Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 June 2023
291. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the main policy achievements of her Department since 27 June 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31870/23]
View answerAs stated in my Department's Statement of Strategy 2021-2023, the mission of my Department is to lead the sustainable development of Tourism, Media and the Gaeltacht and promote participation in the Culture, Arts, Sports and the Irish language supporting social progress, and enhancing cultural and economic growth across Irish society.
My Department implements policy to ensure the achievement of this mission. While details on all of the policy achievement of this Department can be found in my Departments’ annual reports (www.gov.ie/en/publication/daa43-annual-report-2020/) and Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 (www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/9205f-statement-of-strategy-20212023/), some of the main achievements in the different policy areas are outlined below.
Tourism
- €7.6m in Shared Island funding secured for a new brand collaboration project linking the Causeway Coastal Route and the Wild Atlantic Way.
- €7.75m in Brexit Adjustment Reserve funding secured for Tourism Ireland to put in place a marketing strategy to the stem the decline in, and subsequently grow, tourist numbers and associated revenues from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- Tourism Ireland increased its presence in the US with a new office in Ireland House, San Francisco – May 2022.
- Continued development of a new national tourism policy which mainstreams sustainability.
Arts and Culture
- Basic Income for the Arts – a three-year pilot scheme to support artists and creative arts workers, providing 2,000 successful applicants with a weekly income of €325 each, which incorporates a research programme to inform future Government policy.
- Significant progress has also been made across the 36 actions in the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce with some actions now completed. - 2023 Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012-2023 was published with a supporting current funding allocation of €5m.
- New capital funding stream which aligns with the Government’s action on climate change to provide funding for projects that reduce an organisation’s carbon footprint and will, for the first time, include funding for organisational energy audits.
Sport
- Sports Capital and Equipment Grants of over €150 million made to some 1,900 different applicant organisations, large and small, right across Ireland. This was the highest level of funding ever made under this scheme
- Government support for the Football Association of Ireland’s bid, with the UK, to host EURO 2028
- Major public consultation to inform new government policy on hosting major international sports events.
- Publication of Sport Ireland’s first Policy on Diversity and Inclusion in Sport, which envisages a sport sector that celebrates diversity, promotes inclusion, and is pro-active in providing opportunities for lifelong participation for everyone.
- Publication of a new Masterplan for the further development of the Sport Ireland Campus over the next 15-20 years.
- Progressed the development of the first National Swimming Strategy which is due to be published in Q3 of 2023.
Gaeltacht
- Enactment of the Official Languages Act 2021, is encouraging more people to learn and embrace the language and ensure the delivery of public services through Irish. The commencement in 2022 of the provision whereby public bodies must carry out 20% of their advertising in the Irish language and that 5% of advertising must be in the Irish language media has ensured increased visibility of the language in the public domain.
- Review of the process of appointment of Board of Údarás na Gaeltachta completed in line with a commitment in the Programme for Government. Legislation is currently being drafted to provide for the return of Údarás na Gaeltachta elections.
- Publication in 2022 of a Digital Plan for the Irish Language.
Media
- The Online Safety and Media Regulation Act was signed into law on 10 December 2022. Under the Act a new multi-person regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, was established on 15 March 2023 and commissioners appointed. An Coimisiún will establish a new regulatory framework for online safety and enforce updated rules for broadcasters and video on-demand providers.
- Further to the publication of the Future of Media Commission report in July 2022, Government established an Implementation Group to develop an Implementation Strategy and Action Plan to give effect to the accepted recommendations. The Plan was published in January 2023.
- Separately, a Technical Working Group was established to consider options for the reform of the TV licence system. The Group has concluded its report and the matter will be considered by Government in due course.
