Written Answers Nos. 231-244
231. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Catherine Connolly den Aire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán soiléiriú a thabhairt ar thaighde atá idir lámha ag Páidí Ó Sé agus Coláistí Chorca Dhuibhne do Roinn na Gaeltachta maidir leis na coláistí samhraidh agus an easpa lóistín agus múinteoirí; cathain a fhoilseofar torthaí an taighde; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [32469/22]
View answerFuarthas cóip den taighde atá mar ábhar na ceiste ag an Teacht Dála ar 21 Meitheamh. Déanfar é a bhreithniú in am tráth.
232. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Catherine Connolly den Aire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán maidir le Ceisteanna Pharlaiminte 22178/22, 10295/22 agus 2836/22, stádas an ghasra oibre; soiléiriú a thabhairt ar na téarmaí tagartha; dáta an chéad chruinnithe den ghrúpa; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [32470/22]
View answerIs mian liom a chur in iúl don Teachta go mbeidh an chéad chruinniú den ghrúpa oibre ar thagair sí dó ina ceist go gairid.
Mar a chur mé in iúl roimhe seo, i measc na bpríomhchuspóirí atá ann le bunú an ghrúpa seo ná tuilleadh comhoibrithe, comhthuisceana agus comhpháirtíochta a chothú i measc páirtithe leasmhara a bhfuil baint acu le seachadadh tacaíochtaí do theaghlaigh Ghaeltachta atá, nó ar mhian leo a gclann a thógáil le Gaeilge.
Aithnítear gur ar leas foriomlán na Gaeilge agus an phróisis pleanála teanga mar a bhaineann sé leis an nGaeltacht a bheidh sé seo uile.
233. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media her plans to increase the capital grant available to encourage new households to enter the scheme to provide accommodation for students attending summer colleges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32471/22]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, under Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge my Department provides a once-off grant up to €2,000 (or 50% of the allowable costs whichever is the lower) to encourage new Gaeltacht households to enter the sector for the first time and to offset the costs associated with complying with the current fire safety regulations as set out by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The issue will be further considered by my Department together with relevant stakeholders in the autumn when courses have concluded and the opportunity presents to consider matters. Any identified need for an increase in the capital grant available will be fully evaluated by my Department at that time. However, it should be pointed out that there is no evidence to suggest that the existing level of grant-aid available to households has not been sufficient to date.
The Deputy will be aware that my Department has invested over €8m over the last two years in support of the Irish summer colleges sector. Five specific supports were devised over that period, aimed at supporting the colleges themselves, community infrastructure used by them and the 700 or so Gaeltacht householders.
Furthermore, in the current year, my Department provided additional funding for a further three measures – including a 10% increase in the grant payable to mná tí under the Department’s Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge, in addition to the provision of 400 scholarships under the DEIS Gaeltachta initiative – a social inclusion measure, aimed at providing opportunities to students of DEIS post-primary schools to attend Gaeltacht summer colleges.
In overall financial terms these measures represent an additional state investment of c. €800,000 in further support of the sector this year, the largest single increase in investment in any given year since the Department first initiated Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge in 1972.
This ultimately will result in an overall exchequer investment of approximately €5.3m in support of the sector this year.
234. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent and context of any engagements she has had with media interests with particular reference to the need to protect the privacy of the individual and protect adults, children and the vulnerable from cyber-abuse; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32768/22]
View answerMatters relating to data protection and the disclosure of personal data without authority are set out in Data Protection Act 2018, which is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice.
As regards types of cyber-abuse which do not relate to the protection of personal data, the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill will address certain forms of harmful online content. The Bill provides for the dissolution of the BAI and establishment of a new regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, which will oversee updated regulatory frameworks for broadcasting and video-on-demand service and a new regulatory framework for online safety.
To oversee the regulatory framework for online safety, Coimisiún na Meán will include an Online Safety Commissioner, whose goal will be to minimise the availability of defined categories of harmful online content through binding online safety codes, including categories of offence-specific content, serious cyberbullying content, content promoting self-harm and suicide and content promoting eating disorders.
