Thursday, 25 Mar 2021

Written Answers Nos. 49-68

Departmental Communications

Questions (49)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

49. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the dedicated email addresses for Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas to contact his Department and bodies under its aegis as outlined in circular 25/2016. [16010/21]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department can be contacted by e-mail at [e-mail].

As the Deputy is aware, Circular 25/2016 states that State Bodies under the aegis of Government Departments must provide and maintain a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members.  The relevant information in respect of the bodies under the aegis of my Department is set out in the table below.

Office of Public Works	[e-mail]
Public Appointments Service	[e-mail]
National Shared Services Office	[e-mail]
State Laboratory	[e-mail]
Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery	[e-mail]
Office of the Ombudsman (and Office of the Information Commissioner; Standards in Public Office Commission; Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information; and Commission for Public Service Appointments)	[e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail]

Protected Disclosures

Questions (50, 51)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

50. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of protected disclosures received by his Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number that were accepted as a protected disclosure; the number that were in part or fully examined by a third party or consultancy; the number of protected disclosures under investigation over this period; and the number that were finalised and the contents accepted and acted on. [16036/21]

Catherine Murphy

Question:

51. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of protected disclosures received by his Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021 from officials within his Department; the number of officials who made protected disclosures over the period and who are now not working in his Department; and the number of protected disclosures received from retired officials of his Department over the period. [16054/21]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 51 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that Section 22 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 requires that an annual report be published in relation to disclosures received by the Department.  This is available on the Department's website on gov.ie, at the link below, and sets out that there were no protected disclosures received between the years 2014 to 2020 inclusive.  I can confirm that this continues to be the position in respect of 2021 to date.

https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/80a7fc-protected-disclosures/  

My Department protects the identity of correspondents in line with the requirements of the Protected Disclosure Act in cases purporting to be protected disclosures.  Where such cases are found on examination not to be protected disclosures, they are dealt with in line with normal procedures and are not included in my Department’s annual report. 

The Department also protects the identity of correspondents that seek to make, or copy, disclosures to me under section 8(2) of the Act.  As none of those disclosures received were appropriate to be dealt with by my Department, and will be included in the annual reports of the relevant bodies, they are not included in my Department’s annual report.

EU Directives

Questions (52)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

52. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the details of his Department's engagement with the European Commission on the proposal for a directive for the protection of whistle-blowers; and the timeline in respect of transposition of the directive. [16060/21]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

Directive (EU) 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law ("the Whistleblowing Directive") was adopted by the European Council and Parliament on 23 October 2019. Ireland is one of just 10 EU Member States to already have comprehensive whistleblowing laws in place, in the form of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, and is considered a leading country in this field - most recently, the International Bar Association rated Ireland joint second in the world for the protections it provides to whistleblowers in a report published earlier this month. Ireland has endeavoured to share its experiences from the implementation of the Act with the European Commission and fellow Member States throughout the process of development, negotiation and implementation of the Directive.

The first formal proposals for the Whistleblowing Directive were published by the Commission in April 2018. Prior to this, officials from my Department provided input into a number of questionnaires and workshops run by the Commission, which helped inform its thinking in developing these proposals. Officials from my Department were also involved throughout the process of negotiating the final text of the Directive through regular attendance at meetings of the Working Party on Fundamental Rights, Citizens Rights and Free Movement of Persons (FREMP) throughout 2018 and 2019. Since the Directive was adopted, officials from my Department have been active participants in the Commission Expert Group established to assist Member States transposing the Directive. Officials have also been in direct biliateral communication with the Commission on numerous occasions regarding various technical matters relating to Ireland's transposition of the Directive. These engagements will continue throughout the transposition process. 

The deadline for transposition of the Directive is 17 December 2021. A public consultation on the areas of the Directive where Ireland has discretion as regards implementation was held last year. Work on an initial draft of the transposing legislation is at an advanced stage and will be published later in the year with a view to enactment in advance of the deadline set by the Commission.

