To ask the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure for her assessment of creative incubation spaces for business retail and exhibition; and whether she has any plans to develop such a space in East Londonderry.

As the Government lead for the development of the Creative Industries I am aware of the importance of providing small local businesses in the sector with opportunities to develop.

The Department for Social Development has supported the North West Social Enterprise Hub in Derry which is working with a number of emerging social enterprises, including some in the creative sector. These include an art collective “The Social Study and Gallery” whose main focus is on contemporary art and defining photography. This collective has been provided with retail test trading incubation premises as part of the social enterprise hub programme.

The North Western hub is also currently providing mentoring and incubation space to two further creative social enterprise businesses; Culture Craft, whose business focuses on combining contemporary art and metal work, and Urban Visuals, whose social enterprise focuses on contemporary street art.

The Western Hub based in Strabane is currently working with a newly established craft collective that are trading from the test retail unit based at the hub. DCAL have also supported this project.

Through the North West Socio Economic Development Programme, a number of cultural hubs received funding to purchase high tech equipment and software. These included hubs in Coleraine, Portstewart and Limavady such as the Ballysally Youth and Community Centre, Flowerfield and the Glens Community Association. These hubs can provide a centre of gravity for localised and joined up approaches to cultural-led community engagement, growing the creative industries and wider economic and social development.