Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2015
60. Deputy Catherine Byrne asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the financial supports she will provide to local authorities to make the over 2,000 community events and initiatives that have been confirmed for 2016 as part of the local authority-led county plans a reality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43541/15]
View answerUnder the Community Participation strand of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, some 84 public consultations, facilitated by the local authorities with support from my Department, have taken place nationwide. Each of the local authorities has developed a rich and diverse series of events and projects that will take place next year. I was very pleased to participate with An Taoiseach and other Government colleagues at the official launch on 8 October last of the 31 individual county plans arising from this process. My Department provided €1m this year to assist local authorities in preparing for their local commemorative programmes and I recently announced a further funding package of €3m for all local authorities in 2016 in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and IPB Insurance. This will be distributed equally across each local authority and will allow communities to fully engage with next year’s centenary.
The local authorities are now in the process of organising individual launches of their county plans, which include a wide variety of events, lectures and opportunities for the public to get involved with the centenary programme.
With funding also being provided to support a range of events across the 7 strands of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, I am satisfied that all citizens will be able to participate in this major commemoration next year.
Further information in relation to the various events, activities and initiatives taking place under each of the programme strands, including the 31 county plans launched in October, can be found on my Department’s dedicated website at www.ireland.ie.
