Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2021
124. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her Department has conducted a study or research to determine the effects lockdowns and travel restrictions had on Gaeltacht regions during the pandemic. [54110/21]
View answerWhile no formal study has been conducted by my Department to determine the effect of lockdowns and travel restrictions on Gaeltacht regions during the pandemic, both I and my officials and, indeed, those of Údarás na Gaeltachta are acutely aware, through our daily contact with the communities we serve, of the challenges faced by them during the pandemic.
As with communities across the country, our Gaeltacht communities continue to deal with the impacts of the pandemic. Officials from my Department continue to work closely with Údarás na Gaeltachta to ensure that the range of supports being provided by An tÚdarás, including financial and technical support and advice, align with the needs of client companies, particularly in dealing with the implications of both COVID-19 and Brexit, and in order to deliver on the commitments to the Gaeltacht and the Irish language in the Programme for Government.
To that end, the 2020 July Jobs Stimulus programme included a capital allocation of €8m to Údarás na Gaeltachta for essential upgrades to existing building stock and water treatment facilities in order to facilitate the marketing of currently dormant factory spaces for modern job creation projects. This has created 40-50 new construction jobs across Gaeltacht communities in the short term and the re-developed building stock will support the longer-term creation of 320 new jobs in the Gaeltacht, in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies.
Against this backdrop, the Board of Údarás na Gaeltachta has approved over €7.4m of COVID-19 supports to date for over 435 Gaeltacht companies to address financial and supply difficulties, ensure cash-flow and enhance their ability to access global online sales markets.
The Deputy will be aware that I have recently set up a stabilisation fund worth €1.7m to help the Irish Language summer colleges sector. The funding is being made available to college authorities as a result of the cancellation of Irish language courses in the Gaeltacht for the second summer in a row due to COVID-19. This latest assistance follows the special €2.2m fund announced in July to support Gaeltacht families who provide accommodation for Gaeltacht college students and €240,000 for Gaeltacht community halls to address the impact of COVID-19 on the summer colleges sector.
I might also point out that an additional exchequer allocation of €14.8m was included in Budget 2021 for the Irish language and Gaeltacht sectors. This additional allocation ultimately means that total funding in excess of €78m is being deployed in support of the Irish language via my Department alone this year. Following Budget 2022, this will increase significantly to €85m next year.
In summary, the impact of Covid-19 on the country as a whole and particularly on the Gaeltacht should not be underestimated. However, in commending Gaeltacht communities for showing great resilience in the face of the challenge presented, I am also satisfied that both my Department and Údarás na Gaeltachta rose to the challenge to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in as far as possible.
I think it is important at this juncture to recognise the vital work carried out by Gaeltacht co-operatives and community organisations during the bleakest of times during the past 18 month. The people involved in this network went above and beyond the call of duty in reaching out to the most vulnerable in their communities and, for that, they should be highly commended. It is at times like this that we realise the importance of these locally-based organisations to their communities.