There has been comprehensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders in respect of the Bill. In this context, during the development of the General Scheme of the OSMR Bill, my Department held a public consultation to inform drafting of the proposed Bill and a virtual workshop on the regulatory framework for online safety. The responses to the public consultation, including the names of the consultees, may be found on the gov.ie website at the following address:
www.gov.ie/en/consultation/430d0-regulation-of-harmful-online-content-and-the-implementation-of-the-revised-audiovisual-media-services-directive/.
My officials continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders regarding the Bill as it passes through the Houses of the Oireachtas.
235. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which she remains satisfied that adequate precautions are taken to protect the public from online bullying or abuse through social media or otherwise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32769/22]
View answerThe Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill will establish a multi-person Media Commission (to be known as Coimisiún na Meán) 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 designated online services, including certain social media services, are expected to deal with defined categories of harmful online content on their platforms.
In particular, online safety codes will ensure that designated online services take appropriate measures to reduce the availability of content on their services which is linked to one or more of 40 existing criminal offences.
Such content will include, for example, material which is connected to relevant offences under the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, or Coco's Law. It is intended that this will have the effect of tackling the availability, on designated online services, of intimate images which have been shared without consent and of threatening or grossly offensive communications about, or to, another person.
Outside of offence-specific content, and among others, online safety codes may also include measures that a designated online service must take to reduce the availability of online content by which a person bullies or humiliates another person. Importantly, this category of content will be subject to a risk of harm test which is set out in the Bill.
Finally, under the Bill, in the event of a failure to comply with a relevant online safety code, and subject to Court approval, Coimisiún na Meán will have the power to sanction non-compliant online services, including through financial sanctions of up to €20 million or 10% of turnover.
The Bill will shortly commence Report Stage in the Seanad and it is my intention to see it progress as quickly as possibly through the Houses to enactment.
236. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of prosecutions that have been taken against those involved in online bullying over the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32770/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is an independent law officer under the provisions of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974 (as amended). As Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media I have no role in the functions of the Director or the Office of the DPP and am unable to provide statistical information relating to the functions of the Director.
Policy regarding criminal offences is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice, in the first instance.
237. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which the swimming pool development programme is expected to continue; the basis on which it will continue over the next two years; the extent of the programme to date in dealing with the needs as represented by local communities throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32771/22]
View answerIn relation to my Department's capital funding for new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools, this support was previously provided through the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme (LASPP). A total of 52 pools has been completed under the LASPP and three swimming pool projects (Lucan, Buncrana and Edenderry) remain in the programme with the Lucan project currently under construction.
My Department's capital support for any new swimming pools is now being provided through the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The National Development Plan provided a capital allocation of at least €100 million for the Fund over the period to 2027.
The first call for proposals under the LSSIF closed in 2019 with applications confined to local authorities and National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of Sport. All applications were assessed in accordance with the published Evaluation Procedures and Guidelines and the first allocations were announced in January 2020. Thus far, approximately €86.4 million has been awarded to 33 different proposals. These initial allocations include funding for 8 swimming pool projects as follows:
Laois: Portarlington Leisure Centre Swimming Pool [Allocation €300,000]
Sligo: Waterpoint Aqua Park [Allocation €300,000]
Kilkenny: The Watershed Development, [Allocation €1,443,750]
Limerick: Askeaton Pool and Leisure [Allocation €646,659]
Wicklow: Wicklow Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre [Allocation €864,177]
Louth: Dundalk Leisure Centre [Allocation €300,000]
Galway: Galway Regional Aquatic & Fitness Centre [Allocation €8,003,415]
Dublin: Samuel Beckett Civic Campus Phase 2 [Allocation €5,000,000]
The priority in the short term is to advance all LSSIF projects, including these swimming pools, to construction stage.
In relation to future swimming pool funding, my Department is currently undertaking a review of progress on all existing LSSIF grants. As part of this review, my Department is also considering the timing of any new call for proposals. The review work is at an advanced stage and is expected to be finalised shortly.