Departmental Policy Functions

Questions (53)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

53. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the engagement he has had on the policy of progressing disability services; and if he has contacted other Ministers regarding the policy. [16176/21]

Written answers

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform

Disability services in Ireland are provided through a mix of HSE direct provision as well as through non-statutory Section 38/39 service providers and private providers.  The Department of Health currently has responsibility for Government policy on disability services.  While my Department engages with the Department of Health on expenditure on disability services, the progression of these policies is a matter for that Department and the HSE.

As the Deputy may be aware, work on the transfer of disability services provided by the HSE is ongoing between the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.  My Department has been in contact with both and will continue to engage as part of the transfer of the associated budget and related issues as necessary.

With regard to the Civil Service, at the end of 2019, 5.1% of civil servants self-declared as having as having a disability.  There are many positive examples of how my Department, working alongside key stakeholders in the Civil Service including the Public Appointments Services, has been involved in promoting employment pathways for persons with a disability. 

In partnership with AHEAD, and funded by the Department of Social Protection, the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme offers graduates with a disability a six-month mentored paid work placement in either the private sector or civil service.  Since 2005, WAM has placed over 490 graduates, of which 47% (230) have been placements in the Civil Service.  My Department plays a key role in driving the Programme on an ongoing basis by engaging with HR Managers and Disability Liaison Officers across all Government Department to identify appropriate posts for WAM work experience placements, with our colleagues in PAS subsequently facilitating the recruitment process in tandem with AHEAD.  Key statistics collated by AHEAD show that 80% of WAM graduates subsequently secured longer-term employment upon completion of their WAM placement, over 94% of graduates gained confidence in their ability to work in a mainstream environment and 71% of graduates were no longer in receipt of any disability payments. My Department and PAS, in conjunction with AHEAD, are currently exploring the feasibility of a confined competition to create a permanent path for employment in the civil service for WAM graduates upon successful completion of their work placement.

The Oireachtas Work Learning (OWL) Programme is an applied learning, development and socialisation programme for adults with an intellectual disability that was launched as a pilot programme in September 2018.  It is facilitated by the Houses of the Oireachtas Service in collaboration with two sponsor organisations, KARE and WALK.  The goal of the Programme is to provide trainees with the skills, knowledge and ability to gain meaningful employment via the unique opportunity to gain practical work experience, as well as accredited learning over an 11 month period.  Over a quarter of the initial OWL interns have since gone on to secure permanent civil service employment through confined competitions.

Finally, within my own Department, just over 3% of DPER staff identified themselves as having a disability in the 2020 annual disability census.  The Department’s HR Strategy Unit and the Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) support new members of staff with a disability or existing staff who acquire a disability and raise awareness about disability.  New hires receive the Code of Practice for the Employment of People with a Disability in the Irish Civil Service, a welcome letter from the Department’s DLO and FAQs on Disability prepared by the National Disability Authority.  The induction of new hires includes a presentation and Q&A session with the Disability Liaison Officer.  The Diversity and Inclusion sub-group within the PERspectives group, a cross-grade cross-divisional staff forum to support the Department’s People Strategy, also contributes to the cultivation of a diverse and inclusive culture across the Department. To mark the 2020 International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, a presentation to raise awareness about autism was delivered by AsIAm.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (54, 55)

Paul Donnelly

Question:

54. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the provisions in place to support dance classes, variety groups and stage schools during level 5 restrictions. [15980/21]

Paul Donnelly

Question:

55. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if communication has taken place with an organisation (details supplied) on provisions for dance classes and stage schools; if so, the outcome; and, if not, if she will speak to the organisation about these matters. [15984/21]

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 55 together.

