Written Answers Nos. 299-306
299. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which her Department is engaged in the restoration of major historical or cultural sites throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20494/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer the Deputy to my reply today to Question No. 70, Reference No.19913/18.
300. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which the culture, arts and heritage sectors continue to generate employment throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20495/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy reply to Parliamentary Question No. 700 of 23rd January last, in which I set out the real and substantial funding increases across the cultural, heritage and Gaeltacht areas of my Department provided for under budget 2018, refers.
In addition to these measures, on 10th April last I was pleased to launch Investing in Our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018 - 2027 - a ten year plan setting out the Government’s commitment for capital investment of almost €1.2 billion in Ireland’s culture, language and heritage.
This level of investment will transform our cultural and heritage infrastructure right across the country and will support the development of employment opportunities across these sectors.
Details of the funding being made available under this programme and the text of the plan itself are available on my Department's website at https://www.chg.gov.ie/investing-in-our-culture-language-and-heritage-2018-2027/.
301. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which the arts sector continues to attract support from philanthropists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20496/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraPrivate support for the arts is an important funding source and the Government continues to support this through tax incentives and other initiatives. While my Department does not have a breakdown of the total flows of philanthropic funding to the sector, the Programme for a Partnership Government does contain a commitment to encourage strong, mutually beneficial links between the business community and the arts community to assist arts organisations to capitalise on sponsorship opportunities and to develop business partnerships and fundraising skills. In this regard, I recognise the important work carried out by Business to Arts for which my Department provides a small amount of assistance.
In addition, the Arts Council operates the RAISE programme, which seeks to enhance fund-raising skills in arts organisations with a view to diversifying the sector's sources of funding. It is designed to assist the sector in securing philanthropic contributions to the arts in Ireland.
In terms of other capital investment requiring co-funding, a €10 million investment scheme for arts and cultural centres is in progress, focused on upgrading the existing stock of such centres around the country. The funding, which is being made available as part of the Capital Investment Framework 2016-2021, is dependent on matching funding being secured by project promoters and therefore provides an opportunity for philanthropic support.
302. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans and vision for the utilisation of Ireland's culture as an international brand with consequent economic benefits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20497/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland is a country that has demonstrated a capacity to make a global impact at a scale beyond our size and our culture plays a central role in achieving this impact. Cultural connections have an important value in and of themselves but in a world of increasing global competition for investment, tourism and export markets, they also help to identify Ireland and to open doors in a welcoming and encouraging way.
Culture Ireland, a Division of my Department operates on a cross-Government basis with the Expert Advisory Committee comprised of representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, IDA and Tourism Ireland as well as representatives of the sector. Culture Ireland supports Irish artists at 500 events in about 60 different countries every year and in 2017, Culture Ireland supported activities reached an audience of more than 3.5 million people and over 7 million online/radio/tv viewers, introducing Irish arts and the strength of Ireland's creativity culture to new and disparate audiences.
Throughout 2018, Culture Ireland is promoting a special year long programme which is planned to celebrate and renew the unique cultural relationship which exists between Ireland and Great Britain. The GB18 programme aims to showcase Irish artistic excellence in partnership with UK institutions, venues and festivals and expand the reach of Irish culture to new audiences. The programme aims to build on existing relationships as well as forge new connections to be further developed in future years and ensure ongoing cultural connectivity at this time of critical change with Ireland's closest neighbour.
Overall the Creative Ireland Programme – a collaboration between central and local government, between culture and industry places a special emphasis on unifying Ireland's Global reputation. Pillar 5 of the Programme, Unifying Our Global Reputation, is about presenting a coherent representation of Ireland as a creative people to the world. It aims to create a compelling proposition about Ireland, based on our culture and creativity, so as to enhance our international reputation and increase our influence in the world.
303. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which particular historical sites or buildings in County Kildare are deemed to be at risk; the action taken or pending to address such issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20498/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy role, as Minister, with regard to the protection and management of our built heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the roles of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners.
Under the National Monuments Acts, I am the owner or guardian of approximately 1,000 national monuments located at approximately 750 sites and in such cases there is a statutory duty to maintain the national monument. Such maintenance is undertaken by the Office of Public Works.
Local authorities are responsible under the National Monuments Acts for maintaining the national monuments of which they are owners or guardians. A wide range of other monuments (of the order of 130,000) are currently subject to protection under other provisions of the National Monuments Acts but my Department and the Office of Public Works do not have a direct role in their maintenance except where, as already noted, a monument is a national monument of which I am the owner or guardian.
Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the protection of architectural heritage. The Act gives primary responsibility to planning authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including relevant structures on the Record of Protected Structures. Inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them and to seek to safeguard their future.
I draw on information provided by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, maintained by my Department, to recommend structures for inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures. However, the final decision is a reserved function of the planning authority. I understand that Kildare County Council employs both an architectural conservation officer and a heritage officer. There is also a monuments advisory committee in the county.
