372. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his plans to support the night-time economy; the progress made to date; the timeline for implementations of all such measures in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53370/26]

Following the publication of the Night-Time Economy Task Force Report in 2021, a high-level Night-Time Economy (NTE) Implementation Group was established by my Department.  The group consists of representatives from key departments, agencies, and stakeholders and is chaired by my Department.  The group continues to meet regularly to oversee the progression and implementation of the actions in the NTE Taskforce Report.

The Programme for Government sets out three key actions under the remit of my Department in support of the Night-Time Economy. In line with those three commitments, I have undertaken the following actions.

• I have allocated €3 million in 2026 to support the work of the Night-Time Economy Unit to deliver upon the recommendations of the Taskforce.

• I have delivered on the commitment to continue the Night-Time Economy Support Scheme. Earlier this year I launched the fourth iteration of this scheme, the Grassroots Venue Support Scheme.  I recently announced that I awarded €1 million to support 60 venues under this Scheme.

• I have delivered the ‘After Hours at the Museum’ scheme, to promote later openings in museums and galleries. I recently announced that I awarded €423k to support 47 museums and galleries to open later under this Scheme.

In addition, the €3 million allocation provides supports towards Culture Night Late and the continued funding support for 9 Night-Time Advisors in Dublin City, Cork City, Limerick City, Galway City, Kilkenny, Longford Town, Sligo Town, Drogheda and Buncrana, Co. Donegal.

Significant progress has been made across the original 36 actions in the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce, with some actions now completed.  The work of the Implementation Group to date has made valuable impacts in bringing the benefits of a vibrant NTE into public discourse as well as affecting policy development across Government.  This year, the Implementation Group established five thematic subgroups covering the areas of:

• safety

• licensing, planning and regulation

• late night transport, tourism, experience economy, retail and events

• night-time culture

• economic and NTE data

While there remain challenges which are not unique to the NTE, the collaboration and support of all key stakeholders including members of the Implementation Group and the NTE stakeholders is vital.  All partners are working towards progress but some of the actions remain complex and require further time to complete.

We will continue to add new actions where needed, amend and adapt what we have and build on progress to date to develop and sustain a vibrant, diverse, safe and inclusive night-life across the country.