Written Answers Nos. 277-296
278. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if businesses can refuse access to indoor hospitality to customers using the HSE vaccination card, with photo identification, as their primary proof of vaccination and not an EU digital COVID certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42227/21]
View answerRegulation 5 of the Health Act 1947 (Sections 31AB and 31AD) (Covid-19) (Operation of certain indoor premises) Regulations 2021 (SI 385 of 2021), regarding proofs for the purposes of proof of immunity, provides that both the EU Digital Covid Certificate and the HSE Covid-19 Vaccination Record meet the requirements for acceptable proof of immunity.
281. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when he expects to announce the sport capital grant allocations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42420/21]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. The 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1st March 2021. By the closing date, over 3,100 applications were submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.
The scoring system and assessment procedures was published earlier this year and all applications are being assessed in accordance with these. Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for "equipment only" projects. These applications were assessed first and €16.6m worth of grants were announced on the 6th August.
The remaining applications for capital works are now being assessed. Given the large number of applications received, this work is likely to take a number of months to complete with allocations expected to be announced before the end of this year.
282. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when a works approval will issue for a project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42569/21]
View answerThe club referred to by the Deputy was allocated a grant under the 2018 Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) which remains fully outstanding. My Department emailed the club the details of the provisional allocation and set out the terms and conditions that must be met prior to formal approval of the grant.
Formal approval cannot be given until the club has provided all the required documentation. In this regard, I understand that the outstanding documentation was received earlier this week and formal approval issued on the same day.
283. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media further to Parliamentary Question No. 226 of 25 May 2021, the status of the grant; and the date on which the grant will issue to the club. [42601/21]
View answerAs outlined in the previous response to the parliamentary question referred to, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme and due to the level of grants received by the club in the past, it is necessary to put in place a number of legal deeds in order to protect the public investment in the facility. Legal formalities in relation to this grant have not yet been finalised as the Chief State Solicitor's Office is still awaiting documentation from the grantee's solicitor. I understand this latest information was requested at the end of July. Once the CSSO receives the outstanding documentation and confirms receipt of same, there will be no undue delay with my Department advancing the grant.
284. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the steps being taken to facilitate remote working within her Department in particular to encourage remote working for those who live in the regions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42715/21]
View answerSince the onset of the public health emergency, my Department’s employees, in the main, have been working in a fully remote environment. My Department has offices in Dublin, Kerry, Galway and Donegal and has provided IT support to enable employees working remotely. All employees have also been advised and have access to a number of supports for health and safety ergonomic assessments, supports for psychological health and well-being and access to the Disability Liaison Officer.
The Government has committed, in the Programme for Government, to mandating public sector employees to move to 20% home and remote working. In line with this commitment, the Government is committed to developing models of flexible working for the Civil Service. In that context, it is proposed that remote working will be facilitated on a blended basis, subject to the suitability of roles to be carried out remotely. A central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service will be finalised over the coming months which focuses on the longer-term approach to remote working across the Civil Service.
The Department is committed to implementing a policy of blended working that will ensure continued delivery of quality public services to Government, the public and business. Officials are developing an Interim Blended Working Policy to facilitate transition arrangements and blended working, following the announcement of public health measures to commence a gradual and staggered return to the office from 20 September 2021.
My Department will continue to provide employees with ongoing up-to-date guidance and supports on blended working arrangements.
285. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the way in which her Department and public bodies and agencies under her remit are accommodating requests for persons to work from home. [42765/21]
View answerThe Government has committed in the Programme for Government to mandating public sector employees to move to 20% home and remote working. A central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service will be finalised over the coming months which focuses on the longer-term approach to remote working. This framework will inform the development of organisation level blended working policies outlining principle which can be tailored to the specific requirements each Department/Office, whilst ensuring a consistency of approach across key policy areas and the wider public sector.
My Department is committed to implementing a policy of blended working that will meet the needs of the Department to ensure continued delivery of quality public services to Government, the public and business. It is proposed that remote working, post pandemic, will be facilitated on a blended basis, subject to the suitability of roles to be carried out remotely.
Officials in my Department are developing an Interim Blended Working Policy to facilitate transition arrangements to blended working in my Department, following the announcement of public health measures to commence a gradual and staggered return to the office from 20 September, 2021. My Department will continue to provide employees with ongoing up-to-date guidance and supports on blended working arrangements.
With regard to the Agencies under my Department’s remit, as this is an operational matter for the respective Agencies, I have forwarded your question to each Agency to reply directly to you on the matter.
286. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will meet with representatives of an organisation (details supplied) to facilitate the safe return of dance, drama, music and related performing arts class for children, young persons and adults. [42807/21]
View answerI met with this organisation to which the Deputy refers on 30 August as part of a wider meeting with the live entertainment sector, which was also attended by An Taoiseach and An Tánaiste. In addition, my officials have had meetings with the organisations and engagement is ongoing.
287. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when decisions will be made on the 2021 applications under the capital sports grant scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42872/21]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. The 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1st March 2021. By the closing date, over 3,100 applications were submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.
The scoring system and assessment procedures was published earlier this year and all applications are being assessed in accordance with these. Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for "equipment only" projects. These applications were assessed first and €16.6m worth of grants were announced on the 6th August.
The remaining applications for capital works are now being assessed. Given the large number of applications received, this work is likely to take a number of months to complete with allocations expected to be announced before the end of this year. Once these allocations are finalised an announcement on the timing of the next round of the Programme will be made.
288. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when the sports capital grant will open for applications. [42884/21]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. The 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1st March 2021. By the closing date, over 3,100 applications were submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.
