Written Answers Nos. 1-40
32. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the status of Creative Ireland; the way in which this programme links with the Action Plan for Rural Development in terms of promoting the arts in rural counties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11546/17]
View answerThe Taoiseach and I launched the Creative Ireland Programme/Clár Éire Ildánach 2017-2022 on the 8 December 2016 as the Government Legacy Programme for Ireland 2016 and as the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach, the draft cultural policy which I published in July 2016.
This is a cross-Government initiative to mainstream culture and creativity in the life of the nation and to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. The Creative Ireland Programme will embrace the whole cultural sector, bringing together all those involved in the arts, film, broadcasting, visual arts, cultural heritage, the Irish language and Gaeltacht, with Government Departments and State agencies.
Realising our Rural Potential, the Government's Action Plan for Rural Development, was launched on the 23rd January. The Action Plan will act as an overarching structure for the co-ordination and implementation of initiatives right across Government which will benefit rural Ireland. It seeks to unlock the potential of rural Ireland through a framework of supports at national and local level which will ensure that people who live in rural areas have increased opportunities for employment locally, and access to public services and social networks that support a high quality of life.
Arts and Heritage are covered under the fourth pillar of the Action plan - Fostering Culture and Creativity in Rural Communities whose key objectives are to:
- Increase access to the arts and enhance cultural facilities in rural communities.
- Further develop and enhance culture and creativity in rural Ireland through the establishment of culture teams and creativity hubs as part of the Creative Ireland Programme.
- Promote the Irish language as a key resource in Gaeltacht and other rural communities.
This is reinforced by Pillar Two of the Creative Ireland Programme - Enabling Creativity in Every Community - which focuses on the contribution which local government can make to enriching the cultural life of the community.
I am confident that that the initiatives being planned for the arts and cultural sector in both the Creative Ireland Programme and in the Government's Action Plan for Rural Development will complement each other and go a long way towards enhancing culture and creativity across the whole of Irish society.
33. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta, Gnóthaí Réigiúnacha, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta cén dul chun cinn a dhéanfar i mbliana maidir le cur i bhfeidhm na Straitéise Fiche Bliain don Ghaeilge, cad iad na beartais nua atá i gceist don bhliain seo; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [11361/17]
View answerTá cur i bhfeidhm an phróisis pleanála teanga mar pháirt lárnach i gcur i bhfeidhm córasach na Straitéise 20-Bliain don Ghaeilge 2010-2030. I measc na bpríomh-chéimeanna chun tosaigh a ghlacfar sa bhliain reatha mar a bhaineann sé leis an bpróiseas pleanála teanga:
- Tá i gceist go gcuirfear tús leis an bpróiseas sa 3 Limistéar Pleanála Teanga Gaeltachta atá ar cholbha Chathair na Gaillimhe, eadhon: Bearna & Cnoc na Cathrach; An tEachréidh agus Oirthear Chathair na Gaillimhe;
- Táthar ag súil go gcuirfear suas le 12 plean teanga faoi bhráid mo Roinne le bheith faofa idir seo agus deireadh na bliana;
- In éindí le hullmhúchán pleananna teanga a bheith ar bun i ngach ceann eile de na Limistéir Pleanála Teanga Ghaeltachta, leanfar ar aghaidh in 2017 le hullmhú pleananna teanga i leith dhá Bhaile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta, Daingean Uí Chúis agus Leitir Ceanainn, agus cuirfear tús le hullmhú plean teanga i leith Chathair na Gaillimhe. Ina theannta sin tá sé i gceist go leathnófar an próiseas pleanála teanga amach le go gcuimseofar cuid de na bailte eile a d’fhéadfadh a bheith aitheanta in am trátha mar Bhailte Seirbhíse Gaeltachta;agus,
- Tá i gceist chomh maith go leanfar ar aghaidh le hullmhú pleananna teanga sna Líonraí Gaeilge - Baile Locha Riach, Co. na Gaillimhe, Inis, Co. an Chláir agus Cluain Dolcáin, Baile Átha Cliath.
In éindí leis an gclár oibre seo, tá i gceist go dtógfar roinnt céimeanna faoi leith sa bhliain reatha chun tacú tuilleadh le feidhmiú na Straitéise. Ina measc siúd, tá:
- Comhoibriú leanúnach idir mo Roinn fhéin agus an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna ar mhaithe le cur i bhfeidhm an Pholasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta 2017-2022;
- Bille a fhoilsiú chun forálacha áirithe d’Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 a leasú;
- Leanúint leis an bplé idir mo Roinn agus Ranna Stáit eile maidir le hearcú daoine le Gaeilge don státseirbhís;
- Tacú le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta a sprioc 500 post úr a chruthú sa Ghaeltacht a bhaint amach.
