Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 September 2022
3. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the assistance that is available to community festivals and shows to help with their running costs, including insurance. [47526/22]
View answerI want to ask about the assistance that is available to communities that run festivals, fairs, shows and so on to help with their running costs. In particular, I want to focus on insurance costs and the fact that many local communities right now, in the Minister of State's constituency the same as in mine, and across the country, are facing the awful fact that they cannot even get insurance, they cannot even get a quote, to run events that they have successfully run for many years.
My Department runs a small-scale local festivals and summer schools scheme. The scheme is designed to support local cultural festivals and summer schools which are not in receipt of other central Government moneys and which may not be eligible under funding criteria for larger scale events supported by Fáilte Ireland, the Arts Council and similar bodies. The maximum funding available under this scheme is capped at €5,000.
My Department provides funding to support Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, which is the largest group involved in the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music, both at community and national level. The Fleadh Cheoil is organised by Comhaltas at community level by the local branches in partnership with the local authority, media and other partners and sponsors.
Under the Creative Communities initiative within the Creative Ireland programme, my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provide funding to each of the 31 local authorities to enable them to implement their individual culture and creativity strategies 2018-2022. Within this context, many festivals and events have received support from their local authorities. Further information is available on the Creative Ireland website.
The Arts Council offers a range of financial supports for festivals. The council provides financial support to a number of single art form festivals, for example, theatre, dance and film, and such festivals are supported within the policy context of those art forms. The council also supports many multidisciplinary arts festivals across different art forms, including literature, music, street arts, theatre, visual arts and different areas of arts practice. Its festivals investment scheme, for example, is specifically designed to support local and voluntary organisations to develop arts festivals. Further details can be accessed on the Arts Council's website.
Through collaboration with the local authorities, Fáilte Ireland's regional festival scheme is available to local community festivals. The scheme seeks to influence culture and arts sector investment in outdoor activation to enhance visitor experience in local communities aligned to tourism objectives. Tourism Ireland is working closely with many festivals to provide exposure for them in key markets overseas.
I might get more time to come back to the issue of insurance, which the Deputy specifically referenced.
I take the Minister of State’s point that the Government supports many local festivals, fairs and so on.
However, the issue for many of them is that they cannot get an insurance quote. Some of the money the Department is making available will never get to local communities.
The Mohill horse fair in County Leitrim has run for hundreds of years and was reinvigorated 25 or 30 years ago. It has been a huge success and is the town's biggest day. It essentially keeps local businesses going until Christmas and creates a great sense of excitement and community. Despite that, the fair cannot get a quote. It is not about money. Last night, the International Wild Rose festival told a public meeting in Manorhamilton in north County Leitrim that it still could not get a quote to cover the series of events that it ran in 2019.
The Minister of State referred to funding for local authorities. Could that funding be used to help these groups to get insurance?
I take the Deputy's point about the festivals in Mohill, Manorhamilton and many other areas. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, has responsibility for insurance reform. He has advanced legislation on insurance. There is also a Cabinet sub-committee that specifically addresses insurance issues. In the sports sector, we are engaging on the challenges that certain sporting organisations and community groups are facing. Every Deputy or Senator is well aware of the challenges that certain groups or activities face in terms of insurance.
I will bring to the Minister of State the Deputy's feedback on festivals' insurance costs or their inability to get a quote. I appreciate the Deputy's point that issues are arising prior to the drawing down or application of specific funding. It is important that festivals and historical activities continue in towns and villages across the country. There is an action plan to try to deal with insurance reform.
I know about the work that is under way on insurance reform. It will be useful, but what will happen before those recommendations are made and put in place? The Minister of State spoke about the funding that the Government had given local authorities. In the interim, could work be done to ensure that at least some of that funding is made available to local communities so that they might get some level of insurance? It could be an umbrella scheme or whatever. Many groups that are sitting down to plan for the end of this year and next year will not be able to proceed because they cannot get quotes and cannot take on personal liability. This is an urgent matter. Once some of these festivals stop, how we will be able to get their committees back up and running again? Can anything be done in the short term before the insurance reform committee reports?
There is an action plan on insurance reform. It is not a case of the sub-committee reporting. Rather, there is ongoing implementation of recommendations, legislation is being advanced and there is regular engagement with the sector around the challenges that community organisations and festivals are facing. Significant progress has been made. It is a key Cabinet sub-committee with a cross-departmental focus, including from the perspectives of the Departments of Finance and Justice.
I will bring to the Minister of State the Deputy's suggestions on engaging with the insurance sector and local authorities. It is important to ensure that local festivals can continue and that insurance is not an impediment to important and historical local activities continuing. I will ask the Minister of State to engage with the Deputy directly on the issue.