In addition, the National Sports Policy commits to the development of a National Swimming Strategy. As part of this, there will be a review of swimming pool provision to identify where gaps exist and how these can be met. Furthermore, the Sports Action Plan 2021-2023, which was published in November 2021, contains an action to develop and implement a National Swimming Strategy to provide additional swimming opportunities indoors and outdoors. Initial preparatory planning work has been undertaken by my Department in this regard. It is intended to establish a working group in the near future to take forward the detailed work of preparing a national swimming strategy, with a view to its completion and publication later this year.
The outcome of these reviews and strategies will be fully considered when deciding on the future funding provision for swimming pools.
238. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which her Department continues to reach out to those involved in sporting activities with a view to continuation of sporting activities in the future in line with the needs as presented by local communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32772/22]
View answerI recognise the importance of sport and physical activity for our society and the need to ensure that opportunities are in place to allow all members of society to participate in sport. Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, including the promotion of sports participation.
Sport Ireland provides funding to the network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs). In 2021, Sport Ireland invested core funding of €9.5 million in the LSPs. The network of 29 LSPs undertakes a wide range of actions with the aim of increasing sport and physical activity participation levels in their local communities. The design, delivery and evaluation of targeted initiatives by LSPs directly increases the level of sports participation locally, particularly amongst the harder to reach social groups such as people with a disability, people from areas of socio economic disadvantage, ethnic minorities, older adults and women. Through their expertise and local connections with the sports communities, LSPs are able to identify specific needs and deliver effective initiatives accordingly.
My Department’s Sports Capital and Equipment Programme 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. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.1 billion. The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritising the investment in disadvantaged areas.
An overall package of €150 million in new capital grants under the latest round of the Programme was announced earlier this year. This funding reflects the government’s ongoing support to sport and the unprecedented level of applications received reflects the vital role that sport plays in supporting community and individual wellbeing, a role that came into sharp focus during the pandemic.
239. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the degree to which she continues to support the arts throughout the country with particular reference to both amateur and professional given the need to recover from Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32773/22]
View answer240. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the role she sees for the arts at local and national, professional and amateur level to develop in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32774/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 240 together.
My Department's priorities are set out in its published Statement of Strategy 2021—2023. The Strategy sets out the actions that my Department will take over the coming period, both nationally and regionally, to enrich the quality of life in Ireland through supporting the development of tourism, culture, arts, sports, media and Irish language. In the context of culture, the goal is to “support and develop engagement with, and in arts, culture and creativity by individuals and communities thereby enriching lives through cultural activity; and to promote Ireland’s arts, culture and creativity globally while also coordinating the Decade of Centenaries 2012–2023 commemorations programme.” The Statement of Strategy is available at this link www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/9205f-statement-of-strategy-20212023/.
Some €371.4 million is allocated to the arts and culture sector this year including record levels of funding for the Arts Council and Screen Ireland in recent Budgets. The Arts Council maintained the record €130 million funding allocated in 2021, allowing it to continue to protect the jobs and livelihoods of artists and assist arts organisations through financial difficulties and empowering it to play a strong role in supporting artists and arts organisations to flourish in the years ahead.
€25 million is allocated to pilot a new Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme. This measure was the #1 ask from the Arts and Culture Recovery Task Force and will bring new life and support to the arts and culture sector on a national, regional and local basis.
I am cognisant of the challenges faced by the arts, culture and live entertainment industry as the sector recovers post-pandemic. I have provided a €50 million suite of supports for the live performance sector in 2022, to provide performance and employment opportunities for artists and crews, including €5m for Local Authorities to support local artists and performances through the LLPSS (Local Live Performance Support Scheme). This scheme has provided thousands of hours of employment for local musicians, artists and crews.
Funding for the arts and culture sector also includes €4 million to deliver a suite of initiatives proposed by the night-time economy task force and €5 million in additional funding for the national cultural institutions to ensure they continue to provide high-quality services to the public.