The revised plan for managing the virus COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 - The Path Ahead sets out information on the staggered start of easing of other areas of restriction with a focus on outdoor activities including sport.  For guidance purposes dance has been included under sports under the different levels of the Plan.  This is of course dependent on whether the transmission of the virus reaches acceptable levels, the vaccination programme progresses as planned and public health advice allows.  Further details of the plan can be accessed at this link: https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/resilience-recovery-2020-2021-plan-for-living-with-covid-19/

The Government's clear message at the present time is for people to stay in their homes, unless necessary for those essential reasons set out in the public health regulations. The current public health advice is that it is too early to say how and when other restrictions should be eased given current uncertainties. Government will meet in advance of the 5th of April to review the level of restrictions.

While my Department has not been in communication with the organisation referred to by the Deputy, I am acutely aware of the challenges facing those who rely on these activities to sustain their livelihoods on foot of necessary public health restrictions.  The Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), low-cost loans, the deferral and warehousing of tax liabilities and the waiver of commercial rates. Budget 2021 also provided a significant package of tax and expenditure measures to build the resilience of the economy and to help vulnerable but viable businesses across all sectors.

With regards to  those organisations that do not qualify for the weekly CRSS grant from the Revenue Commissioners or existing sectoral schemes in areas such as the arts, transport and tourism, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment recently announced details of the  Small Business Assistance Scheme (SBASC).  The aim of this scheme is to provide grants to businesses ineligible for the Government’s other existing schemes such as CRSS and is designed to help with fixed costs. Wholesalers, suppliers, caterers down 75% or more in turnover and in receipt of a rates bill may benefit, including those that commenced after the 1st November 2019 where their turnover is below projections. Full details of these wide range of supports available are on the gov.ie website as follows: https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/c36c85-covid-19-coronavirus/

I recently announced a new €50 million suite of additional measures to further support those in the Live Entertainment Sector. As part of this suite, an allocation of €25 million is being made available under the Live Performance Support Scheme 2021. This scheme builds on the successful outcomes of the pilot Live Performance Support Scheme (LPSS) in 2020, which provided thousands of days of employment to hundreds of musicians, actors, crew and technicians in tandem with a pipeline of high quality on-line much needed entertainment for Irish audiences.

The 2021 scheme is aimed at supporting employment and wellbeing opportunities across all genres and the continued production of high quality artistic output for the public. This scheme has been developed following consultation with the sector and will be managed directly by my Department. The Live Performance Support Scheme 2021 has been opened for applications since 19 March 2021

Further details of this scheme and other support measure for those in the live entertainment industry can be found on my Department's website at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-tourism-culture-arts-gaeltacht-sport-and-media/

Sport Ireland

Questions (56)

Matt Shanahan

Question:

56. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the additional funding her Department expects to provide to Sport Ireland to assist high-performance athletes in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15990/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, has provided NGBs with almost €40m in High Performance Programme Funding (€39.925m) between 2017 and 2021. In recognising the challenges associated with delivering a High Performance Programme during the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity for funding stability, Sport Ireland has maintained the level of High Performance Programme Funding to all NGBs from 2020 to 2021.

As the qualification process progresses in 2021, NGBs will face additional costs for the Olympic and Paralympic Games that are beyond the scope of High Performance Programme funding and other performance programme resources. Sport Ireland will provide additional support to address these specific needs. A funding process will be made available to NGBs to apply for additional support.

The International Carding Scheme also provides financial support to athletes for their training and competition programmes. All athletes on the International Carding Scheme in 2020 will continue on the scheme in 2021. Sport Ireland recognises that there remains a degree of uncertainty regarding international competition in 2021. Sport Ireland has accordingly allocated additional resources under the International Carding Scheme to support emerging athletes who have been impacted by the cancellation of major events.

Departmental Communications

Questions (57)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

57. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the dedicated email addresses for Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas to contact her Department and bodies under its aegis as outlined in circular 25/2016. [16014/21]

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the dedicated email addresses for my Department and those bodies under its aegis as required for circular 25/2016 is set out in the table below.

