council is an independent statutory body and my Department has no role in its funding decisions. Details of the Council’s decision-making process and the appeals mechanism available can be found on its website at www.artscouncil.ie.
Apart from the major capital and current projects/programme strands that form an integral part of the Government’s Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, my Department has also received requests for funding from a range of organisations and individuals to support a variety of 2016 commemorative projects and proposals. Over 270 such proposals have been received to date and I very much welcome and appreciate the ideas submitted. However, the amount of funding available to my Department to support such proposals is very limited indeed and what limited supports that are being made available are focused on projects that resonate particularly with the Government’s Programme - for example by being related directly to one of the signatories of the Proclamation. My Department’s 2016 Commemoration Project Office continues to work its way through the correspondence received and to alert relevant local authorities, Departments and agencies to proposals that would appear to fall within their particular areas of responsibility.
Legal Advice
Questions (859)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:859. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if there have been any recent cases of employment or equality litigation involving employees at a centre (details supplied) in Dublin 7; her views on the employment environment in the centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29696/15]
View answerWritten answers
The issues raised by the Deputy are matters for the Board and management of the institution in question, having appropriate regard to public service norms and the relevant employment legislation. I have asked my officials to bring the Deputy’s enquiries to the attention of the Director of the institution in question and to ask that he provide the information requested to the Deputy.
Turbary Rights
Questions (860)
Denis Naughten
Question:860. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views that it is acceptable that a person (details supplied) in County Galway is now waiting over 14 months for a decision on an appeal for compensation to the Peatlands Council; the steps she is taking to address this situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29719/15]
View answerWritten answers
In April 2011, the Government agreed to the setting up of an independently chaired Peatlands Council to assist the Government and stakeholders regarding certain issues relating to the management of Ireland’s peatlands, in particular bogs nominated for designation as special areas of conservation and natural heritage areas. Applicants to the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme administered by my Department may, further to the option of a Departmental review, appeal their case to the Peatlands Council in the event that they are informed that the qualifying criteria of the scheme have not been met. The Council may then make recommendations to me, as Minister, on such cases.
As part of the appeals process, the Council has established an Appeals Sub Group consisting of three members of the Council. While the terms of reference in relation to the Peatlands Council’s appeals function have been agreed between the Council and me, as Minister, the operation of the appeals function is a matter for the Council itself.
I understand that, following agreement on these terms of reference, the applicant referred to in the Deputy’s Question was informed by the Secretary of the Council, on 12 January last, that it was hoped to arrange a hearing of the appeal by the Appeals Subgroup as soon as possible. I am further advised that, on 28 April 2015, the Appeals Subgroup reported to the Council on this case. In order to make a recommendation on the merits of the case, the Council agreed that further information relating to the operation of the rural environmental protection scheme, administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, was necessary.
I understand that this information has been acquired and that a further hearing of the appeal by the Appeals Subgroup will be arranged as soon as possible, with a view to a recommendation being made by the Peatlands Council.
Arts Funding
Questions (861)
Terence Flanagan
Question:861. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she expects increased funding to the arts in the coming years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29945/15]
View answerWritten answers
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. As Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, I am committed to securing the best possible funding for the Arts Council and the arts sector generally. I was very pleased, at the conclusion of last year's Estimates processes, not only to have ensured there would be no reduction in funding for the arts and culture areas of my Department for 2015, but also to have secured an additional €2 million in funding for the national cultural institutions, which have faced considerable funding challenges, as well as an additional €2 million for the Arts Council, which will use the allocation for its commemorations programme in preparation for 2016.
The funding requirements for the arts sector for next year and the years ahead will be addressed in the context of the Estimates and Budgetary process. In doing so, the Government must balance competing demands from every part of our economy and society.
Departmental Advertising Expenditure
Questions (862)
Denis Naughten
Question:862. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total cost of public advertising, statutory and non-statutory, funded by her Department in 2013 and 2014; the corresponding figure for agencies under the control of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30019/15]
View answerWritten answers
Expenditure from my Department's Administrative Budget on public advertising, both statutory and non-statutory, was €15,159 in 2014, while the corresponding figure for 2013 was €13,816. With regard to bodies funded from my Department's Vote, the matters raised are part of the day-to-day operational responsibilities of the bodies in question. I am arranging, therefore, for the terms of the Deputy’s Question to be transmitted to the heads of relevant bodies with a request that they provide the requested information directly to the Deputy.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (863)
Denis Naughten
Question:863. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the cost in 2013 and 2014 of printing reports by her Department and agencies under the control of her Department; the corresponding figure for annual reports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30034/15]
View answerWritten answers
I am advised that the total printing costs paid from my Department's Administrative Budget in 2014 was €2,946 while the corresponding figure for 2013 was €24,553. In the interests of completeness, it should also be noted that printing costs totalling €16,200 in 2013 and €2,000 in 2014 were also incurred in relation to the production of the three-volume report on the Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland 2013. In addition, the costs associated with printing the National Peatlands Strategy in 2014 amounted to €13,300.
