Written Answers Nos. 263-273
264. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the proposals for her ongoing support of the Irish language; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55448/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 and the accompanying Action Plan for the Irish Language (Plean Gníomhaíochta 2018-2022) represents state policy for the Irish language and Gaeltacht regions.
The Strategy and Action Plan have cross-departmental ownership and, accordingly, responsibility for implementation falls on a number of Government Departments, bodies and Irish language and Gaeltacht organisations. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport, Gaeltacht and Media is responsible for coordinating its implementation.
The Action Plan and the second annual progress report published recently, covering the 18 month period from 1 July 2019 to 31 December 2020, present a clear overview of the 180 or so actions being advanced by c. 60 stakeholders in support of the language and Gaeltacht regions.
A copy of the Action Plan, together with the aforementioned progress report, can be found on the Department's website at www.gov.ie.
I might also point out that an additional exchequer allocation of €7m has been provided in Budget 2022 for the Irish language and Gaeltacht sectors, ultimately meaning that total funding in excess of €85m is being deployed in support of the Irish language via my Department alone next year.
A budget allocation of €5.8m will be made available in 2022 to support the Language Planning Process. This will enable my Department to fund both Údarás na Gaeltachta and Foras na Gaeilge who are tasked under the Gaeltacht Act 2012 with supporting the language planning process. It will also enable my Department to support, at a central level, organisations which operate in the Early Years and Childhood, Family and Traditional Arts sectors as an additional support to the language planning process.
I should also add that my Department provides significant co-funding to Foras na Gaeilge to carry out its statutory mandate under the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999, to promote the Irish language on an all-island basis. This funding, along with funding from the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, enables Foras na Gaeilge to provide support, advice and financial assistance to many community language groups and to its six lead organisations, who are working to promote the Irish language on an all-island basis.
Finally, as the Deputy may be aware, the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2019 is progressing through the Oireachtas at present. The primary purpose of the Bill is to amend the Official Languages Act 2003 with a view to increasing and improving the provision of public services through the Irish language.
I am confident that these measures will improve the use of the Irish language in the provision of State services in the years to come.
265. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which her Department proposes to assist the sporting and recreational interests throughout Ireland in 2022; the extent to which she expects grant or other aid to feature directly or indirectly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55449/21]
View answerIn Budget 2022, the Government announced over €181 million in funding for sport next year, an increase of almost €11 million compared to the 2021 Revised Estimate. Current expenditure funding for Sport Ireland for 2022 will be €96 million, an increase of over €4m from 2021. This funding will enable Sport Ireland to continue to support the sport sector as it recovers from the challenges of Covid. It will also allow continued grant funding support for sporting bodies through Sport Ireland's range of funding programmes.
My Department's Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. At least €34.5 million has been provided for the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme in 2022, which will cover all existing allocations under older rounds of the Programme plus significant new allocations for the 2020 Capital applications.
We are also continuing our investment in larger sporting facility projects with at least €14.6 million being made available for the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund next year.
266. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the nature of her proposals to ensure the elimination of abuses such as bullying and intimidation through social media; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55450/21]
View answer267. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if further action is required to address bullying and intimidation through social media; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55451/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 266 and 267 together.
The Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Bill will establish a multi-person Media Commission, including an Online Safety Commissioner, dissolve the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, establish regulatory frameworks for online safety and the regulation of audiovisual media services, and transpose the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
It will be the role of the Online Safety Commissioner to oversee the regulatory framework for online safety. As part of the framework, the Commissioner will devise binding online safety codes that will set out how regulated online services, including social media services, are expected to deal with certain defined categories of harmful online content on their platforms. The defined categories of harmful online content include criminal material, serious cyber-bullying material and material promoting self-harm, suicide and eating disorders.
Under the measures proposed in the OSMR Bill, in the event of a failure to comply with a relevant online safety code, and subject to Court approval, the Media Commission will have the power to sanction non-compliant online services, including through financial sanctions of up to €20m or 10% of turnover.
The Deputy may wish to note also that An Garda Síochána will remain the appropriate authority to investigate individual instances of criminal material online and refer alleged perpetrators for prosecution by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The OSMR Bill is focussed on ensuring that there is appropriate oversight of the systems that designated online services have in place to deal with such content.
In terms of progress, the Joint Oireachtas Committee (JOC) for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media recently published its pre-legislative scrutiny report in relation to the General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill. The 33 recommendations contained in the report raise a wide range of important issues and highlight the scale and complexity of the matters to be addressed in the Bill. These recommendations are now being given careful consideration, following which the detailed drafting process being undertaken by the Office of the Attorney General will be finalised. The next steps will be publication of the Bill and it will then be brought forward for passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas.
