Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 March 2018
356. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views on calls by the Traveller community for a cultural centre to highlight and celebrate Traveller culture; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13227/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs I advised in my reply to Parliamentary Questions Numbers 267 of 6 December, 102 of 23 January and 24 of 28 February, my Department is fully committed to supporting diversity and inclusion in its policies and operations and in those bodies under it aegis.
The National Planning Framework and National Development Plan - Ireland 2040 launched on 16 February 2018 by An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar T.D., recognises the value and importance of our culture, language and heritage as an integral part of Irish life. In these areas, the headline announcement from the launch is a €1 billion investment in Culture and Heritage over the 10 year period of the plan including;
- €460 million for our National Cultural Institutions,
- €265 million for cultural and creativity investment programme, and
- €285 million for natural and built heritage.
I will shortly launch my Department's sectoral plan entitled Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage. This will cover the Department's investment programme in greater detail as part of the State's overall plan. In due course, details of a similar grant schemes to the Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018 will be announced in parallel with an application process which will be similar to the application processes operated in the present scheme. On a more specific level, the National Library of Ireland's engagement with Traveller Culture includes a genealogy guide for Travellers to trace their family history and a Traveller heritage photographic exhibition to be exhibited at an Ethnicity Celebration event and subsequently gifted to the Irish Traveller Movement.