In addition to the statutory role of Local Authorities, Financial support is provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings. €2m has been provided for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2018. 370 projects have been approved for funding, including 15 projects in County Kildare for which aggregate grant aid of €50,000 has been approved. €1,324,000 has been provided for the Structures at Risk Fund 2018. 76 projects across the country have been approved for funding, including for three projects in County Kildare with an aggregate grant aid of €66,000.
In terms of funding for future years, Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018 – 2027 represents a major capital investment scheme of close to €1.3 billion in funding over the next 10 years. This plan will see increased investment in protecting and celebrating our built heritage across the country. More details on the commencement and completion dates for projects and programmes, as well as the timing of the expenditure in relation to them, will emerge as we go through the process of appraisal and planning as required under the Public Spending Code.
304. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she expects to be in a position to enhance the promotion and development of an awareness of the arts and culture with a view to maximising economic benefit in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20499/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Creative Ireland Programme was launched in December 2017 as the Government's Legacy Programme arising out of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme and as the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025/Éire Ildánach.
The Creative Ireland Programme is a high level, high ambition, 5-year initiative, from 2017 to 2022 which aims to place creativity at the centre of public policy. The programme is being led by my Department in partnership with other Government Departments and Agencies, local authorities, the third level sector, arts and culture organisations (including the National Cultural Institutions) and relevant NGOs.
As part of the Programme, each of the 31 local authorities has established a Culture Team and in 2017 published and implemented local Culture and Creativity Plans which were supported by an allocation of €2m (€1m from my Department and €1m from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government). In total, these plans listed over 750 local cultural projects, events and initiatives taking place nationwide last year which gave us a snapshot of the rich cultural activity taking place in each country.
Each local authority is now in the process of drawing up more detailed five-year Strategic Creativity Plans which will be published later this year. These strategies will be accompanied by an Activity Plan outlining initiatives being supported by the local authorities in their respective areas. The implementation of these Activity plans will be supported by a sum of €3m (€2m from my own Department and €1m from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government). Each local authority will therefore receive approximately €96,000 this year under the Creative Ireland Programme.
The overall aim of these plans will be to mainstream and promote culture and creativity in the life of the nation so that individually and collectively, we can realise our full creative potential with commensurate economic benefits.
305. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she continues to encourage internationally the use of Ireland as a film location with obvious beneficial economic implications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20500/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish film, television and animation industry is experiencing a period of sustained success and critical acclaim. For example, over the last number of years, Irish talent has been a consistent presence at the Academy Awards, with Nora Twomey’s debut animated feature, "The Breadwinner", leading the Irish charge at the most recent ceremony alongside other nominations for Irish talent including Saoirse Ronan, Consolata Boyle, Martin McDonagh and Daniel Day-Lewis. The industry’s current flourishing is the result of the IFB’s years of investment in Irish creative filmmaking talent, made possible through consistent Government backing as well as Section 481, which plays a crucial role in attracting inward production to Ireland.
The Irish Film Board is the national development agency for Irish film making and the Irish film, television and animation industry. Its statutory remit is to assist and encourage the making of film in the State and the development of a film industry in Ireland.
The Film Board also supports the Irish screen industries at major international markets and festivals, promotes inward investment, the use of Ireland as a location for international production and provides support for companies filming in Ireland. The Board liaises with IDA Ireland and Tourism Ireland to maximise opportunities for the promotion of Ireland as a location for film productions as well as a tourism destination. The other primary mechanism through which the Government supports the film industry is Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 - the film tax relief scheme. In Budget 2018, I allocated an increase of €1.55 million to the Irish Film Board to build on its vital work in supporting Irish film, television drama, documentary and animation. This increases its annual budget by 9.3% to €18 million. Last month, the Government’s capital investment plan Investing in our Culture, Language and Heritage 2018- 2027 provides for funding of €200m to be invested in media production and audio visual industries through the Irish Film Board over the next 10 years which will have a positive impact right across the country.
This will assist in realising the vision under Pillar 4 of the Creative Ireland Programme to develop Ireland as a centre of excellence in media production.
306. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she expects to achieve an amicable resolution of issues between Irish Waterways and traditional dwellers and recreational users of the Grand Canal, County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20501/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWaterways Ireland continues to work closely with boat owners using the canals, and adjacent land owners and committees. Meetings are held with the key stakeholder interest groups, the Royal Canal Amenity Group, Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI) and the Heritage Boat Association (HBA).
In addition, Waterways Ireland works alongside the Friends of the Grand Canal and Royal Canal Clean-Up Group in Dublin, who like many of the communities throughout the waterways support the maintenance and operation of the canals.
Operational staff, lockkeepers and waterway patrollers meet canal users, including those in County Kildare, on a regular basis and provide a wide range of services.
Inspectorate staff manage boat use on the canals in accordance with the 1988 Canal By-laws. In this regard, Waterways Ireland continues to concentrate on boats which consistently remain in breach of the by-laws. Where a boat owner fails to respond to requests to comply, after notification by letters, telephone calls and formal notice, a programme of boat removal continues.
Regulation of use of prime location berths is being taken forward under the 1988 Canal By-laws to protect these public amenities.
Waterways Ireland in 2018 will deliver a programme to extend boat effluent pump out facilities and fresh water locations for boat owners using the canal network.
