Niamh Smyth
Question:747. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when a new director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art will be appointed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53514/17]
View answerIrish Museum of Modern Art
Questions (747, 748, 749)
Niamh Smyth
Question:748. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the position of director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art will be advertised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53515/17]
View answerNiamh Smyth
Question:749. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason for the delay in advertising the position of director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art in view of the fact that the previous director (details supplied) was announced as the director of an institution in June 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53516/17]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 747 to 749, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy may be aware, the appointment of a new Director is a matter, in the first instance, for the Board of IMMA, subject to my approval after consultation with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Board is currently in discussions with my Department regarding the terms and conditions relating to this post. Once this matter has been finalised it is intended to advertise the post.
In the interim, an acting Director has been appointed by the Board who will remain in place until the appointment of the new Director.
Commencement of Legislation
Questions (750)
Brendan Howlin
Question:750. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the Acts, or parts of Acts, awaiting commencement within her area of statutory responsibility; the reason for the delay in the commencement of each; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53564/17]
View answerWritten answers
The information sought by the Deputy in respect of those Acts for which I have lead responsibility is set out in the following table.
|
Title of Act |
Section(s)/Part(s) yet to be commenced and other relevant information |
|
Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 |
Section 36 provides for licensing of certain hunting activities on the part of commercial shoot operators. The commencement of this section of the Act is kept under on-going review. |
|
National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Act 2015. |
Under section 39(1) of the Act, an order will be required to fix the day on which the name change for the Irish Film Board will take effect. This is being considered in consultation with the current board. |
|
National Cultural Institutions Act 1997 |
Section 4(1) insofar as it relates to sections 16 or 65 of the Act, or section 25 of National Monuments Act 1930. Elements of Section 49 and Part V have not yet been commenced and are being examined by the Department. |
|
National Cultural Institutions Act 1997 |
Sections 65 and 66 relate to the depositing of published material in the National Library of Ireland and related copyright matters. These issues were subsequently incorporated into section 198 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000. |
Capital Expenditure Programme
Questions (751)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:751. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of the capital carryover from 2016 of €13 million that has not been spent to date; the subheads under which the underspend has occurred; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53700/17]
View answerWritten answers
Public Financial Procedures provide that a maximum of up to 10% of the capital envelope of a Vote may be carried over by way of ‘deferred surrender’ to the following year for spending in that year on priority capital programmes. Provision is made in the Revised Estimates Volume for the capital carryover amount by subhead and in a Ministerial Order to be made by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform before 31 March in the year of carryover.
The total amount carried over by my Department from 2016 into 2017 is €13,548,000. Since the making of the relevant Order by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on the 6th of March 2017, expenditure totalling €9.038 million has been incurred against the total carryover as follows:
|
- |
Subhead |
Amount carried over €000 |
Expenditure to date €000 |
|
A.7 |
Cultural Infrastructure and Development |
6,548 |
4,634 |
|
A.15 |
Decade of Centenaries 1912-1922 |
5,000 |
2,404 |
|
B.5 |
Natural Heritage (National Parks and Wildlife Service) |
2,000 |
2,000 |
|
|
Total |
13,548 |
9,038 |
Expenditure under these subheads will continue to be closely monitored to year end.
Capital Expenditure Programme
Questions (752)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:752. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department has sought permission from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to carry over unspent capital to 2018; if so, the amount sought as a carryover; the reason this was necessary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53701/17]
View answerWritten answers
Details of the financial allocations for my Department for 2018, including any potential carryover of unspent 2017 appropriations to capital supply services, will be made available once Revised Estimates 2018 are published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
It is anticipated that all current funding will be expended in full and no significant capital savings beyond those which can be carried forward by deferred surrender into 2018 are envisaged.
Capital Expenditure Programme
Questions (753)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:753. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of capital allocated to her Department in 2017; the amount spent to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53702/17]
View answerWritten answers
Funding allocations made available to my Department are published each year in the Revised Estimates Volume with the outturn published in the Annual Appropriation Account. Further Revised Estimates for my Department can be viewed at the link below:
http://opac.oireachtas.ie/AWData/Library3/PERdoclaid151117_110705.pdf
Details of provisional expenditure in respect of my Department and all Government Departments are published at Vote level by the Department of Finance on a monthly basis. Provisional current and capital expenditure figures in respect of my Department at Vote level as of 30 November 2017 are available at:
http://www.finance.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Fiscal-Monitor-November-2017.pdf.
Údarás na Gaeltachta Funding
Questions (754)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:754. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the capital and current budget allocations for Údarás na Gaeltachta in 2017 and 2018, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53725/17]
View answerWritten answers
The information sought by the Deputy is outlined in tabular format below:
|
Year |
Capital - €m |
Current (Admin) - €m |
Current (Programmes) - €m |
Total - €m |
|
2017 |
8.957* |
8.958 |
3.250 |
21.165 |
|
2018 |
7.000 |
9.237 |
3.350 |
19.587 |
* An additional capital allocation of €2.270m, arising from savings elsewhere in the Department’s Vote, has been secured for an tÚdarás in 2017 and is included in the figure above.