Organisation	Contact Email
D/TCAGSM	[e-mail]
Arts Council	[e-mail]
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland	[e-mail]
Chester Beatty Library	[e-mail] [e-mail]
Crawford Art Gallery	[e-mail]
Fáilte Ireland	[e-mail]
Foras Teanga (Foras na Gaeilge)	[e-mail]
Foras Teanga (Ulster-Scots Agency)	[e-mail]
Fís Éireann | Screen Ireland	[e-mail]
Irish Museum of Modern Art	[e-mail]
National Archives	[e-mail]
National Concert Hall	[e-mail]
National Gallery of Ireland	[e-mail]
National Library of Ireland	[e-mail]
National Museum of Ireland	[e-mail]
RTÉ	[e-mail]
Sport Ireland	[e-mail]
TG4	[e-mail]
Tourism Ireland	[e-mail]
Údarás na Gaeltachta	[e-mail]

Protected Disclosures

Questions (58, 59)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

58. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of protected disclosures received by her Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number that were accepted as a protected disclosure; the number that were in part or fully examined by a third party or consultancy; the number of protected disclosures under investigation over this period; and the number that were finalised and the contents accepted and acted on. [16040/21]

Catherine Murphy

Question:

59. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of protected disclosures received by her Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021 from officials within her Department; the number of officials who made protected disclosures over the period and who are now not working in her Department; and the number of protected disclosures received from retired officials of her Department over the period. [16058/21]

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 59 together.

As required under Section 22 of the Protected Disclosure Act 2014 my Department publishes an annual report setting out the number of protected disclosures made to it in the course of the immediately preceding year and certain other information relating to any such protected disclosures.

I can confirm to the Deputy that no protected disclosures have been received from officials within my Department or from any retired officials of my Department during the period in question.

The requested information in respect of submissions made to my Department under the Protected Disclosures Act during the period in question is set out in the table below. For the Deputy's convenience I can confirm that both submissions that were accepted as constituting Protected Disclosures, were processed in accordance with my Department's Policy on Disclosure of Wrongdoing in the Workplace and that in neither case was the matters referred for consideration by a third party or consultancy. No evidence was identified of any wrongdoing having occurred in either case.

Year	Number of submissions received	Number accepted as a Protected Disclosure
2017	1	1
2018	0	0
2019	2	1
2020	2	0
2021	0	0

Covid-19 Pandemic

Questions (60)

Cathal Crowe

Question:

60. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will seek a revision of Covid-19 restrictions in order that visitor attractions can reopen at level 3; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16094/21]

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Since September 2020, the Government has been applying restrictions in line with the Framework for Restrictive Measures contained in the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 and included again as an Appendix to the recent COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead. 

Public Health advice is clear that this Framework continues to provide an appropriate mechanism to guide decision-making, but experience over the last number of months has underlined the importance of it continuing to be applied in a flexible manner, adapting measures to address the public health risk at a given time in addition to any specific contextual considerations.  Accordingly, at any given time, the application of the Framework by Government, including any revisions to the restrictions applying, will be informed by that approach.

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Questions (61)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

61. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media her plans for the promised review of the organisational and governance structures of Údarás na Gaeltachta, including the selection and election process to the board, pursuant to the programme for Government; the terms of reference of the review; the timeline of the review; the person or body that will carry out the review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16112/21]

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government commits to undertaking a review of the organisational and governance structures of Údarás na Gaeltachta, including the selection/election process of the Board.

The Deputy may also be aware that the current board of Údarás na Gaeltachta was appointed on 16 January 2018 for a 5-year period to 15 January 2023 in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Gaeltacht Act 2012. This is the second board to be appointed under the revised arrangements in accordance with the Act.

Preparatory work is in hand within my Department in order to advance matters, with a view to actioning the commitment shortly.

Údarás na Gaeltachta

Questions (62)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

62. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if the role of Údarás na Gaeltachta will be supported in creating employment pursuant to the commitment in the programme for Government; the analysis her Department has carried out into the net reduction of 6% in full-time jobs in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies in 2020, as outlined in the Údarás na Gaeltachta end-of-year statement 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16113/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has provided substantial supports and additional funding to Údarás na Gaeltachta over the past year in order to support the work of the organisation itself and to support the thousands of jobs in its client companies.