Ar deireadh, mar Aire Stáit do Ghnóthaí Gaeltachta, i bhfianaise a thábhachtaí is atá an Straitéis 20-Bliain mar chloch coirnéil don Ghaeilge, leanfaidh mé orm ag plé le mo chomhghleacaithe Aireachta le cinntiú go dtugtar tosaíocht don Straitéis sna Ranna ábhartha agus leanfaidh mo Roinn uirthi ag obair i gcomhpháirtíocht leis na Ranna sin chun na bearta éagsúla a bhaint amach thar shaolré na Straitéise.
34. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the steps taken and grants provided in each of the years 2013 to 2016 and to date in 2017 to address the shortage of affordable studio space, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11768/17]
View answerI am aware of the issue regarding the provision of affordable studio space, particularly as a result of the changing property market. In general, I would consider that local approaches driven by artists, local arts officers and the owners of vacant buildings are best suited to respond to the specific local circumstances involved and provide the most effective outcomes.
However, my Department is in discussion with the Arts Council, Dublin City Council and the OPW to consider some possible short-term and longer-term approaches to the issue, both in relation to specific issues in Dublin and to wider national approaches. In addition, as part of the Government’s initiative on the North East Inner City, I awarded a grant of €35,000 this year to Fire Station Artists' Studios, Buckingham Street, to assist in providing additional studio space in conjunction with Dublin City Council.
In terms of investment by my Department, I recently announced details of more than €9 million in capital funding for 56 arts and culture centres across the country. This capital scheme is the most significant investment in arts and cultural centres in a decade and will target investment at a range of different facilities, including arts centres, theatres, galleries and museums, as well as artists’ studios and creative spaces.
Eight of grants relate to artist studios and creative spaces amounting to a total of €850,000. These are set out in the table to the question which will be published in the official report.
A full list of organisations to benefit from funding under Stream 1 and 2 of the Arts and Cultural Capital Scheme 2016-2018 is available on my Department's website.
Furthermore, I will be announcing a new small capital grants Scheme in the coming weeks which will be geared towards providing grants of up to €20,000 to not-for-profit organisations with a defined arts and cultural remit. Organisations with artists' studios will also be eligible to apply under this new scheme.
Artists' studios and creative spaces funded under the Arts and Cultural Capital Scheme
|
Name |
Amount |
|
Firkin Crane Cork |
€150,000 |
|
A4 Arts Studio & Community Education Centre Limited, Dublin |
€22,800 |
|
Fire Station Artists Studio, Dublin |
€30,643 |
|
Irish Aerial Creation Centre, Limerick |
€35,0000 |
|
Dance Limerick |
€75,015 |
|
Custom House Studio |
€ 43,274 |
|
Old Post Office Clones /Monaghan County council |
€144,077 |
|
Birr Stage Guild |
€32,844 |
|
Total |
€848,653 |
35. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the degree to which she and her Department continue to support, maintain, preserve and promote heritage sites throughout the country, with particular reference to the need to ensure that nothing is lost that can be preserved for future generations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11713/17]
View answerMy role, as Minister, with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the role of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners as regards heritage assets. Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the protection of architectural heritage. The Act gives primary responsibility to planning authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including relevant structures on the Record of Protected Structures. Inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them and to seek to safeguard their future.
Under Section 54 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, a planning authority may add to or delete from its record of protected structures, a structure, a specified part of a structure or a specified feature of the attendant grounds of a structure. Such a structure, specified part of a structure, or specified feature remains on the record of protected structures until such time as the planning authority deletes it. Provision is made in the Act for the carrying out of works to protected structures either by way of planning permission or on the foot of a declaration received from a planning authority that certain works that would not materially affect the character of a structure are exempted development. There is a duty of owners and occupiers to protect structures from endangerment. Where structures become endangered or unauthorised development has been or is being carried out, the planning authority has the powers to take appropriate action.
As Minister, and in terms of being a prescribed body under the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2015, I also have a role whereby development proposals that may impact on our built heritage are referred by a planning authority to my Department so that recommendations can be made as appropriate to avoid or mitigate any such impacts.
Under the provisions of the National Monuments Acts 1930-2014, my Department has established and maintains the Record of Monuments and Places, which affords legal protection to over 120,000 recorded archaeological sites and monuments in the State. Anyone proposing works to a monument that is included in the Record of Monument and Places must give my Department two months prior notice before works can start.
My Department has a number of measures at its disposal to facilitate the maintenance and restoration of major historical or cultural sites. As Minister, I am the owner or guardian under the National Monuments Acts of approximately 1,000 national monuments located at approximately 750 sites and in such cases there is a statutory duty to maintain the national monument. Such maintenance is undertaken by the Office of Public Works (OPW). Local authorities are responsible under the National Monuments Acts for maintaining the national monuments of which they are owners or guardians.
