Peadar Tóibín
Question:1853. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if annual funding for a community centre (details supplied) will be provided. [54663/17]
View answerTuesday, 16 January 2018
Questions (1853)
Written answers
While my Department does not provide current funding for organisations such as that referred to by the Deputy it does fund the Music Capital Scheme which provides grants to groups and individuals for the purchase of musical instruments. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that on 9 January last, I launched the new Music Capital Scheme with an increased allocation of €245,000 for 2018. Music Network manages the Scheme on behalf of my Department and the organisation referred to by the Deputy can apply for funding under the scheme. All details are available at http://www.musicnetwork.ie/musicians/award1-info.
The Deputy may be also interested to learn that Creative Youth – a Plan to enable the Creativity of Every Child and Young Person was launched in December 2017 – a key element of the Creative Ireland Programme. The Creative Ireland Programme is an all of Government five-year initiative which places creativity at the centre of public policy. A key commitment of this plan is to ensure that every child in Ireland has practical access to tuition, experience and participation in music, drama, art and coding by 2022. There may be scope for groups such as that referred to by the Deputy to get involved in the Creative Youth Programme as the plan is rolled out.