Officials from my Department continue to work closely with Údarás na Gaeltachta to ensure that the range of supports being provided by Údarás,  including financial and technical support and advice, align with the needs of client companies, particularly in dealing with the implications of both COVID-19 and Brexit, and in order to deliver on the commitments to the Gaeltacht and the Irish language in the Programme for Government.

To that end, the 2020 July Jobs Stimulus programme included a capital allocation of €8m to Údarás na Gaeltachta  for essential upgrades to existing building stock and water treatment facilities in order to facilitate the marketing of currently dormant factory spaces for modern job creation projects. This is expected to create 40-50 new construction jobs across Gaeltacht communities in the short term and the re-developed building stock will support the longer-term creation of 320 new jobs in the Gaeltacht, in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies.

The Deputy should be aware that the Irish Government's Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES), in consultation with my Department, also completed a spending review and assessment of the impact of Brexit on Údarás na Gaeltachta and its client companies last year.  My Department engaged with both Údarás na Gaeltachta and a selection of its client companies in order to complete the assessment. The findings and recommendations were considered as part of the Estimates process and resulted in significant additional exchequer funding of €8.1m being provided by Government to Údarás na Gaeltachta in Budget 2021 -  bringing its total allocation to €31.8m for this year.

The Deputy will be aware of the impact of COVID-19 on our society and economy over the past 12 months. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 427 new jobs were created in Gaeltacht companies during 2020. There were 7,363 full-time and 437 part-time jobs in companies supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta at the end of 2020.

The majority of the decline to which the Deputy is referring has been in the tourism and related sectors. However, employment remained stable in 68% of client companies while increasing in 10.5% of same. During 2020, the medical device sector saw a 4% increase in employment, with over 700 people now employed in the sector in the Gaeltacht.

Údarás na Gaeltachta continues to work in conjunction with my Department and other state agencies such as Enterprise Ireland to ensure that Gaeltacht enterprises also have access to the broad range of targeted national and sectoral measures put in place by Government since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In this context, the Board of Údarás na Gaeltachta has approved over €7.4m of COVID-19 supports to date for over 435 Gaeltacht companies to address financial and supply difficulties, ensure cash flow and enhance their ability to access global online sales markets. In addition, many Gaeltacht companies operating in the tourism and hospitality sectors will have accessed the range of supports for those sectors and for businesses in general which have been introduced by Government since the onset of the pandemic.

Looking to the future, Údarás na Gaeltachta is currently finalising a new Strategic Plan for the period 2021–2025. The Strategy will include the Údarás na Gaeltachta vision that Gaeltacht areas should be sustainable communities, with a strong economy where Irish is the primary community language. The organisation has confirmed that it will continue to ensure that effective and practical supports are available to businesses to protect them from the effects of COVID-19 and Brexit. It has conducted various surveys with its clients in recent months to identify the supports required by Gaeltacht companies and will continue to work closely with my Department and other Government agencies to ensure that Gaeltacht businesses and communities are supported, with a particular focus placed on supporting the recovery of the tourism sector.

Plean Teanga

Questions (63)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

63. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Catherine Connolly den Aire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán maidir le ceist uimhir 30 ar an 19ú Samhain 2020, cén dul chun cinn atá déanta maidir le Plean Teanga Chathair na Gaillimhe; cén dáta a fhoilseofar an plean; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [16114/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Tá plean teanga Chathair na Gaillimhe curtha faoi bhráid mo Roinne ag Foras na Gaeilge agus é á mheas faoi láthair faoi réir na dTreoirlínte Pleanála Teanga agus fhórálacha ábhartha an Achta.

Tuigtear dom go bhfuil an measúnú sin nach mór críochnaithe anois agus áthar ag súil leis, dá réir, go mbeifear in ann é a cheadú gan rómhoill.

