Written Answers Nos. 103-114
103. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide an update on all current National Development Plan 2021-2030 projects under her Department being progressed in Cork South West, including the current status of each project and the planned completion date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23323/23]
View answerMy Department and its agencies administer a range of funding and support programmes across the tourism, culture, Gaeltacht, sport and media area, some of which are included in the 2021-2030 NDP as capital development programmes, and others of which are supported through current funding streams.
In relation to Cork South West, the principle NDP initiatives for the region relate to sport and tourism developments.
In relation to investment in sports facilities, the 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. The progression of these projects is a matter for the relevant grantees. Details of all allocations under the SCEP including those to projects in the Cork South west Region can be found at www.gov.ie/en/collection/471ed5-sports-capital-allocations/
My Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy and implementation of that policy, including capital projects, is a matter for the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, as well as certain other bodies. The matter raised is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. Accordingly, I have referred this question to them for direct response to the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
104. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the name, function and establishment date of all organisations and agencies under the aegis of her Department; the number of employees in each; and the salary of each of the CEO in each organisation and agency, in tabular form. [23397/23]
View answerThe name, function, establishment date, the number of employees and the salary of each of the CEO of all organisations and agencies under the aegis of my Department (other than RTÉ and TG4) is detailed in the table below.
|
State Bodies |
Function |
Year Established |
Number of Staff (As Per Public Service Numbers For End of Q1 2023) |
Salary of C.E.O. |
|
Arts Council |
Statutory body with responsibility for delivering primary support for the arts in Ireland. |
1951 |
94 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Higher Plus Director’s Allowance in the Civil Service. |
|
Coimisiún na Meán (formerly BAI) |
State body responsible for regulating media services and online safety in Ireland. |
2023 |
44 |
Equivalent to Secretary General II in the Civil Service. |
|
Chester Beatty |
National Cultural Institution – Library |
1950 |
39 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Higher in the Civil Service. |
|
Crawford Art Gallery |
National Cultural Institution, dedicated to the visual arts. |
1979 |
23 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Standard in the Civil Service. |
|
Fáilte Ireland (National Tourism Development Authority) |
State body responsible for encouraging, promoting and supporting tourism development. |
2003 |
402 |
Equivalent to Deputy Secretary Standard in the Civil Service. |
|
Foras na Gaeilge |
State body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, established under the Good Friday Agreement. |
1999 |
54 |
€128,229 (as per published Accounts 2020) |
|
Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) |
National Cultural Institution for Modern & Contemporary Arts. |
1990 |
95 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Standard in the Civil Service. |
|
National Concert Hall |
National Cultural Institution - Concert Hall |
1981 |
116 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Higher in the Civil Service. |
|
National Gallery of Ireland |
National Cultural Institution - Gallery |
1854 |
155 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Higher Plus Director’s Allowance in the Civil Service. |
|
National Library of Ireland |
National Cultural Institution - National Library |
1877 |
95 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Higher Plus Director’s Allowance in the Civil Service. |
|
National Museum of Ireland |
National Cultural Institution - National Museum |
1877 |
165 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Higher Plus Director’s Allowance in the Civil Service. |
|
Screen Ireland |
Development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry. |
1980 |
36 |
Equivalent to Principal Officer Higher in the Civil Service. |
|
Sport Ireland |
Statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport in Ireland. |
2015 |
54 |
Equivalent to Assistant Secretary PPC in the Civil Service. |
|
Tha Boord o Ulster Scotch |
An agency of the North South Language Body, established under the Good Friday Agreement. |
1999 |
15 |
£54,588 (€61,355) (as per 2020 Published Accounts) |
|
Tourism Ireland |
State agency responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination, established under the Good Friday Agreement. |
2000 |
171 |
€177,405 (as per 2021 Published Accounts) |
|
Údarás na Gaeltachta |
Regional authority responsible for the economic, social and cultural development of the Gaeltacht. |
1980 |
98 |
Equivalent to Assistant Secretary PPC in the Civil Service. |
With regard to RTÉ and TG4, Sections 24 and 98 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 provide for the independence of these bodies in the pursuance of their objectives and the Deputy's question is accordingly an operational matter for these bodies.
105. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if the recruitment campaign for a new CEO of Tourism Ireland is being carried out just within the State or worldwide; and when she expects a new CEO to be appointed. [23398/23]
View answerI am advised that the international recruitment campaign to appoint a new of CEO of Tourism Ireland is being carried out by Price Waterhouse Coopers. I am also aware that the deadline for applications for this vacancy was Friday, 21 April 2023 and I understand that the recruitment process is ongoing.
106. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the names of external cleaning companies that have provided cleaning services to her Department in the years of 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and the amount paid to each company for such works, in tabular form. [23416/23]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy in relation to the amount paid by my Department to external cleaning companies providing cleaning services to my Department in the years of 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023 is set out below.
|
Year |
Supplier |
Amount € |
Total For Year € |
|
2021 |
Allpro Services Ltd |
41,511 |
|
|
|
Bidvest Noonan Ltd |
6,137 |
|
|
|
Clean Plus Ltd |
9,550 |
|
|
|
|
|
57,198 |
|
2022 |
Allpro Services Ltd |
71,156 |
|
|
|
Bidvest Noonan Ltd |
16,134 |
|
|
|
Clean Plus Ltd |
8,941 |
|
|
|
FM Cleaning Ltd |
221 |
|
|
|
|
|
96,452 |
|
2023 to date |
Allpro Services Ltd |
38,963 |
|
|
|
|
|
38,963 |
|
Total |
|
|
192,613 |
107. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide an update on the status of the St. Andrew’s Street church in Dublin; and if Fáilte Ireland still has an interest in the property. [23429/23]
View answerMy Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy and implementation of that policy is a matter for the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, as well as certain other bodies. The matter referred to by the Deputy is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. I have referred this question to that agency for direct response to the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
108. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she has received a report (details supplied) which was set up to examine reform of the TV licence fee, which was expected in Q1 2023; the timeline for the publication of the report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23435/23]
View answerWhen considering the report of the Future of Media Commission, Government decided not to accept the recommendation that the TV licence be abolished and replaced with Exchequer funding. Instead, Government decided that the current system should be reformed and enhanced to provide a more equitable and sustainable funding model.
Government established a Technical Working Group to examine potential reforms, including how the licence fee might be reformed to reflect changes in technology and viewing habits. The Group was also to examine other issues such as the current TV licence database, the scope of liability, improvements and efficiencies to the collection and payment process for TV Licences, and possible changes to enforcement procedures to decrease the number of TV Licence evaders. The Group paid particular attention to the need to provide secure and sustainable funding for public service media and public service content providers.
The Group commenced its work last September and has submitted their report to me. I am currently considering the detail of the report and will bring the matter to Government as soon as practicable for decision and publication.
109. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide a schedule of the amount of funds, beneficiary of funds and use of funds released by her Department under the per cent for art scheme in each of the past five years to date in 2023, in tabular form. [23592/23]
View answerIn 1997, the Government authorised the inclusion in the budgets of all Exchequer-funded capital construction projects of an amount of up to 1% as funding for an art project, subject to an overall cap of €64,000. This authorised expenditure has been reviewed occasionally, most recently with effect from 1 January, 2022. Although the Per Cent for Art Scheme is within the general remit of my Department, there is not any specified resource allocation for it. The funding of art projects brought forward under the scheme is integral to the capital project budget in each case and to be addressed by the project promoters. My Department does not provide funding for the inclusion of art projects in other Departments' projects such as roads, schools or hospitals, and these are a matter for the contracting bodies themselves.
The scheme does not operate on the basis of a specific public art fund from which moneys are drawn to undertake or to commission works of an artistic nature. Rather, under the terms of the Scheme, such works are factored into and funded from the overall budget of each capital project by the public body undertaking it. This is a matter for each project promoter or commissioning body and I, as Minister, have no statutory function in this regard.