I am pleased to note also that €5.5 million was allocated in Budget 2022 to establish a new regulator, the Media Commission, under the OSMR Bill, including an Online Safety Commissioner. While the Commission will ultimately be funded by an industry levy, this start-up funding will enable the Commission to begin work on key issues and to hit the ground running following the enactment of the Bill in 2022.
268. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the degree to which her Department can address issues of urban and rural deprivation by way of access to services run by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55453/21]
View answerMy Department’s Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 published earlier this year sets out the actions that my Department will take over the coming period to enrich the quality of life in Ireland through supporting the development of tourism, culture, arts, sports, media and Irish language. In addition to their immense inherent value, these are valued by all of our communities as important resources for social cohesion, individual and community wellbeing and for the presentation of Ireland as an attractive destination for tourism and sustainable inward investment.
In addition to the core Departmental goals set out in this document, a number of cross cutting-goals have been incorporated into the Department’s objectives which will be reflected in our policies and programmes over the lifetime of this Statement of Strategy including supporting and promoting diversity, social inclusion and full and effective female participation across the Department’s sectors and society in line with Programme for Government commitments.
While my Department is not engaged in the direct delivery of services to individual members of the public my Department will continue to support these objectives through participation in programmes such as the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 and Our Rural Future 2021-2025 both of which come under the remit of the Minister for Rural and Community Development.
Examples of the way in which my Department is contributing to these objectives include the following.
- In the area of Sport we will seek to target resources at programmes that seek to address inequalities in sports participation, in particular socio-economic disadvantage through the work of the Local Sports Partnerships and prioritizing capital investment in sports facilities in areas of historic low levels of participation and deprivation.
- Harnessing the creative potential of our people and communities is key element of the Creative Communities pillar of the Creative Ireland Programme. The Creative Ireland Programme has established a Culture and Creativity Team and is working with local authorities across the country each of which has created to a five-year Culture and Creativity Strategy 2017 – 2022 to enable people are working together to transform their communities, their lives and their environment through creativity.
- In addition to this the Creative Youth Plan, published by the Government in December 2017 proposes a long-term objective to help promote a society in which knowledge and creativity are equal partners in the formation of our young people and where schools can support creativity and innovation in teaching and learning in an integrated way. For example, among the initiatives being progressed under this programme Story Seeds, which was piloted by Fighting Words in January this year with DEIS schools in North Inner City Dublin. Story Seeds is designed to engage young people through creative writing, to help them articulate their own life stories so that they can better understand their own experiences and their place in the world. In May this year, I announced funding to extend this project to schools, as well as voluntary and community groups, in other areas of Dublin City, Cork City, Limerick City, Bray, and Drogheda.
- Furthermore under the DEIS Gaeltachta initiative, the Department provides funding for 50 scholarships annually worth c. €850 each to qualifying students attending DEIS post-primary schools to cover the cost of attending an Irish Language Summer College in the Gaeltacht, thus making the Gaeltacht experience available to students from all socio-economic backgrounds.
I welcome the Deputy’s interest in this matter and trust that the above is of assistance to him in appreciating the contribution of my Department to the promotion of social inclusion and cohesion across the country.
269. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if the Chief State Solicitor's Office cleared a sports capital grant for payment for a club (details supplied); if so, when payment is likely to issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55457/21]
View answerThe GAA Club to which the Deputy refers, 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, due to the value of the grants received by the club in the past, it is necessary to execute a Deed of Covenant and Charge in order to protect the public investment in the facility. These requirements were communicated to the club at provisional allocation stage and it was made clear that formal approval could not issue until the legal requirements were finalised.
I understand that my Department’s legal advisor, the Chief State Solicitor's Office (CSSO), has been in regular contact with the club’s solicitors in relation to some outstanding documentation. In this regard the CSSO has advised my officials that it first sought the required legal documentation on 6 November 2019. The CSSO has contacted the club’s solicitors on a number of occasions subsequently seeking this documentation. I understand that the club's solicitor has been in contact with the CSSO in recent days but the matter is not yet finalised.
It will not be possible to provide formal approval for the provisionally allocated grants until the CSSO confirms that all legal formalities have been completed. Once the CSSO confirmation is received there will be no undue delay in progressing the allocations to formal approval stage and subsequently paying the grants subject to the other necessary documentation being submitted by the club.
270. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if disability access assessments have been conducted at theatres (details supplied); the process by which such assessments are monitored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55463/21]
View answerMy Department's sets a high priority on diversity and inclusion across all of the functions under its remit. This is reflected in my Department's Statement of Strategy 2021 - 2023 which sets out a range of sector specific objectives but also a number of cross cutting goals have been incorporated into the Department’s objectives which will be reflected in our policies and programmes over the lifetime of this Statement of Strategy. This includes a commitment to support and promote diversity, social inclusion and full and effective female participation across the Department’s sectors and society in line with Programme for Government commitments.
