Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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84. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the way in which the €9 million additional funding for the audiovisual sector will be distributed. [31985/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The additional funding of €9 million for the audiovisual sector will be allocated to Screen Ireland which is the development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry.  2021 will continue to bring many challenges to the production of film and screen content in Ireland. Screen Ireland’s mandate is to support Irish films and Irish creative talent in storytelling screen content as well as to develop an industry for films, TV drama and TV animation in Ireland and has been allocated increased this increased funding for 2021 to address ongoing challenges.  

The increased funding will help address the significant levels of feature film production delayed from this year and assist with costs related to the implementation of health and safety protocols. Building on the international success of Normal People, Screen Ireland will continue to increase its investment in TV drama to build on the global demand for high-end TV drama.   Ongoing support will also be provided to our world-class animation sector that has continued to operate throughout all of the COVID-19 restrictions.

Funding will also be invested into skills development across the industry and in the key policy priority areas of regional development, diversity and inclusion and sustainability.  Screen Ireland also hopes to be in a position to continue to provide for a Production Continuation initiative which is being piloted this year. This fund is to help address the uncertainties caused by the pandemic and defray costs incurred by way of a cessation in production.