Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 February 2024
9. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media further to Parliamentary Question No. 75 of 5 December 2023, the status of the drawdown of the €1 million in Galway 2020 legacy funding; the amount drawn down to date; the breakdown of where any funds drawn down to date have been allocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6817/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraWill the Minister give a breakdown of the €1 million for the Galway 2020 legacy funding, the amount drawn down to date and a breakdown of where funds drawn down have been allocated?
The development of a legacy framework to sustain and build on the capacity, networks and opportunities arising from the cultural programme of Galway 2020 was a key deliverable of the overall European Capital of Culture. The Galway Culture Company has to date drawn down just over €800,000 of the €1 million allocated to the Galway 2020 legacy programme. The allocated €1 million funding has supported the three strategic objectives of the programme as follows: a sum of €191,920 supported the first strategic objective to facilitate international and EU relationships and funding; the second strategic objective to support place-based cultural programming received €397,423; and a further €208,490 supported the third strategic objective, the provision of supports to the cultural and creative sector.
The artistic and cultural sectors have had the opportunity to access this funding through a number of channels including open calls, partnerships on funding applications to EU programmes, opportunities for presentation in other European countries and targeted capacity-building supports. As such opportunities continue to arise they are published on the website of the Galway Culture Company. The legacy framework is also available to view on its website.
My officials continue to work closely with the Galway Culture Company on the legacy programme and, in that context, there are quarterly reporting meetings with the company. The first such meeting took place on 29 November 2023 between the Department and the chief executive and chair of the board of the Galway Culture Company. The second meeting took place on 31 January 2024. At both meetings, the company provided an update to the Department on programming and expenditure.
The performance delivery agreement between the Department and the company seeks to guarantee the appropriate oversight of the implementation of the legacy programme and the expenditure of the Government's funding allocation. In line with the agreement, drawdowns of the remaining €202,167.85 funding will be subject to monthly written requests and provision of supporting documentation. The remaining drawdown is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024.
I thank the Minister for the update and the details in respect of this matter. Of the €1 million, there is €202,167.85 remaining. I appreciate that the Department is keeping a close eye on this because there is a history to this. Perhaps the mistake I made as a politician was thinking that the designation of Galway as the capital of culture had something to do with art. I realise my mistake now because it was a lot more to do with business. This is actually captured in the three bullet points that the Minister has given for the legacy. This is not down to her but I thank her for providing them. The first point refers to the facilitation of international and EU relationships. I am not sure where my idea of art comes into that. The second refers to the support of place-based cultural programming. This is jargon.
The third is the provision of support to the cultural and creative sector. That gives the second amount and not the highest amount to the cultural and creative sector. I would have thought the creative sector would have got top billing. I will come back in at my second opportunity.
There is great support there for the arts sector and details of projects funded are available on the website of Galway Culture Company. These include previous projects such as Dear PrEUdence, an art exhibition with themes around mental health, and the PULSE drums programme. Ongoing projects and open calls include an artist bursary open call that provides support for artists from or living in Galway city and county and is being run through the Galway Arts Centre. Branar, a theatre company for children, has been commissioned to create Rocking the Classroom, a musical education programme in Irish and English for children in junior and senior infants, first and second class. There is a creative arts programme in four Galway DEIS schools across a range of art forms. Scéal na Gaillimhe is an open call to artists, performers, makers, designers and creatives from Galway city and county working through the medium of the Irish language. There is a designer in residence programme through which five talented graduate designers from the west are placed with companies. Macnas is also offering bursaries to individual creative practitioners living in Galway city and county to travel to and learn from highly skilled artists and professional across Europe. Departmental funding has also supported Irish translations and graphic design and has assisted in companies' fulfilment of the legal and financial requirements under the performance delivery agreement.
Níl aon dabht go bhfuil tograí maithe curtha chun cinn, Branar san áireamh. Tá ardmholadh tuillte ag Branar.
I have no doubt, and no hesitation in saying, that there were good projects. However, it would be remiss of me not to raise issues. This programme is going to conclude in the first quarter of this year, I gather, and the money will all be spent. Looking back, there are serious lessons to be learned. There has been serious upset on the ground among the artistic community and as regards a legacy to Galway, perhaps we were all of the misunderstanding that a permanent building or something of that nature might be given. A legacy committee was not even set up until we put on pressure in the Dáil for its establishment.
The Minister referred to a number of channels, including open calls and partnerships, for funding applications. Is that process complete? I gather there are no more open calls. Will she clarify that point for me? Is it just a matter of drawing down the remaining €202,000?
The Deputy raised the issue of physical infrastructure as part of the legacy. The bid book for Galway 2020, on which it was awarded the designation of 2020 European Capital of Culture, set out that any new capital infrastructure to be delivered is part of Galway's cultural strategy 2016 to 2025, Everybody Matters, which is developed and managed by the local authorities. The bid book also stated that infrastructure was not part of the European Capital of Culture project, which would rely on existing infrastructure and infrastructure that came onstream between the designations and delivery through existing plans and development. It is generally acknowledged, however, as part of Galway's cultural strategy and in the planning for Galway 2020 that the cultural dividend and legacy arriving from the delivery of Galway's year as European Capital of Culture would help to create the need for more cultural infrastructure, and this was set out in the third monitoring report of the expert panel to the EU in October 2019. I will ask my officials to follow up on the Deputy's question about open calls.