My role as Minister with responsibility for leading the co-ordination of the Decade of Centenaries Programme (2012-2023) is to help ensure that the challenging events of this important and formative period in our history and related themes, are meaningfully, proportionately and sensitively remembered. I have allocated €5 million to support the 2022 commemorative programme which will deliver rich and diverse national and local programmes marking the significant centenaries arising in 2022. Many of these investment programmes under will be delivered through the local authorities.
Earlier this year, I announced the Government’s decision to extend the Creative Ireland Programme until 2027. Creative Ireland was launched in 2017 as an all-of-Government culture and wellbeing programme committed to the vision that every person should have the opportunity to realise their full creative potential. Creative Ireland collaborates across Government and with arts, community and voluntary organisations to deploy creativity as a strategy for wellbeing, social cohesion and economic success. Alongside its very successful Creative Youth initiative, the programme’s Creative Communities partnership with the 31 local authorities, and their delivery of thousands of creative projects, has been key to enabling community-led nationwide engagement. Earlier this month Cruinniú na nÓg 2022, took place on Saturday 11 June 2022 with events in every county. This initiative is being delivered through the network of Creative Ireland Coordinators and local authority Culture and Creativity Teams in each of the 31 local authorities and is supported by RTÉ.
In response to Covid-19, capital funding towards the pilot Outdoor Public Space Scheme 2021 by my Department funds local authorities to adapt, equip or otherwise improve public spaces for cultural and events activities, taking account of public health guidelines and of the needs of the local arts community. Outdoor public spaces can provide year-round use can improve well-being and contribute positively to the public realm.
It is worth noting that much of the nationwide infrastructure of venues and arts centres were initiated and funded by local authorities. These centres are supported through capital schemes largely operated by my Department. Support provided to these arts centres by local authorities and the Arts Council is critical to ensuring that a stable and vibrant network can be maintained both for arts organisations and arts workers.
The Deputy may wish to note that the Department of Rural and Community Development funds a range of programmes and schemes to assist in rural and community development which are available to eligible community groups and organisations throughout the country. These schemes provide funding, support and assistance to communities at local level and include the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the LEADER programme; the Community Enhancement Programme, the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme; the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Community Services Programme. Details of funding allocations under specific schemes provided by that Department are available online at www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-rural-and-community-development/.
241. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which she and her Department continue to monitor the tourism sector with a view to ensuring that customers do not get overcharged; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32775/22]
View answerThe Recovery Oversight Group, which has provided valuable inputs to the Government on the measures required to assist the tourism sector, reports to me on a regular basis with updates on the implementation of the recommendations set out in the Tourism Recovery Plan 2020 – 2023 and on the recovery of the sector more generally.
My officials have engaged with stakeholders such as the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, the Irish Hotels Federation and the Car Rental Council of Ireland in order to further understand the underlying issues giving rise to current challenges facing the sector and to emphasise the importance of maintaining a strong value proposition at the core of tourism. They are also working with the tourism agencies to identify potential remedial actions to ensure that promotional activity is optimally aligned with supply across the year.
As we enter the peak summer months and the tourism industry recovers, there is inevitably additional pressure on hotel capacity and pricing. The initial recovery phase has been unpredictable and the speed and pace of the return of tourism has brought issues for all tourism businesses, many of which are repeated in other markets around the world. Hotel supply in Dublin in particular has been challenged and affected by a range of factors, some of them short-term. These include deferred business from the last two years and increased demand.
Businesses are facing significant cost pressures due to inflation and other economic factors but it is important that Ireland maintains its reputation as a value for money destination.
The Tánaiste and I co-chair the Tourism and Hospitality Forum; this grouping is due to meet next week and this will offer another opportunity to discuss and address these issues.
However, neither my Department nor Fáilte Ireland have control over prices set by service providers within the tourism industry. Each operator decides on their level of charges having regard to their costs and the requirement to make an adequate return on their investment.
242. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which hotel bed spaces continue to remain sufficiently available throughout Dublin city and greater areas with a view to ensuring that tourists and those seeking hotel accommodation are not pressured into paying exorbitant prices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32776/22]
View answerThe distorting effect of the pandemic makes it difficult to definitively assess the long-term supply and demand equation within tourist accommodation but there does seem to be a clear need for more short-term accommodation supply specifically in Dublin. The hotel occupancy rate in Dublin is now one of the highest in Europe, driven by a range of factors.