My Department is also providing €350,000 of funding to the OPW in 2017 to assist in the conservation and presentation of historic buildings and national monuments in State ownership. OPW undertakes the care and maintenance of national monuments in my ownership or guardianship (of which there are approximately 750). My Department’s National Monuments Service works in close collaboration with the OPW on survey, excavation and research work to optimise the protection, management, interpretation and presentation of national monuments in State care.
There is a number of ways in which my Department acts in respect of possible heritage sites/buildings deemed to be at risk. One of these is the receipt of applications for funding for the repair, conservation, preservation or safeguarding of protected structures, sites or monuments. Financial support is being provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings.
I launched a new €2 million scheme - the Built Heritage Investment Scheme - for the repair and conservation of protected structures on 21 October 2015. This scheme operated in 2016 and is being operated in 2017, via the local authorities, on the same model as the very successful Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, which ran in 2014. It is expected to support in excess of 330 projects across the country in 2017 and to create employment in the conservation and construction industries, while helping to regenerate urban and rural areas.
The Structures at Risk Fund enables conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership, which are protected under the Planning and Development Acts and are deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration. This fund, administered through the local authorities, supported 57 projects nationally in 2016. It seeks to encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and to help to secure the preservation of protected structures which might otherwise be lost. The scheme is operating again in 2017.
36. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the concerns raised by members of the artistic community here regarding the increasing role of her Department and the Department of the Taoiseach in decision-making in addition to financial allocations with regard to the Creative Ireland plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11743/17]
View answerThe Taoiseach and I launched the Creative Ireland Programme/Clár Éire Ildánach 2017- 2022 on the 8 December 2016 as the Government Legacy Programme for Ireland 2016 and as the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach, the draft cultural policy which I published in July 2016.
From my experience the response to the Creative Ireland Programme, and to the significant increases in funding for the arts and culture which I secured in Budget 2017, have been widely welcomed across the sector.
This is a cross-Government initiative to mainstream culture and creativity in the life of the nation and to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. The Creative Ireland Programme embraces the whole cultural sector, bringing together all those involved in the arts, film, broadcasting, visual arts, cultural heritage, the Irish language and Gaeltacht, with Government Departments and State agencies.
The core proposition of this programme is that participation in cultural activity drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing and achievement. The programme is based on five pillars:
- Enabling the creative potential of every child
- Enabling creativity in every community
- Investing in our creative and cultural infrastructure
- Establishing Ireland as a centre of excellence in media production
- Unifying our global reputation.
In Budget 2017, I secured €5m to commence the implementation of the Creative Ireland programme which includes an ambitious plan to deliver 10 major initiatives by the end of this year. Further details of these initiatives are available on http://creative.ireland.ie.
It is important to note that the delivery of the Creative Ireland Programme, while under the aegis of my Department, will primarily be through, and in partnership with, existing agencies, local authorities, cultural institutions and State bodies. For example I have already made a specific allocation of €1m out of the €5m available to the local authorities towards the implementation of the 2017 Creative Ireland Plans and it is the local authorities that will decide how this money will be spent. Significant funding will also be provided for Cruinniú na Cásca on the Easter Bank holiday.
The objectives of the Programme will also be delivered through the Arts Council, the Irish Film Board, the Heritage Council, Culture Ireland and the national cultural institutions. All of the institutions received substantial increases in funding this year, which was warmly welcomed.
37. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason the draft National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2021 contains no actions in relation to the network of natural heritage areas; and the reason actions contemplated in the plan to designate proposed NHAS and to strengthen the coherence, connectivity and resilience of the protected areas network, which have not been completed, were not put into the current draft plan. [11751/17]
View answerMy Department is drafting Ireland’s 3rd National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2021. This work contributes to the Government’s commitment to produce a National Heritage Plan and it is also meeting Ireland’s obligations as a Party to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
This will be the third such plan for Ireland, and it will capture the actions for biodiversity that will be undertaken by a wide range of government, civil society and private sectors to achieve a long term vision for Biodiversity: “That biodiversity and ecosystems in Ireland are conserved and restored, delivering benefits essential for all sectors of society and that Ireland contributes to efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems in the EU and globally”.
The draft Biodiversity Action Plan was developed in cooperation with an inter-departmental Biodiversity Working Group, and the Biodiversity Forum which represents various interested sectors of Irish society. I invited views of the public on the draft Plan on 21st of December 2016.
90 submissions were received, and these will be published on the Department’s website www.npws.ie, with a summary of the views provided and with comment on the main strands of the submissions made.
