I think this is the third time this week that I have risen to talk about support for arts and cultural spaces, not only here in Dublin but across the country. Since I came into the Houses five years ago, and I am sure Deputy Boyd Barrett is the exact same, I have spoken out about the closure of arts spaces and studios, particularly here in Dublin, because the reality is that culture cannot compete with capitalism. We have seen a hollowing out of arts and culture spaces across our city over the past two decades. We have counted over 52 spaces that have been forced to close. The reality is that there is a lack of State support for these vital spaces that are intrinsic to the cultural fabric of our communities and our city. While the context for my question is about The Complex in Dublin 7, the heart of my constituency, a really important multidisciplinary space home to art studios and an arts or performance space, and the plea for help to keep that space open, there is a wider context as to how State policy supports these facilities across the country.

I said earlier to Deputy O'Donovan, the Minister with responsibility in this area, that he has made some very positive noises about wanting to support the development of arts spaces across the country, but I also note he talks about developing a scheme along the lines of the sports capital grants. That is great in some ways, but the reality, as any of us here in Dublin know, is that you need to be able to own the building or have a long-term lease on it in order to be able to access funding. The State needs to do more than that. It needs to step in and either ensure cultural mortgages or purchase or co-purchase of buildings with arts organisations.

I am a little disappointed we do not have the arts Minister in the House. With all due respect to Deputy Buttimer, he is a Minister of State at a Department that has nothing to do with this.

Our identity as a country, our history and our heritage are totally tied up with culture and the arts.

Probably more than most countries, our identity and reputation internationally are linked to the arts and music. We have an amazing pool of artists, poets, writers, musicians and dancers. You can go through the list. Nowhere exemplifies that more than an institution such as The Complex, which has been in the north inner city for 17 years. The north inner city, and the northside of Dublin city generally, does not have much by way of arts venues. As has been referenced by Deputy Sherlock, many of these spaces have closed down. There are 30 artists in residence in The Complex. Hundreds of musicians, artists and so on use it. There have been 180 events just this year in The Complex. There are staff and hundreds of people whose employment is linked to The Complex. They are going to be evicted and effectively closed down in early January for the want of €6 million. The Complex does not even need that money immediately. It will need it over four years. It needs a commitment from the Government to save this venue. That is a small amount of money for a Government that has a big budget surplus. The Complex is looking for a commitment. It does not want a game of pass-the-parcel between the Department of arts, the Department of Finance and the Office of Public Works, OPW. It wants a commitment to work with the other agencies, including Dublin City Council, the Department of arts and the other relevant Departments. It engaged with the former Deputy, Paschal Donohoe, when he was Minister for Finance, and the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, and believed it was going to get the help it needed, but it is now facing D-day. A crisis meeting is happening tonight. It has huge local support. I ask the Minister of State to please intervene and save The Complex.

What screams back at me from this reply from the Department is that there are no ideas about how to support and secure the future of a place such as The Complex. There is a fobbing off or passing the buck to the local authority. A capital scheme was referenced in the reply. Anybody who has any notion about any of our communities across the country would know that €300,000 was totally insufficient to allow any local authority to go and purchase space.

There is certainly great frustration on my part. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, says he wants to develop arts spaces across the country but we see zero ideas coming forward and a pushing back to the local authority. The reality is that a bespoke solution would need to be found for The Complex, but we are not even hearing a willingness on the part of the Department to engage on the issue.

For the Department of arts to wash its hands of a vibrant and vital artistic and cultural space, home to hundreds of artists, is crazy. Whatever about the finer points of demarcation between the OPW, the Department of Finance and local authorities, for the Department of arts to be indifferent or to say, "It is nothing to do with us" is not good enough. It needs to be banging heads together. A crisis meeting is happening this evening in The Complex for artists and people from the local community. A marathon gig is planned for 17, 18 and 19 December, with 45 bands and performers. The Complex has 15,000 signatures behind it. This is a huge hit for the local, artistic, musical and theatrical communities. All that is required is a commitment of €6 million over four years. That is buttons compared with the surpluses and the money that is available to the Government. We can save this vital space.

If we are serious about a commitment to arts and culture, this is a very small amount of money to save a lot of artists and to do something for the north inner city and that community.

I hear what the Deputies are saying and will bring their contributions back to the Minister and the Department. It is fair to say that the Minister is supportive of investment in physical infrastructure for cultural and arts venues at a regional level and in regional locations to ensure support for vibrant local cultural life with high-quality programming. The Department has an extensive grant programme as a contribution to maintaining and enhancing arts and culture. However, as Deputy Sherlock heard this morning, it does not provide funding for the purchase of buildings. Perhaps that is a matter that needs to be considered in the wider context.

The Minister strengthened funding for arts capital in the budget and a €6 million allocation has been made available for a new funding programme for arts and cultural centres that he plans to launch next year. As previously stated, the Minister is acutely aware of the pressure that artists and creatives face in finding suitable workspaces, in particular here in our capital city. I agree that the lack of space has been a significant barrier and is a source of frustration as it limits the ability to create and exhibit work, in particular. The Department has two schemes to support local authorities across the country to provide for additional capacity and availability of artists' workspaces in the regions on a sustainable basis. In this instance, I am informed that the Department is not in a position to provide funding for the purchase of the property that has been mentioned. It is important, as Deputy Boyd Barrett said, that arising from tonight's meeting there is ongoing negotiation and consultation. I will bring the Deputies' views back to the Department and I thank them for raising the matter.