1542. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide the criteria Culture Ireland must adhere to when awarding funding; if they must provide reasons for a refusal to fund Irish Cultural acts that perform internationally and to provide clarity on the reason no funding was award to an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58804/26]

Culture Ireland is a unit of my Department with responsibility for the promotion of Irish Arts internationally. In doing so, they work with Irish artists, international presenting partners and annually funded bodies to bring high quality Irish arts, across all artforms, to global audiences.

Culture Ireland considers applications involving contemporary Irish artists for all forms of the arts as defined in the Arts Act 2003. The basic eligibility criteria include the following-

-The application must be in respect of an Irish professional artist/s or arts organisation

-The application must be in respect of an art form defined under the Arts Act 2003

- Only international events are supported (i.e. outside the island of Ireland)

- The event must be accessible to an open public audience, promoted widely and fees must be payable to the artist/s or arts organisation.

Culture Ireland has a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity. All applicants should be familiar with these values. Consideration should be given to sustainability in all stages in the life-cycle of the project.

Further information on the Culture Ireland Regular Round application eligibility requirements and criteria, and the assessment process for eligible applications can be accessed on the Culture Ireland website here - www.cultureireland.ie/funding/application-eligibility-requirements-and-criteria/.

Feedback on application outcomes is available to applicants on request. I understand the Culture Ireland team has been in direct contact with the applicant detailed by the Deputy and that feedback on this application was provided to the applicant last week. While this application was deemed eligible and did proceed through every stage of the normal assessment process, given increased demand and in the context of a highly competitive grant round and limited resources, it has not been prioritised and regrettably support was not recommended on this occasion.

An appeal may be made by an applicant if the applicant considers that the process for reviewing their application was not adhered to. Appeals can be submitted by email to the Appeals Officer at info@cultureireland.gov.ie. The appeal will then be considered and a decision will issue to the applicant within 20 working days following the acknowledgement. Further information in relation to this appeals process can be found on the Culture Ireland website here - www.cultureireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cultur_Eireann_Proiseas_Achomhairc_maidir_le_Maoiniu_Rialta.pdf. This information has also been shared with the applicant.