No printing costs are incurred in relation to the publication of my Department's Annual Reports, which are published online and are available on my Department’s website.
With regard to bodies funded from my Department's Vote, the matters raised are part of the day-to-day operational responsibilities of the bodies in question. I am arranging, therefore, for the terms of the Deputy’s Question to be transmitted to the heads of relevant bodies with a request that they provide the requested information directly to the Deputy.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (864)
Denis Naughten
Question:864. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the cost in 2013 and 2014 of issuing hardcopy payslips to staff or retired staff by her Department and agencies under the control of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30049/15]
View answerWritten answers
During the period in question, payroll services for my Department, the National Museum of Ireland and the National Library of Ireland were provided by the Financial Shared Service operated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I am advised that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is arranging for the provision of the information requested by the Deputy in respect of all clients of that service. With regard to bodies funded from my Department’s Vote which were not clients of the Financial Shared Service, the operation of payroll services are part of the day-to-day operational responsibilities of such bodies. However, I am advised that the estimated annual costs incurred in the issuing of hard copy payslips to staff and pensioners of these bodies in each of the years in question was in the order of €14,000.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (865)
Lucinda Creighton
Question:865. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will outline and itemise all expenditure undertaken by her Department on private travel for her and-or for her private office, on legal fees, on consultancy fees and on hotel accommodation during the 12-month period to 30 June 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30064/15]
View answerWritten answers
My Department has incurred no expenditure in respect of private travel by me or my private office staff. Under the official travel guidelines issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, reimbursements of travel expenses can only occur in respect of costs incurred in the course of carrying out official duties. Details of the costs incurred in respect of official travel undertaken by the staff of my private office and by me during the period specified by the Deputy are as follows:
|
Expense Type |
Minister |
Ministerial Staff |
|
Mileage |
€15,682 |
€1,651 |
|
Subsistence |
€1,575 |
€13,027 |
|
Air Fares |
€7,246 |
€4,548 |
|
Hotel Accommodation |
€1,374 |
€2,443 |
|
Miscellaneous |
€1,502 |
€2,218 |
I am advised that there was no expenditure on legal fees from my Department's Administrative Budget during the specified period. However, for completeness, I should point out that my Department makes payments from time to time to the Chief State Solicitor's Office in respect of legal services that it provides to my Department.
Expenditure on consultancy fees from my Department's Administrative Budget during the specified period was €24,907, as follows:
|
Company |
Purpose |
Amount Paid |
|
Fitzpatrick Associates |
Ulster Canal – updated business case |
€15,190 |
|
Public Affairs Ireland |
Údarás na Gaeltachta - review of management structure |
€9,717 |
My Department also commissions engineering or environmental experts from time to time to provide technical reports on specific issues as required. Expenditure on such work, or on contracts awarded for the provision of services to my Department, are not included in the above figures as these are not classified as "consultancy services and policy reviews" and are not funded from my Department's Administrative Budget.
Details of expenditure by my Department are available in the annual Appropriation Accounts published by the Comptroller and Auditor General at www.audgen.ie.
Community Development Initiatives
Questions (866)
Jerry Buttimer
Question:866. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount provided by her Department to Cork City Council and to Cork County Council and to projects and community groups in County Cork over each of the past four years by scheme and grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30088/15]
View answerWritten answers
Details of the annual funding allocation to my Department at subhead level are published in the annual Revised Estimates Volume. Through these subheads, my Department administers and delivers a wide range of programmes and measures, descriptions of which are available on its website at http://www.ahg.gov.ie. Expenditure under these programme areas is recorded and accounted for on a national basis and it is not possible to give a regional or county-by-county breakdown of that expenditure. For example, a number of my Department’s programmes are delivered through agencies and other intermediary bodies that operate across county boundaries and in respect of which there is no detailed breakdown on a county basis held by my Department. Groups and organisations that receive grants directly from my Department are not typically constituted on a single-county basis.
In view of this and because of the wide range of my Department’s schemes and programmes, and the large volumes of payments and grants involved, it is not possible to provide the information sought. However, if the Deputy has specific queries relating to a particular programme or grant, I will endeavour to provide him with relevant information in that regard.
