Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 September 2015
169. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she and her Department have examined the potential for Irish culture to be used as part of a continued economic development plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32462/15]
View answerMy Department provides significant funding towards numerous cultural events and bodies, which are of great economic and social benefit to the State. For example, my Department supports the annual Culture Night event, which has grown from a relatively small-scale cultural event, staged only in Dublin, in 2006 to the significant national cultural event it now is. Culture Night 2015 had over 3,000 events in 1,500 venues. Early feedback from the event has been overwhelmingly positive with many participating locations reporting larger turnouts than in previous years.
My Department also provides support to numerous other cultural events through the funding it provides to the Arts Council, the national cultural institutions and a range of other cultural organisations.
Over the course of 2015, more than €3 million per week will be invested by my Department in support of arts, culture and film in Ireland.
In addition, my Department is currently the process of developing a new National Cultural Policy. Culture 2025 will reflect the important role that culture plays in our daily lives and will help integrate cultural policy within broader social and economic goals. It will explore how culture can contribute to building an inclusive society, provide avenues for expression for our citizens, drive innovation and contribute to our societal growth and economic wellbeing.
The final policy document to emerge from this process will be submitted for the approval of Government and it is envisaged that the new policy will be published in early 2016.
