Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021
244. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the status of Programme for Government commitments (details supplied); if they have been completed; if not, the timeline on their progress; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48001/21]
View answerMy Department has 94 specific commitments under the Programme for Government. The Deputy has requested an update on 6 of these commitments.
The commitment in relation to funding for the national network of Comhairle na nÓg is under the remit of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and is therefore outside the responsibility of my Department.
Work is ongoing on the commitment to encourage the next generation of young artists by creating new bursary schemes, this measure is particularly important to the recovery of the sector post-COVID. The Arts Council (funded by my Department) has responsibility for the operation of these Bursary schemes.
The Arts Council published a report on its response to the Covid-19 crisis for the arts in Ireland for 2020/2021. This report found that bursary schemes benefitted 2,294 artists with 50,207 employment days in 2020. The Arts Council has measured the employment impacts of a number of its funding schemes, which are designed to support the creation of artistic work. In certain cases, such as the Bursaries scheme the priority in 2020 was identified as artists seeking mentoring, leading to greater employment impacts generally. In 2021, the Government allocated €130m to the Arts Council which is an increase of 62% over the amount initially allocated for 2020.
With regard to the commitment to encourage and support Irish speaking communities outside the Gaeltacht and develop platforms to increase young people’s engagement with the Irish language (e.g. TG4, Raidió na Gaeltachta, RTÉ, Raidió Rí-Rá), the Irish Language Advisory Committee (ILAC) is examining how best to serve young audiences in the future relation The Irish Language Advisory Committee (ILAC), is jointly chaired by BAI and Foras na Gaeilge and aims to drive the implementation of the initiatives as set out in the BAI’s Irish Language Action Plan. It includes representatives of RTÉ, TG4, CRAOL, IBI, SPI, Oireachtas na Gaeilge and Raidió Rí-Rá.
ILAC is examining how best to serve young audiences in the future. It is researching demand among younger demographics for Irish language services, including the platforms they would be most likely to use, the likes/dislikes of the target audience in terms of language, genre and speaking/music ratio etc. It is expected that this research will be completed in Quarter 1 2022.
The Department is supporting the development and expansion of Irish language media and I was pleased to increase funding to TG4 by €3.5m in 2021.
My Department has also been funding Raidió Rí-Rá since its inception in 2008, under the Irish Language Support Schemes initiative with funding of €690,725 provided so far and funding of €75,000 approved by the Department for the station this year. It broadcasts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and provides a roadshow to schools and youth clubs throughout the year.
Raidió Rí-Rá has 3 radio studios, the main one located in the offices of Conradh na Gaeilge in Dublin, and two new ones opened up at the end of 2019, one in Cork and one in Galway. Capital funding of €47,772 was also provided by the Department in 2020, which included funding for the development of Raidió Rí-Rá’s studios in Galway and Dublin, as well as the purchase of equipment for the station.
Progress of the following four commitments is linked to the progress of the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Bill:
1. Require online platforms to set out the steps they will take to keep their users safe online and to build safety into the design of their platforms.
2. Ensure new Online Safety Codes can combat cyber bullying material and material promoting eating disorders, self-harm and suicide.
3. Promote positive digital citizenship among children and young people, in conjunction with Webwise and other educational partners, schools, as well as the Ombudsman for Children.
4. Develop a research programme led by internationally recognised experts to review the existing and developing literature in relation to: (a) the consequences, benefits and potential harms to society and children specifically of digital activity and (b) the concept of duty of care and the public interest in the design of online platforms.
The OSMR Bill provides for the establishment of a Media Commission which will regulate online safety, including the development of codes for online platforms. Detailed legal drafting by the Office of the Attorney General is nearing completion. Pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Bill by the relevant Joint Oireachtas Committee is being finalised. Once completed (currently estimated for the end of October 2021) and considered, the OSMR Bill will be brought forward for publication and passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas.
The intention is to have the Bill enacted as a priority.