The scoring system and assessment procedures was published earlier this year and all applications are being assessed in accordance with these. Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for "equipment only" projects. These applications were assessed first and €16.6m worth of grants were announced on the 6th August.
The remaining applications for capital works are now being assessed. Given the large number of applications received, this work is likely to take a number of months to complete with allocations expected to be announced before the end of this year. Once these allocations are finalised an announcement on the timing of the next round of the Programme will be made.
289. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the position regarding swimming lessons for autistic children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42886/21]
View answerSince 7 June, indoor sports, swimming pools and leisure centres have been allowed to re-open for individual training purposes and for the provision of swimming classes.
The Deputy may also wish to note that, in line with the recently published Government plan, COVID-19: Reframing the Challenge, Continuing Our Recovery and Reconnecting, there will be a further easing of restrictions on organised indoor and outdoor sporting activities generally from 20 September. Further details are set out in the plan and will also be available from Swim Ireland, the National Governing Body for swimming in Ireland.
290. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the measures being taken by her Department to ensure the long-term stability of the arts and entertainment sectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42891/21]
View answerI am acutely aware of the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the arts/culture and live entertainment sectors. I have engaged with numerous stakeholders in the sector during the course of the pandemic to ensure that appropriate supports were put in place.
To support the industry through this difficult period I have to date allocated €61.5m for a suite of measures designed to sustain and support the sector, including:
- €25m Live Performance Support Scheme
- €14m Music and Entertainment Business Support Scheme
- €11.5m Event Sector Covid Support Scheme (funded via transfer from D/ETE Vote)
- €5m Local Authority Performance Support Scheme
- €5m Capital Support Scheme
- €1m Patrick's Day Festival
I committed during August to securing a reopening plan for the sector through a clear roadmap for the sustainable reopening of activities in the live entertainment, culture and arts sectors.
At its meeting on 31 August, Government agreed on the return to outdoor and indoor events at the following capacity levels and with maximum available social distancing between groups:
- Indoors – for vaccinated/recovered people and accompanying minors- 60% capacity
- Outdoors - for vaccinated/recovered people and accompanying minors- 75% capacity
- Outdoors - for mixed groups of vaccinated/recovered and unvaccinated people – 50% capacity.
The announcement of dates for the lifting of restrictions is a response to a clear call from the sector. In the interim, we will see increased opportunities for live performance both indoors and outdoors from 6 September.
Government understands that the full return of live performance will not happen overnight. I am examining the supports in place for the sector to ensure that available resources are best deployed to meet the needs of the sector. My Department is working with the Department of Social Protection also on the impact of the changes to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment to ensure that those in the arts and entertainment sector continue to have adequate supports pending the full resumption of activity.
291. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when payment of outstanding grants can be made to a club (details supplied) at the earliest possible date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42898/21]
View answerThe club referred to by the Deputy was provisionally allocated a grant of €81,500 under the 2017 Sports Capital Programme (SCP) for the development of an artificial playing surface and a further €83,343 under the 2018 SCP towards the provision of floodlights and non-personal sports equipment. In accordance with the terms and conditions of the SCP and due to the level of grants received by the club in the past, it is necessary to put in place a number of legal deeds in order to protect the public investment in the facility. Legal formalities in relation to this grant have not yet been finalised as the Chief State Solicitor's Office (CSSO) is still awaiting the required documentation from the grantee's solicitor. It will not be possible to provide formal approval of the grants until the CSSO confirms that all legal formalities have been completed. Once the CSSO receives the outstanding documentation and confirms receipt of same, there will be no undue delay in paying the grants subject to the other necessary documentation being submitted by the club.
292. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when she expects the sports capital grant scheme awards to be announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42910/21]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. The 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1st March 2021. By the closing date, over 3,100 applications were submitted seeking over €200m in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.
The scoring system and assessment procedures was published earlier this year and all applications are being assessed in accordance with these. Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for "equipment only" projects. These applications were assessed first and €16.6m worth of grants were announced on the 6th August.
The remaining applications for capital works are now being assessed. Given the large number of applications received, this work is likely to take a number of months to complete with allocations expected to be announced before the end of this year.
293. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her ministerial phones have been hacked or attempted to be hacked during her term of office. [42934/21]
View answer294. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she has ever used her personal phones for Government business; and if so, if the personal phones have been hacked during her term of office. [42952/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 293 and 294 together.
I can confirm that I do not use a personal phone for official business. Officials in my Department have confirmed that there is no evidence of my official phone being hacked or attempted to be hacked.
295. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of freedom of information requests responded to by her Department in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of responses that included documents related to text messages and other phone message communications such as messages sent through an application (details supplied) in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42974/21]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of the number of Freedom of Information requests received by my Department for the years provided is set out in the table below.
All records are released to applicants, in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and each includes an associated schedule and a decision letter. My Department does not retain statistics relating to different types of records i.e. email, text.
My Department publishes Freedom of Information disclosure logs online at the following link: - www.gov.ie/en/publication/57a3b-foi-logs/.
If the Deputy has any queries in relation to any particular request, the FOI Unit of my Department will be happy to assist him in this matter.
|
Year |
Freedom of Information Requests |
|
2016 |
169 |
|
2017 |
158 |
|
2018 |
239 |
|
2019 |
225 |
|
2020 |
156 |
|
2021 (YTD) |
118 |
296. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the cost of each commission of investigation under the remit of her Department over the preceding decade. [42999/21]
View answerI am advised that no commission of investigation cases have been undertaken by my Department during the period specified by the Deputy.
