Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has provided to Irish cultural heritage groups in the last 12 months.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recognises the importance of Irish Heritage, with funding administered through Arms-Length Bodies.

Since November 2024, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded three grants totaling £290,074 to projects exploring the history and experiences of the Irish diaspora in Britain.

A grant of £138,758 was awarded to the project St. Brigid’s Arms: Voices of Womxn of Irish Heritage in the North of England in Trafford in Greater Manchester from Emerald LENS CIC, which is exploring the stories and experience of womxn of Irish heritage in the north of England. A grant of £57,210 was awarded to Liverpool Irish Festival Resolve. This project will continue the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail heritage work by bringing compelling stories to audiences through innovative, accessible approaches as we approach the 180th anniversary of An Gorta Mór. A grant of £94,106 was awarded to the project Mix’n’Mortar: Plugging into Camden. This will go towards local audience development and co-programming for the world's first Museum of Youth Culture opening Spring 2026, which includes experiences of the Irish diaspora.