This is further emphasised in Culture 2025, published in January 2020 by my Department, which is a Policy Framework that defines the scope and sets the direction for Government policy in the whole cultural field. This national framework policy is based on three key principles:
Recognising the value of culture and creativity to the individual and society
Supporting creative practice and cultural participation; and
Cherishing our cultural heritage.
The policy recognises that a healthy cultural and creative life is important for both the individual and for society and that participation in cultural activities can enrich our lives. As such, it is important that the right of people to access, participate in and shape our culture should be recognised throughout their lives, from early childhood right through to old age. The Arts Council have also published policies in relation to the arts and disability.
In terms of accessibility standards for buildings, these standards are set out in the Technical Guidance Document M on Access and Use under Building Regulations and published by the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government. Compliance with requirements in this regard is a matter in the first instance for the theatres concerned. Any issues relating to failure to provide access required under the law is a matter for the planning authorities and individual local authorities.
The theatres to which the Deputy refers are in separate local authority areas. Over the past 20 years, both have received capital funding from my Department. One of the standard conditions of capital grants is the grantee's confirmation that that they are in compliance with all Health and Safety regulations.
271. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the status of the report by the night-time economy task force; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55464/21]
View answerThe Night-time Economy is a hugely important sector, contributing to our economy and our cultural and creative sectors and it is important that we protect, support and sustain it – particularly as we begin to emerge out of this pandemic and we start to think about how and where we socialise and how we plan our city and town centres.
The Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce was noted by Government on 15 September and was published and launched thereafter. A copy of the report can be accessed through this link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/c1ba7-report-of-the-night-time-economy-taskforce/
The Report contains 36 practical recommendations in the area of regulation, licensing, planning, transport, safety and increasing the diversity of activities as part of the night-time offering. A robust implementation structure is currently being established to ensure that the recommendations are implemented in full and also, importantly, that the document remains current and that new ideas and new developments are included as the work progresses.
I am working with colleagues across Government and stakeholders to drive the implementation of the various actions in this Report and work is well underway to implement the actions. I was delighted to support a series of late night events across the country as part of this year’s Culture Night on foot of the Taskforce recommendation in this area. Progress is also being made by my own Department and other members of the Taskforce, working with stakeholders, in the development of responses to many of the other actions also.
I look forward to continued progress across all areas of this Report over the coming months.
272. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of commissions of investigation currently ongoing; the duration of each commission of investigation; the deadline for each commission of investigation; and the actual and projected cost of each commission of investigation. [54098/21]
View answerThere are no Commissions of Investigation currently underway concerning my Department.
273. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of times that Glenveagh National Park had to close in 2021 as a result of the car park reaching capacity; and if his Department has liaised with the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works to discuss the need for the expansion of the car parking facilities at Glenveagh National Park and to explain the adverse impact the current car parking limitations are having for tourism in the north west. [47908/21]
View answerGlenveagh National Park is managed and owned by the National Park and Wildlife Service of my Department. The OPW has no role whatsoever in the management of car parking at this site.
At no point during 2021 has the National Park had to close as a result of the carpark being full. The car park itself, however, reached full capacity on 24 occasions during 2021, meaning for a limited period (usually less than 2 hours and generally between 12.30-2.30 pm) no further vehicular access was possible to the site, which remained open. Plenty of advance warnings were given through use of road signs and information on social media and our website.
My Department is well aware of the value of Glenveagh National park to the economy of the North West via tourism and it attracts more than 200,000 visitors to the region per annum. As the Deputy will appreciate, the National Park is first and foremost an area of high ecological natural heritage value and beauty. Capacity challenges in National Parks, nature reserves and scenic protected areas cannot simply be addressed through expanding car-parking alone. Any measures to reduce such pressures on habitats and natural amenities must be sensitive to their protected status and to the carrying capacity of the site itself.
In this regard, my Department has developed a draft Visitor Experience Development and Management Plan (VEDMP) for Glenveagh National Park in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland, working with a multi-disciplinary team at Consarc Design Group. The Plan will facilitate improved visitor access and address visitor capacity issues. The key objective of the VEDMP is to create a sustainable balance between enhancing Glenveagh as a major visitor destination based on outdoor recreation, trail networks, and direct experiences with nature, and conserving its natural, built and cultural heritage. The VEDMP plan has been designed to be rolled out in interconnected phases over a number of years.
The range of features within the Plan is truly ambitious. They include, to name just a few:
- a new visitor Gateway Hub and trailhead at the entrance to the Park;
- repurposing of the existing visitor centre and of several historic estate service buildings;
- construction of a new contemporary restaurant, shop and visitor services building;
- enhancement and extension of trail network;
- conservation and restoration of historic rooms at Glenveagh Castle;
- expanded parking capacity.