Appointments to State Boards
Questions (867)
Lucinda Creighton
Question:867. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she is responsible for all board appointments where the power to appoint people to State boards is vested in her by statute; if any politically appointed State employee outside her Department is involved in decision-making concerning such appointments, in particular, if, during the lifetime of the Government, a named person (details supplied) has had any influence over any appointments made by her; if she or officials from her Department have corresponded with that person regarding the composition of and appointments to State boards to which she has statutory power to make appointments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30104/15]
View answerWritten answers
Responsibility for making appointments to a number of statutory State boards is vested by statute in me as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. As I have not made any appointments to those statutory boards since becoming Minister, the question of anyone seeking to exercise any role or influence in the making of such appointments does not arise. In 2014, the Government approved new guidelines covering the process to be used in making all appointments to State boards. Under these guidelines, the Public Appointments Service assumed responsibility for managing the appointments process via a dedicated website, www.stateboards.ie. In common with other Government Departments, my Department has nominated a liaison officer to engage with the Public Appointments Service in ensuring compliance with the new guidelines.
I have delegated responsibility for certain functions relating to the Gaeltacht to the Minister of State at my Department with responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy McHugh. The Minister of State has made two appointments to the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta, which were fully in compliance with the new guidelines. I understand there was no correspondence in those cases of the nature referred to by the Deputy.
Departmental Funding
Questions (868)
Denis Naughten
Question:868. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total current and capital funding allocated to her Department; the underspend or overspend in 2015 to date under each category based on her Department's spending profile; the funding made available within and external to her Department's functions to support innovation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30119/15]
View answerWritten answers
Details of the funding allocation to my Department are published in the annual Revised Estimates Volume, which is available on the website of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Provisional current and capital expenditure figures in respect of my Department at Vote level as of 30 June 2015 are published by the Department of Finance at www.finance.gov.ie/sites/default/files/Appendix%20III%20-%20End%20June%202015%20Gross%20Voted%20Expenditure%20Summary.pdf. Details of the actual outturn for my Department at subhead level for 2015 will be published in due course in the Annual Appropriation Account and will be available on the website of the Comptroller and Auditor General as was the case for previous years.
My Department administers and delivers a wide range of programmes and measures, descriptions of which are available on its website at http://www.ahg.gov.ie. In view of the wide range of my Department’s schemes and programmes, it is not possible to provide the information sought. However, if the Deputy has any specific queries relating to a particular project or programme, I would be glad to seek to provide him with relevant information in that regard.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (869)
Denis Naughten
Question:869. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department or agencies under the authority of her Department have performed an assessment of the potential savings to be accrued if current paper-based application processes by members of the public were replaced with a fully online application system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30134/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Digital First strategic objective, which is set out in the Government's Public Service ICT Strategy, proposes the further digitisation of the top citizen interactions with the State. This envisages the increased use of ICT to deliver improved efficiency within the public service and provide new digital services to citizens, businesses and public servants. In light of this objective, my Department's draft Information Technology Strategic Plan 2015-2017 identifies the development of grant and application processing systems, which incorporate efficient customer interaction channels, automated processing aids and enhanced data sharing potential, as a key goal over the lifetime of the Plan, subject to available resources.
With regard to bodies funded from my Department's Vote, the matters raised are part of the day-to-day operational responsibilities of the bodies in question. I am arranging, therefore, for the terms of the Deputy’s Question to be transmitted to the heads of relevant bodies with a request that they provide information, to the extent feasible, directly to the Deputy.
Departmental Reports
Questions (870)
Billy Kelleher
Question:870. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when her Department's annual report for 2014 will be published. [30207/15]
View answerWritten answers
The 2014 Annual Report for my Department is in the final stages of editing and translation. It will be laid before the Oireachtas during the coming weeks and published on my Department’s website shortly thereafter.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (871)
Martin Heydon
Question:871. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of investment from capital spending her Department has made in County Kildare since 2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30329/15]
View answerWritten answers
Details of the annual funding allocation to my Department at subhead level are published in the annual Revised Estimates Volume. Through these subheads, my Department administers and delivers a wide range of programmes and measures, descriptions of which are available on its website at http://www.ahg.gov.ie. Expenditure under these programme areas is recorded and accounted for on a national basis and it is not possible to give a regional or county-by-county breakdown of it. For example, a number of my Department’s programmes are delivered through agencies and other intermediary bodies that operate across county boundaries and in respect of which there is no detailed breakdown on a county basis held by my Department. Groups and organisations that receive grants directly from my Department are not typically constituted on a single-county basis.
In view of this and because of the wide range of my Department’s schemes and programmes, and the large volumes of payments and grants involved, it is not possible to provide the information sought. However, if the Deputy has specific queries relating to a particular programme or grant, I will endeavour to provide him with relevant information in that regard.
Arts Council Grants
Questions (872)
Pearse Doherty
Question:872. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide, in tabular form, the total amount of funding allocated by the Arts Council to projects in County Donegal for 2013 and 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30374/15]
View answerWritten answers
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. Primary responsibility for the promotion and support of the arts at all levels throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council. The Council, although funded by my Department, is statutorily independent in its day-to-day operations and specifically in its funding decisions. Information on the Arts Council's funding schemes and funding decisions is available for each county and each year through its funding decisions database at www.artscouncil.ie/funding-decisions.