Written Answers Nos. 252-262
252. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the engagement she has had with the Minister for Education on the potential inclusion of soccer coaching as a transition year subject in second level schools. [54704/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMinister Martin and I met Minister Foley earlier this year to discuss physical activity in the school setting generally.
I will soon be launching a Sports Action Plan covering the period to end-2023 which will include a number of actions involving increased collaboration between my Department and the Department of Education aimed at securing increased levels of sport and physical activity amongst school children. A meeting in that context has been arranged for later this month and the matter raised by the Deputy can be explored further in that setting.
253. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the funding that has been made available over the past three years to the various GAA county boards to upgrade and improve county grounds and stadiums. [54849/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. The GAA and its county boards are entitled to apply directly for Sports Capital and Equipment Programme funding up to a value of €300,000 for assistance to upgrade and improve county grounds and stadiums.
The latest (2020) round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1st March 2021. By the closing date, over 3,100 applications were submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received. Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for 'equipment-only' projects. These applications were assessed first and grants with a total value of €16.6m were announced on the 6th August. The remaining applications for capital works are now being assessed. This work is ongoing with allocations for all successful applications expected to be announced in the coming months. Once these allocations are finalised an announcement will be made in relation to the next call for applications.
The Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) is designed for projects where the grant sought is greater than the maximum available under the SCEP. The first allocations under the LSSIF were announced in January 2020 and, thus far, approximately €86.4m has been awarded to 33 different proposals. Of those 33 proposals, 5 were identified by the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association as being consistent with their national strategies for the development of their sport. Of those 5 grants, 3 are for improvements to county grounds.
The priority in the short term is to advance all of these projects. As it is now over 18 months since the first allocations were made, and in view of the issues faced by grantees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is timely to review progress on all projects. My Department is engaging with all grantees in this regard. The timing of any new call for proposals is also being considered and it is expected that the Review will be completed shortly.
Details of all allocations, including those made for county grounds, under the SCEP since 2000 are published at ww.gov.ie/en/collection/471ed5-sports-capital-allocations/. Details of the allocations made under the LSSIF are available at www.gov.ie/en/service/4113b3-large-scale-sport-infrastructure-fund-lssif/.
254. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which she can assist the tourism sector in the short to medium-term given the continued existence of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55438/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra255. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which her Department continues to monitor and evaluate the damage done to the tourism sector by Covid-19 with a view to identifying the means necessary to offer assistance in the time ahead with particular reference to the need to ensure full recovery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55439/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra256. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the ongoing proposals to assist the tourism sector in its recovery from Covid-19 given the ongoing presence of the virus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55440/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra257. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the degree to which she is in continuous contact with all aspects of the tourism sector with a view to maximising her Department's advice and assistance in the face of the persistent challenge of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55441/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra258. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the bulk of the submissions she has received from the tourism sector in the context of the utilisation of every possible means of revival and recovery in the face of the ongoing presence of the Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55442/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 254 to 258, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy is aware, our tourism sector has been devastated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and in that regard, my primary focus since taking office has been on the survival of the sector. A Tourism Recovery Taskforce was appointed in 2020 to prepare a Tourism Recovery Plan with recommendations on how best the Irish tourism sector can adapt and recover in a changed tourism environment as a result of the crisis. The Taskforce undertook a public consultation process that garnered over 800 responses, including submissions from 60 organisations. This input helped guide and influence the key pillars of the report and informed the recommendations in terms of the survival and recovery phases for the sector.
The Taskforce presented the Tourism Recovery Plan 2020 – 2023 to me in September 2020. The Plan makes a number of recommendations to help tourism businesses to survive, stabilise and recover from the COVID pandemic. In December 2020, I appointed a Recovery Oversight Group, who report to me on a regular basis with updates on the implementation of the recommendations set out in the Recovery Plan and on the recovery of the sector.
I regularly meet with and remain open to engaging with, a wide variety of tourism stakeholders and representative bodies. The Hospitality and Tourism Forum, which the Tánaiste and I established, continues to provide a platform for structured engagement between the Hospitality and Tourism sectors, the tourism agencies and relevant Government Departments. The purpose of the Forum is to allow key issues to be discussed, with a view to identifying practical actions which could be taken by Government or by industry itself, to support the sectors.
In Budget 2022, I secured a record level of funding for tourism that will address short-term survival-related concerns and also enable recovery across industry as we reopen to international tourism and begin to transition to a more sustainable future. This includes a €35 million increase in the Tourism Marketing Fund in 2022, to accelerate the return of international tourism to Ireland. Budget 2022 also included a provision of €50 million for further business continuity support for strategic tourism businesses that can help drive the sustainable recovery of our tourism sector; and an additional provision for skills development and staff retention.
There is increasing recognition that tourism growth must be sustainable, as well as being consistent with our sectoral climate change targets and commitments. In that regard, I know that Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland are working towards the longer term goal of ensuring that we are successfully marketed as a sustainable tourism destination.
The work of the Recovery Oversight Group, in addition to my on-going engagement with industry stakeholders and representatives, will inform future policy considerations as I continue to work, alongside my Government colleagues, to support the tourism sector over the coming year and beyond.
259. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the initiatives she has taken or proposes to take to encourage cultural activities throughout the country with particular reference to ongoing challenges such as Covid-19 or other threats in the short and medium-term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55443/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra261. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the degree to which her Department has assisted with community-based arts and cultural activities, by county, in the past 12 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55445/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which her Department continues to liaise with cultural and arts groups, including the performing arts; if she is satisfied with the progress in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55446/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra263. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which her Department, directly or through the Arts Council and Kildare County Council, has assisted with productions at a club (details supplied); her proposals for do so in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55447/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 259 and 261 to 263, inclusive, together.
