Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 26 Mar 2002

Vol. 551 No. 2

Written Answers. - Arts Funding.

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

394 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the State funding which is provided by her Department to the Ark Children's Cultural Centre, Temple Bar, Dublin 2; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that this centre is not accessible to deaf people; and if she will take steps to rectify this situation. [9982/02]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

Funding of the core activities of organisations such as the Ark, and the conditions attaching to such funding, fall to the Arts Council, which, although funded by my Department, operates independently of and separately from my Department when taking funding decisions. However, my Department has sanctioned capital grant aid of £1 million for specific works being undertaken by The Ark Children's Cultural Centre Limited, as follows:–

The Healing Ark: – A schedule of work to support the development of aesthetic environments and arts experiences in Temple Street and Crumlin Children's Hospitals which will include outdoor courtyards, murals, furniture, signage and artist workstations for visiting the wards.

The Virtual Ark: – An arts-based web project, with and for children.

The Ark Mobile: – An outreach programme to tour the country for which materials and equipment are being purchased.

Arts Links: – The refurbishment and conversion of two flats in Fatima Mansions into a children's art studio and outdoor physical features.

Of the above, the Healing Ark is designed to cater for all children in the hospital settings, and while there will be some elements of the Virtual Ark that require hearing, it will largely be accessible to and very suitable for deaf children. I also understand from the Ark that the theatre in Temple Bar is equipped with a system that facilitates the effective use of hearing aids at performances, and that theatre staff are more than willing to, and regularly do, work with special needs groups, including the deaf or hearing impaired, to ensure that the children visiting the Ark are facilitated to the maximum extent possible.