Údarás na Gaeltachta Funding
Questions (755)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:755. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the timeframe for delivery of funds under budget 2018 to Údarás na Gaeltachta on linguistic, cultural and community development in the Gaeltacht. [53726/17]
View answerWritten answers
The transfer of funds in 2018 from the Department to Údarás na Gaeltachta - in order to enable the discharge the organisation's work programme - encompassing the domains specified in the Deputy's question, will be undertaken in accordance with the normal funding and financial arrangements which apply in such cases and as agreed between my Department and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
Brexit Issues
Questions (756)
Brendan Smith
Question:756. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the level of engagement between her Department and the agencies under its remit with their counterparts in Northern Ireland in the ongoing Brexit negotiations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53911/17]
View answerWritten answers
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has responsibility for coordinating the whole-of-Government response to Brexit. In this capacity, he is working closely with his colleagues across Government to address the many challenges arising from the decision taken by the United Kingdom. This cooperation also involves the relevant State Agencies.
Work at Cabinet level is being prepared through cross-Departmental coordination structures. These represent a frequent and active channel through which all relevant Departments are providing their research, analysis and overall policy input to the Government’s wider response to Brexit.
In relation to the work undertaken by my Department with regard to Brexit, I would refer the Deputy to the replies given to Parliamentary Questions No 923 of 20 June, No 257 of 12 July, No 741 of 11 September and No 586 of 7 November.
The main forum for advancing North South cooperation is the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), which was established under Strand Two of the Good Friday Agreement. In the Council, the Government works with the Northern Ireland Executive to advance areas of practical co-operation which are to our mutual benefit, and the Council oversees co-operation in the agreed twelve Areas or Sectors. The power-sharing Executive and the Assembly are responsible for representing the interests of all of the people of Northern Ireland, including in relation to how the issues arising with the UK exit from the EU should be addressed. It is imperative that the devolved institutions can urgently operate again so that the North South Ministerial Council can resume its work and bring together the Government and the Executive to oversee and develop North/South cooperation, including that commenced last year to coordinate engagement by the Government and the Executive on dealing with the challenges raised on an all-island basis by the UK exit.
In six of these Sectors provided for under the Good Friday Agreement, co-operation is taken forward by means of the North South Implementation Bodies: Waterways Ireland, Food Safety Promotion Board, InterTradeIreland, Special EU Programmes Body, North/South Language Body, and the Loughs Agency, all of which operate on an all-island basis.
My Department co-sponsors two of the six North-South Implementation Bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement, Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga / the Language Body.
Prior to the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, my predecessor Minister Heather Humphreys had discussed with the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure, Mr Chris Hazard, MLA, whose Department co-sponsors Waterways Ireland, and with the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities, Mr. Paul Givan, MLA, whose Department co-sponsors the Language Body their readiness to further explore the scope for co-operation to achieve the best outcome for the two Implementation Bodies in light of the potential challenges they face. My predecessor, along with her Northern counterparts, attended the last NSMC Plenary meeting in November 2016 at which Common Principles were agreed to coordinate engagement by the Government and the Executive to deal with the challenges that are raised on an all-island basis by the UK exit from the European Union. I very much hope that these contacts can continue as soon as the NSMC is once again able to meet.
My Department continues to participate in inter-Departmental preparations for Brexit and has established an internal Working Group to address all Brexit related issues affecting the Department and the State Bodies it funds, including the two North South bodies referred to above.
The arrangements which I have outlined are kept under constant review and will be enhanced as required in light of the ongoing preparations for Brexit.
Creative Ireland Programme
Questions (757)
Brendan Smith
Question:757. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the level of funding provided in her Department's Estimates for 2018 for Creative Ireland; the level of funding that will be allocated to local authorities and agencies under the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53912/17]
View answerWritten answers
A budget of €6m has been provided to further the implementation of the Creative Ireland Programme in 2018. This will ensure that the Department can build on the work accomplished in 2017, continue to drive the implementation of the Programme at local level and fund specific actions and priorities which further the wider aims of the Programme.
More specifically, over €1m of the above budget will be allocated to the implementation of Creative Youth: A plan to enable the creative potential of every child and young person in the country, launched on the 7 December 2017. This is a wide-ranging and ambitious plan that puts culture and creativity at the heart of education. The Department of Education is providing matching funds for this Plan in 2018.
In addition to this commitment to implementing Creative Youth, the allocation from my Department to each local authority will be doubled to €2m for 2018 to enable them commence the implementation of their long-term Culture and Creative Strategies due to be launched early next year.
How the remainder of the 2018 budget will be distributed will be finalised in the coming weeks. In this context, it should be noted that the Creative Ireland Programme is the implementation vehicle for a wider, all of Government policy on culture in Ireland, and also links to the heritage, Gaeltacht and Irish language sectors, all of which received increased funding in 2018.
Departmental Funding
Questions (758)
Brendan Smith
Question:758. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the funding provided by her Department for 2017; the estimated expenditure under each major subhead by year end; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53913/17]
View answerWritten answers
Funding allocations made available to my Department are published each year in the Revised Estimates Volume. Further Revised Estimates for my Department can be viewed at the link below:
http://opac.oireachtas.ie/AWData/Library3/PERdoclaid151117_110705.pdf.
It is anticipated that all current funding will be expended in full and no significant capital savings beyond those which can be carried forward by deferred surrender into 2018 are envisaged.