I have no difficulty per se with answering some of the Deputies' heritage questions.

It will eat into everyone else's time. There is a two-hour slot scheduled specifically for heritage either next week or the following week, if Deputy Cahill wants a longer period. If the Ceann Comhairle wants I can answer these three Deputies now.

I will get a note on it to the Deputy.

Deputy Donnelly might already be aware of the roadmap which we put forward for the sector. We are guided by NPHET advice and the Cabinet has to make the decisions in that regard. Once we have Cabinet agreement on it, we hope the first phase will commence on Monday. The other phases will come through thereafter. The Deputy will be aware that we hope museums and galleries will reopen on 20 July but theatres will not open until 10 August. With regard to cultural spaces, it is ultimately not just about audiences viewin…

I was only allowed to answer Deputy Paul Donnelly. I was not allowed to refer to anybody else's questions. I can do so now if the House wishes.

I am sorry. The national cultural institutions face big challenges. I had an engagement with the Council of National Cultural Institutions at which we discussed some of the challenges they are facing. I applaud all of them. Deputy Andrews mentioned some of them including the National Gallery, the National Library, the National Concert Hall, the Chester Beatty Library and Crawford Art Gallery. They are all doing their utmost to bring some of their works online through digital media and to showcase the work they do. …

As Deputies are aware, Culture Night usually takes place in September. This year, it is due to take place on 20 September. Proposals are being developed to deliver it online in light of the need for social distancing. It is regrettable that that is necessary but, as Deputy Farrell mentioned, there have been successful initiatives such as Dear Ireland and Ireland Performs. People will be as creative as before and we can bring it online and, it is to be hoped, create a buzz around it. In 2019, approximately 430,000 p…

We are not underestimating the challenges that exist and we are looking at all options. We will take into consideration the points raised by the Deputy, particularly in regard to funds.

The Arts Council has daily contact with arts organisations and artists to understand how Covid-19 is impacting the sector. It has regular updates on its website. It has conducted a good number of surveys and focus groups with funded and non-funded organisations to get feedback on how those organisations are suffering and how the Arts Council can support people going through it. It has set up an expert advisory group, including Lenny Abrahamson, Fintan O'Toole, Dr. Gabriel Scally, Anne Clarke and Angela Dorgan from …

We have the roadmap in terms of the five different phases. All things being equal and depending on advice from NPHET, which the Government will take into account, we will proceed to each phase consecutively. Obviously, some of those phases may be accelerated if things go better and, again, they may regress if things do not go as well. I am not sure if the Deputy is talking about a specific arts centre or whether he is talking in general terms about national cultural institutions. To reassure the Deputy, there is a …

We have the Return to Work Safely Protocol, which is separate to public health. That clearly sets out measures that need to be taken into account. These are guidelines for working environments. At the end of the day, all of these national cultural institutions and spaces are working environments. We must ensure that the audiences are safe as well as the people working there. We are taking all of those factors into account and my Department and its senior officials are working extremely hard in engaging with every t…

As I outlined earlier, approximately 14,000 people within this sector are availing of the Covid-19 unemployment payment but it cannot continue indefinitely. That was never intended. Maintaining that payment would be divisive and create two different forms of unemployment payment. We do not think that is fair or sustainable in the long term. Ultimately, it will have to be reformed by the new Government. There have been comparisons made with the UK and Germany. I have not had the opportunity to answer many of the que…

Project 2040 deals with infrastructure. Grants and schemes are available in the Department anyway. I hope they will be continued but we must remember that we are living in an environment where there is projected to be a deficit of €30 billion this year and €14 billion next year. We must have a bit of realism about what we are going to be able to achieve. I never make a promise that I cannot keep and I will not do that. Obviously, I have been fighting as hard as I can for this sector and will continue to do that for…

I will start with Deputy Paul Murphy's questions. If I leave any answers out, he can remind me. The Deputy talked about income supports in general. From a reality check perspective, I mentioned earlier that 1.1 million people in the country are in receipt of social welfare benefits and 212,000 people are receiving €203 a week. At the end of April, there were 213,000 people on the live register. The amount of people receiving the pandemic unemployment payment in Ireland at the moment is 585,000, at a cost of €206 mi…

I thank Deputy Shanahan for his contribution. In case I did not mention it earlier in the Dáil, as the Deputy mentioned social welfare supports, there is a dedicated help desk in my Department for anybody to call. If anybody is listening in, I ask him or her to avail of it if there are concerns. On the stabilisation fund, the Deputy sort of alluded to the fact that he wants to ensure there is funding for the arts. Recovery is dependant on the rate at which the level of restrictions on economic activity can be varie…

I thank the Deputies. In response to Deputy Mattie McGrath, my Department provides significant support to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and will continue to do so. We support the sector but we also have to maintain our focus on protecting public health. Deputy Nolan mentioned the Birr theatre. There are already schemes within the Department and one would hope that they will continue. The Arts Council is honouring all existing funding arrangements and it asks regularly-funded arts organisations to prioritise their own…

The festivals are encouraged to do that. We have no difficulty with that at all. The Deputy mentioned a few festivals in Clare, such as Consairtín. That has been cancelled. Funding of €4,000 was provided to it. The Killaloe Chamber Music festival was granted funding of €16,000. The Ennis Book Club festival commenced. It received a grant of €27,000. Deputy McNamara also mentioned the Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy and the Iniscealtra Festival of Arts. As yet, neither of those has been cancelled. The Corofin Tradition…

I appreciate the Acting Chairman's explanation. I thank the Deputies for their contributions. However, the Members here today who have insisted on this Dáil sitting have shown a complete disregard for our national fight to contain Covid-19. Shame on you. They have forced us to stray from home rather than stay at home, which is completely contrary to public health guidelines and nothing to do with any public representative shirking his or her responsibilities. As the Minister, Deputy Harris, said, there is no reason…

I am in the middle of speaking.

I think the Chairman made very clear that the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, is with the Taoiseach at present-----