There are just over 22,300 registered hotel rooms in Dublin. Another 3,500 are expected to come on stream over the next two years. It will be important that Dublin is a capital city that can cater for all types of visitors with quality and value choices to suit different budgets. For the past number of years Fáilte Ireland has been working to encourage both the development of, and positive conditions for, the development of hotels in Dublin through sharing their evidence-based analysis and through their role as a prescribed body in the planning process.
Neither my Department nor Fáilte Ireland have control over prices set by service providers within the tourism industry. Each operator decides on their level of charges having regard to their costs and the requirement to make an adequate return on their investment.
We all want to see the return of a sustainable and vibrant tourism sector and I stress that it is important that businesses maintain a long term perspective on competitiveness and value for money.
243. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which she remains satisfied that adequate and sufficiently trained personnel remain available to the hotel industry to ensure that the sector is adequately catered for in terms of accommodation throughout summer and winter months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32777/22]
View answerPrior to Covid, the tourism sector had registered consistent increases in the numbers employed in Ireland’s regions and was an important driver of greater regional balance and dispersed economic activity.
Today, however, the sector faces a range of challenges, in common with the wider economy, such as sizable increases in the costs of key inputs and difficulty in recruiting and retaining key skills. These challenges are not unique to Ireland; indeed, they are shared by many countries around the world.
The wider tourism and hospitality sector is a shared concern for both my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE). This shared mission is reflected in the Hospitality and Tourism Forum, which was established during the pandemic and is co-chaired by the Tánaiste and myself. The Forum is a valuable opportunity for both sectors to communicate their priorities and the Forum will meet again shortly. At official level, my Department engages regularly with our counterparts in DETE on issues such as work permits and other matters impacting tourism and hospitality.
My Department is also represented on the Tourism and Hospitality Careers Oversight Group, which brings together industry representatives, state agencies, Government Departments and the education sector. The Group has pivoted to focus on supporting the industry to address some of its immediate recruitment challenges in the months ahead.
The Department and Fáilte Ireland are working with industry and across Government Departments to ensure a co-ordinated approach to addressing the labour and skills shortages.
My Department also continues to engage with the Department of Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science regarding the Tourism Recovery Taskforce’s Recommendations on enhancing sustainable employment.
As part of the drive to promote tourism as an attractive sector within which to work, Fáilte Ireland is developing a new “Excellent Employer” programme to help all participating businesses to improve their employer practices and build their reputation as excellent employers. It has also launched a Transition Year Work Placement Programme and a major recruitment awareness campaign called “Works For Me”.
When we look at the wider economy and the particular set of challenges facing the tourism industry it is clear that a collective and concerted multi-stakeholder approach to tackling these challenges is required and that is the approach that my Department and I will continue to pursue.
244. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which she and her Department have monitored the number of hotels that have closed down permanently or otherwise in the Dublin area over the past three years; if sufficient steps are being taken to ensure that hotel accommodation is not lost to the market by virtue of being replaced by other investment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32778/22]
View answerWith regard to the closure of hotels in Dublin over the past three years , no specific audit has been carried out; however, according to the Central Statistic Office's recent publication - Business signs of Life series Two: Business Survival 2020 to 2021 - one in ten (10.4%) of enterprises trading prior to Covid-19 were at risk of closing at the end of 2021. Fáilte Ireland advises that there are more hotels on their register in 2022 than in 2021.
There are currently just over 22,300 registered hotel rooms in Dublin with another 3,500 expected to come on stream over the next two years.
It will be important that Dublin, as a capital city, can cater for all types of visitors with quality and value choices to suit different budgets.
For the past number of years Fáilte Ireland has been trying to encourage both the development of, and positive conditions for the development of, hotels in Dublin through sharing their evidenced based analysis and through their role as a prescribed body in the planning process.