The all-of Government Creative Ireland Programme 2017-2022, led by my Department, seeks to enable each citizen to realise their full creative potential. Under its Creative Communities initiative, annual funding is provided to the 31 local authorities to enable them implement their individual Culture and Creativity Strategies 2018-2022 and to support the delivery of Cruinniú na nÓg, the national day of free creative activities for children and young people.
During 2020, funding to local authorities by the Programme substantially increased to support the delivery of the strategies, including responding to COVID-19. This higher level of funding was maintained in 2021, including the continuation of the Creativity in Older Age Scheme. The scheme invited local authorities, directly and/or through partnerships with creative operators or organisations in the community, to deliver initiatives that supported positive aging, mitigated the negative impact of social cocooning and social distancing, and developed new forms of creative engagement for older people that accommodated prevailing public health guidance in the community and for residential care facilities. Funding allocated to the Local Authorities through Creative Communities from January 2020 to date will be sent directly to the Deputy.
The Culture and Creativity Team in Kildare County Council delivered a wide range of community based initiatives that engaged cultural and arts groups. These included the Lockdown Art Exhibition 2020 at the John Sullivan Day Centre in Clane and the Kildare Covid-19 Notebook project which engaged older people and those who were cocooning. Building on a very successful public art intervention, two artworks (murals) exploring local fauna, flora and biodiversity were delivered in Monasterevin Town with additional support provided by my department in 2021 to continue the initiative.
My Department has funded a wide range of activities in the cultural sphere, many of which involve the online presentation of events that would normally have taken place live and in-person. These include a myriad of online performances, events such as Cruinniú na nÓg and a wide range of activities presented by Ireland's National Cultural Institutions.
I am acutely aware of the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the arts/culture and live entertainment sectors. To support the industry through this difficult period I have to date allocated funding for a suite of measures designed to sustain and support live performance and employment opportunities in the sector, including the following schemes detailed below.
|
Scheme |
Allocation |
|
Live Performance Support Scheme 2021 (LPSS2021) |
€25m |
|
Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme (MEBAS I, II & MEBAS Phase 2) |
€4m |
|
Event Sector Covid Support Scheme (€11.5m of which was funded via transfer from D/ETE) and ESCSS Phase 2 |
€16.5m |
|
Local Live Performance Programming Scheme (LLPPS) |
€5m |
|
Commercial Entertainment Capital Grant Scheme |
€5m |
|
Patrick's Day Festival |
€1m |
In July 2020, my Department opened up a new funding scheme, Stream D of the Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022 as a direct response to the COVID 19 crisis. The primary focus of the scheme is the capital adaptations, renovations or supply of equipment necessary for arts and culture facilities to help them reopen safely and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in these facilities. The theatre to which the Deputy refers applied under this scheme in November 2020 and was awarded €10,000 towards the cost of live streaming equipment including cameras, network, video production system and its associated installation. This funding was fully drawn down in June 2021.
The Arts Council is the agency through which Government support for the arts sector is delivered. In 2021, I allocated a record €130m to the Arts Council to provide for the arts sector including those in the performing arts. Details of Arts Council funding of arts organisations is published on its website.
260. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the degree to which her Department has assisted with cultural activities in the past year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55444/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI was very cognisant of the challenges the restrictions caused for the arts/culture and live entertainment industry in 2021. I allocated over €60m to support the sector and drive employment opportunities through the introduction of the following schemes:
- €25m Live Performance Support Scheme (LPSS)
- €16.5m Events Sector Covid Support Scheme (ESCSS)
- €10m Local Live Performance Support Scheme (LLPSS)
- €4m Music and Entertainment Support Scheme (MEBAS)
- €5m Commercial Entertainment Capital Grant Scheme (CECGS) and
- €1m St. Patricks Festival.
I have allocated €25m for the live entertainment sector as part of Budget 2022 and I am examining the supports in place for the sector to ensure that available resources are best deployed to meet the needs of the sector to ensure a full recovery is possible.
As part of Budget 2022, I have maintained the Arts Council allocation at the record-level of €130m. This allocation will allow the Arts Council to continue to protect jobs and livelihoods of artists, and assist arts organisations through financial difficulties.
Other priorities for Budget 2022 was to secure €25m in funding for a pilot Basic Income Guarantee Scheme for artists and arts workers. I plan to launch this pilot scheme early in 2022.
Culture Ireland, which operates under the aegis of my Department, promotes Irish arts worldwide. While traditionally funding was being offered towards travel and travel related costs only, owing to COVID-19, since early 2020 support is also offered towards presentation by Irish artists online. In response to the quickly changing situation over the past 19 months, Culture Ireland has increased the frequency of its grant rounds from 3 to 6 per year.
The global pandemic also gave rise to Culture Ireland’s Ireland Performs initiative which was an early direct response allowing Irish artists to connect from their locality with global audiences online. It was followed by SEODA online festival celebrating St Patrick's Day which was curated and delivered on Culture Ireland’s YouTube channel.
In late 2020, Music Industry Stimulus Package with a fund of €1.7m was put in place to stimulate areas of work usually funded with income from artists' own sources, including live event fees. The music stimulus schemes was targeted at professional musicians and their teams and supported song writing camps, recording and album releases.
To date almost €1.9m was spent by Culture Ireland on support for individual artists, art organisations and annually funded initiatives in 2021.
