379. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if the funding for the Creative Ireland Programme is winding down; if so, if a new funding stream will become available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53561/26]

The Creative Ireland Programme is a whole of government culture and wellbeing programme led by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. Established in 2017 and currently in its second five-year phase.

The programme aims to enable every person in Ireland to realise their creative potential through participation in creative and cultural activity. The programme operates as a partnership across government, embedding creativity into policy and practice in areas including health, education, climate action,  community development and the economy. The current iteration of Creative Ireland Programme will come to an end in December 2027.

As a whole of government initiative, Creative Ireland acts as a catalyst for system change by embedding culture and creativity within policy frameworks, aligning with key national strategies including the Healthy Ireland framework, Young Ireland, The Child Poverty and Well-being Programme, the National Well-being Framework, the Shared Island initiative, and the National Climate Action Plan, enabling innovative responses to complex social, economic and environmental challenges.

The work that Creative Ireland does across its five pillars is hugely important. It delivered funding under the following grant schemes between 2026 and 2028: €2.1 million for Creative Health and Wellbeing, €1.6 million for Creative Communities on a Shared Island, and €2.2 million under the Creative Youth Nurture Fund. A new Creative Climate Action Fund III of €6.5 million was announced in February 2026 in partnership with the Shared Island Initiative and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. This will support imaginative, large-scale creative, cultural and artistic initiatives that help communities engage with climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural change.

The Creative Ireland Programme’s 2025 Impact Report has been published and is available on the programme's official website: www.creativeireland.gov.ie/creative-ireland-impact-report-2025/, highlighting further achievements

I plan to begin consulting with my government colleagues and Creative Ireland’s diverse stakeholders on the future of Creative Ireland in the coming months with a view to clarity around the future of the programme early in 2027.