Departmental Policy Functions

Questions (64)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

64. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the engagement she has had on the policy of progressing disability services; and if she has contacted other Ministers regarding the policy. [16180/21]

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

As the Deputy will be aware, the overall responsibility for Policy decisions in relation to Disability Services lies with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

My Department is represented on the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group which meets quarterly under the chairmanship of Minister of State,  Anne Rabbitte T.D. and provides regular reports to the Committee on the implementation of relevant actions contained in the Strategy coming within the remit of my Department.

Departmental Communications

Questions (65)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

65. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the dedicated email addresses for Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas to contact his Department and bodies under its aegis as outlined in circular 25/2016. [16008/21]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The requested email addresses are set out below in tabular form.

State Body	E-mail Address
An Bord Pleanála	[e-mail]
An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum)	[e-mail]
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority	[e-mail]
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum	[e-mail]
Ervia	[e-mail]
Gas Networks Ireland	[e-mail]
Heritage Council	[e-mail]
Housing Finance Agency	[e-mail]
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency	[e-mail]
Irish Water	[e-mail]
Land Development Agency	[e-mail]
Local Government Management Agency	[e-mail]
National Oversight and Audit Commission	[e-mail]
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee	[e-mail]
Office of the Planning Regulator	[e-mail]
Ordnance Survey Ireland	[e-mail]
Property Registration Authority	[e-mail]
Pyrite Resolution Board	[e-mail]
Residential Tenancies Board	[e-mail]
Valuation Office	[e-mail]
Valuation Tribunal	[e-mail]
Water Advisory Body	[e-mail]
Waterways Ireland	[e-mail]

Local Authority Funding

Questions (66)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

66. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the funding of €1.8 million granted to Cork County Council for the purchase of Passage West docks under the 2018 urban Regeneration fund remains in place. [16019/21]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

On 26 November 2018 as part of this first tranche of approvals under Call 1 of the Urban Regional Development Fund (URDF), Cork County Council was approved URDF support for a number of proposals including €1,875,000 towards the development of a strategic site in the Passage West area.

My Department was subsequently informed by the Council that it was no longer proceeding with the proposal for Passage West, and accordingly my Department formally rescinded the approval on 18 June 2019.

Protected Disclosures

Questions (67, 68)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

67. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of protected disclosures received by his Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number that were accepted as a protected disclosure; the number that were in part or fully examined by a third party or consultancy; the number of protected disclosures under investigation over this period; and the number that were finalised and the contents accepted and acted on. [16034/21]

Catherine Murphy

Question:

68. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of protected disclosures received by his Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021 from officials within his Department; the number of officials who made protected disclosures over the period and who are now not working in his Department; and the number of protected disclosures received from retired officials of his Department over the period. [16052/21]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 68 together.

Section 22 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 requires each public body to publish an annual report setting out the number of protected disclosures received in the preceding year and the action taken.  The annual reports for my Department are available on the Department's website at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/20f06-protected-disclosures-annual-reports/

My Department received twenty-two cases between 2017 and 2020 purporting to be protected disclosures, of which thirteen were determined as such, all of them from workers of other bodies in relation to which I have legislative functions, as provided for under Section 8 of the Act.  A breakdown of receipt by year of the thirteen is set out in the table below.

Year	Number of Protected Disclosures
2017	2
2018	4
2019	4
2020	3
2021 to date	0

With the exception of one case, all of these remain active cases at various stages.  A few are quite advanced and close to a final decision.  The assessment and, if necessary, investigation of disclosures by workers from other bodies is complex, requiring considerable work with the discloser and the other bodies concerned, to facilitate an appropriate outcome.  My Department has not, to date, referred any of these cases to external third-party consultants.

In the years 2017 to 2020 no protected disclosures were received from officials within my Department or from retired officials of the Department. To date in 2021, I am aware that my Department has received correspondence from a worker within the Department that, pending the outcome of an assessment, may be a protected disclosure.