Guidelines on the Per Cent for Art Scheme are available on the Public Art website www.publicart.ie. The guidelines set out how project managers would operate the scheme and provide a common national approach to its implementation. The Public Art website is also a comprehensive Public Art resource, which offers information on the operation of the scheme, as well as much of the output of the scheme. This is continuously updated and includes almost 250 permanent and temporary, public and socially engaged artworks made in Ireland or made by Irish artists abroad. Many of these artworks were produced under the Percent for Art Scheme.
The Percent for Art Scheme was revised and the updated investment bands and limits for this scheme came into effect on 1 Jan 2020.
Under the auspices of the Arts Council, a National Per Cent for Art Committee was established in 2022 in relation to updating the guidelines for the Scheme. The ad hoc committee includes representatives of Government Departments and public agencies charged with managing public capital programmes. The Group is chaired independently by Dr Ciarán Benson. The Arts Council provides the expert guidance and secretariat function to the committee, who are expected to complete their work by early 2024.
110. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide a schedule of sport-focused journalists, sport-focused personalities, and sport-focused publications, to include print, online and television, engaged by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland in each of the years 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; the costs per engagement; the metrics achieved for each engagement; and the key performance indicators. [23611/23]
View answer111. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the amount expended by Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland on paid-for and or sponsored content on each of its social media channels, including a breakdown of each project and the expenditure on same in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023. [23612/23]
View answer112. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide a schedule of travel journalists, travel personalities, and travel publications, to include print, online and television, engaged by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland in each of the years 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and the costs per engagement; the metrics achieved for each engagement; and the key performance indicators. [23613/23]
View answer113. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide a schedule of food-focused journalists, food-focused personalities, and food-focused publications, to include print, online and television, engaged by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland in each of the years 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; the costs per engagement; the metrics achieved for each engagement; and the key performance indicators. [23614/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 110, 111, 112 and 113 together.
My Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of developing national tourism policy and the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, deal with the implementation of this policy.
Fáilte Ireland's role as the National Tourism Development Authority is to support the long-term sustainable growth in the economic, social, cultural and environmental contribution of tourism to Ireland and this includes responsibility for domestic holiday marketing across the four regional experience brands.
Tourism Ireland promotes the island of Ireland in more than 21 markets overseas as a compelling holiday destination, using the Ireland brand to position the island as strongly as possible against the more than 200 other destinations with which Ireland competes.
With specific regard to the engagement with all sections of the media for promotional purposes and the spend related to activities carried out in the promotion of Ireland as tourism destination both domestically and overseas, including paid-for and or sponsored content on their social media channels within the indicated time frame, these are operational matters for Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland in line with their respective functions.
I have referred this question to the agencies for direct response to the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
114. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media her engagement to date with RTÉ and the GAA in making more GAA games free-to-air; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23651/23]
View answerThe designation of events as free to air is an important statutory process which allows for certain events to be so designated following a prescriptive process which is undertaken every three years. The process however, is not intended to ensure free to air coverage of entire competitions or all of one particular sport’s event. Likewise, it is not possible to predict how events and competitions will evolve, such as the changes to both the duration and format of this year's GAA championships.
In the initial stages of designations, two public consultations are undertaken to ensure that events identified are given full consideration. My Department’s officials also consult with stakeholders and the sporting bodies to guarantee all interested parties views can be taken into consideration. In addition to this, and to ensure that the correct balance is being struck, an independent report is undertaken that considers the financial implications of designation to the organisation against the gain to the public of the designation of the event as free to air. Following engagement with the EU Commission to secure a draft Order listing the additional events, the draft order must then be laid before both houses of the Oireachtas.
While the designation of additional championship games will be desirable for a great many people, it is also important to remember that RTÉ has an obligation to provide a broad range of programmes for the benefit and enjoyment of the entire community, while bodies like the GAA have to balance generating revenues to support games development and providing as wide a coverage as possible to matches.
The issue of sports rights is a commercial one for the GAA as an independent body. Likewise, RTÉ is an independent body which makes its own commercial, scheduling and editorial decisions. Given the independence of both bodies in such commercial and scheduling matters, I have not intervened directly in this matter. I understand that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media will invite both bodies, together with other sports organisations and broadcasters, to appear before it, and I welcome this initiative as it provides an appropriate forum for the matter to be discussed.