I recognise the value of Natural Heritage Areas in conserving this country’s rich biodiversity and in providing connectivity and resilience to the Natura network. I note also that there has been a substantial response on this particular matter in the public consultation process. Therefore I will ensure that an action to continue to collect information on sites which are potential Natural Heritage Areas will be included in the Action Plan.
However, I am required under European Directives to focus efforts at this time on the completion of the designation process for the Natura network of SACs and SPAs, and to work through a Conservation Objective setting exercise for these sites, and furthermore a process to identify the Conservation Measures required to safeguard the network. Such tasks demand considerable resources and my Department is therefore constrained in the commitments it can make in regard to further work on proposed Natural Heritage Areas at this time.
At present there are 148 Natural Heritage Areas designated under the Wildlife Acts - 75 raised bogs and 73 blanket bog sites. I am pleased to note that County and Local Development Plans continue to aim to protect both the designated Natural Heritage Areas and the many proposed NHAs which were published in the 1990s.
38. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the status of the hen harrier threat response plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11355/17]
View answerThe hen harrier is a protected bird, listed in Annex I of the EU Birds Directive and as such, Member States are obligated to protect and conserve the species. The National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department has been involved in the monitoring of hen harrier at the national scale for nearly twenty years. National breeding surveys have been undertaken on a five yearly basis and the recent national survey, undertaken in 2015, estimated the population in Ireland to be between 108 and 157 breeding pairs. It is therefore a very scarce species.
Over the last 15 years or so it has been estimated that the national population of hen harriers has declined by more than 30%. Research and monitoring initiatives undertaken by my Department and other bodies have identified likely pressures acting on the population that include continued afforestation; wind farm development; and agricultural intensification as well as possible increases in predation that are likely to be linked to the recently recorded declines. These led to the decision to develop a Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan. The primary focus in developing this plan is to set out a comprehensive framework of measures to ensure the recovery of the hen harrier population, and its continued conservation, in Ireland.
Development of the Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan is being led by my Department in cooperation with other Departments whose remits impact on the hen harrier and its supporting ecology. In July 2014 my Department established an inter-Departmental Steering Group, incorporating representatives from the key Departments to assist in the development of the Plan. In addition, a Stakeholder Consultative Committee has also been established to assist in drafting the Plan. The Committee is chaired by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and includes representatives from the forestry, agriculture and wind farm sectors. As a key stakeholder, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is represented on both the Steering Group and the Stakeholder Consultative Committee.
The Inter-Departmental Steering Group has met on eight occasions. The main issues regarding land uses, wind farming, forestry and agriculture have been investigated and discussed in detail by the Steering Group and the Stakeholder Consultative Committee. The report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on this matter has also been taken into account.
Officials from my Department are in active discussions with the key Departments at this time in order to finalise the draft Plan shortly. It will be shared for discussion with the Stakeholder Consultative Committee and will then undergo a public consultation and screening for Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment.
Substantial work has been, and is being, carried out by my Department, and the other stakeholders, in setting the key issues around managing the recovery and conservation of the hen harrier population in Ireland, with full recognition of the concerns of landowners and the other key groups involved in the development of this Plan.
39. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the status of the conference centre in Cork; the value of the shortfall; if the State is obliged to meet the funding shortfall; if the Government will meet the funding shortfall; if so, the source of the funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10591/17]
View answerThe Cork Events Centre is a project being developed and managed by Cork City Council. My Department allocated €12 million to the City Council towards the cost of the Centre. This allocation is subject to a Service Level Agreement with the City Council to ensure compliance with all relevant requirements in relation to major capital projects.
Last month, my Department received a report from Cork City Council that the developer has now informed the Council that the overall project costs have risen to €65 million which is an increase of approximately €12 million.
The Department has not been informed of any details of the costing other than the headline figure. Nor has my Department received a request from the Cork City Council, as project promoter, for any additional funding over and above the €12 million already committed. I will consider the issue further should my Department receive any such request.
40. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs her plans to provide more performance spaces and exhibition spaces using properties held by NAMA; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11719/17]
View answerMy Department does not itself operate performance and exhibition spaces and does not purchase properties for this purpose. My Department does however provide capital support for arts and cultural centres operated by local authorities and other not-for-profit organisations.
I recently announced details of more than €9 million in capital funding for arts and culture centres across the country. The announcement was part of the Creative Ireland Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018. A total of 56 cultural organisations will benefit from this capital investment many of which incorporate performance or exhibition spaces. A full list of full list of organisations to benefit from funding under Stream 1 and 2 of the Arts and Cultural Capital Scheme 2016-2018 is available on my Department's website.
However, if the Deputy had any particular cases in mind I can ask my Department to consider them in consultation with the relevant local authority.
