Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021
333. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the financial support and business assistance available for the funfair and circus industry which has not been included in any of the financial support schemes to date, but which has remained closed for most of 2020 and 2021, thus incurring significant losses (details supplied). [21124/21]
View answer360. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will address matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding support for the cultural sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21657/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 333 and 360 together.
Primary support for the arts is delivered through the Arts Council which was set up as a statutory agency under the Arts Act 2003. Funding for the Arts Council has increased steadily in recent years, reaching €130 million in the context of Budget 2021. Under the Arts Act, the Arts Council is independent in its funding decisions.
While the Arts Council does not provide funding to funfairs, the Arts Act 2003 specifically cites circus as one of nine artforms. Circus is supported by the Arts Council by way of grants under a range of categories including Bursary, Strategic Funding, Project Awards and Touring and Dissemination awards. In that regard, 2019 and 2020 saw a very significant increase in supports provided for circus, with over €2.2 million allocated for to Circus, Street Arts and Spectacle in 2021. In 2020, many circus artists also qualified for the Council’s COVID-19 Crisis Response Award. Details of all grants are available on the Arts Council’s website at http://www.artscouncil.ie/available-funding/
Supports from the Arts Council are in addition to the wide range of non-sector specific horizontal supports available for businesses and individuals impacted by COVID-19. The Government's response to the impact of the pandemic on the economy is comprised of a broad range of supports delivered across a range of Departments. Along with the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, there are a number of enterprise supports including the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme and the Small Business Assistance Scheme for COVID-19. Information in relation to the business and financial supports provided by the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Employment place for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis can be viewed at the following link https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Supports-for-SMEs/COVID-19-supports.
