Written Answers Nos. 328-338
328. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of times she has met with or corresponded with the Director General of RTÉ since she took office; and the dates upon which such meetings or correspondences took place. [32164/23]
View answerAs Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media I have had occasion to meet the Director General of RTÉ on five occasions, received correspondence on twenty one occasions and sent correspondence on four occasions.
The attached tables provide the dates of my meetings and correspondence with / from the Director General since I took office.
329. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of times she has met with or corresponded with members of the board of RTÉ since she took office; and the dates upon which such meetings or correspondences took place. [32168/23]
View answerAs Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media I met members of the Board on six occasions, received correspondence on fifteen occasions and sent correspondence on twenty two occasions.
The attached tables provide the dates of meetings and correspondence relating to members of the Board regarding RTÉ Board business.
330. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the amount of public funding, in money terms, the Government has provided to RTÉ in each of the past ten years and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [32171/23]
View answerRTÉ operates under a dual funding model, receiving proceeds from revenue generated through the TV Licence system and its own commercial income.
The table below details payments made to RTÉ from TV licence revenue and from additional exchequer funding since 2003. The TV licence revenue comprises funding from licence sales and in respect of free licences.
An additional allocation of €15m in current funding was provided to RTÉ in 2022 in line with the recommendations of the Future of Media Commission.
Payments to RTÉ
|
Year |
TV Licence Revenue |
Additional exchequer funding |
|
€m |
€m |
|
|
2003 |
€158.5 |
|
|
2004 |
€160.5 |
|
|
2005 |
€172.4 |
|
|
2006 |
€194.8 |
|
|
2007 |
€194.8 |
|
|
2008 |
€201.1 |
|
|
2009 |
€204.3 |
|
|
2010 |
€195.0 |
|
|
2011 |
€182.4 |
|
|
2012 |
€179.2 |
|
|
2013 |
€181.5 |
|
|
2014 |
€178.8 |
|
|
2015 |
€178.5 |
|
|
2016 |
€179.3 |
|
|
2017 |
€184.8 |
|
|
2018 |
€188.6 |
|
|
2019 |
€196.5 |
|
|
2020 |
€197.6 |
|
|
2021 |
€196.1 |
|
|
2022 |
€196.2 |
€15.0 |
|
2023 (to June 25th) |
€96.6 |
331. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when her Department was first alerted to the fact that RTÉ had entered an agreement to guarantee an annual income of €75,000 to an employee (details supplied). [32174/23]
View answerRTÉ and public service broadcasting have been badly damaged by revelations in relation to RTÉ over the past week. I am extremely concerned at the details which have emerged in a number of RTÉ statements and at the Oireachtas hearings that took place last week.
On Thursday, 22nd June, RTÉ provided me with a copy of their full statement in advance of the Board making its public statement on the matter. I spoke with the Chair of the Authority, shortly before the Statement was published.
Today, Government agreed the terms of reference of an independent examination of RTÉ, and the appointment of two Expert Advisory Committees, composed of experts in their field, to oversee the two different strands of this examination. The examination will be supported by professional services firms engaged by my Department.
I will also invoke my powers under section 109(7)(a) of the Broadcasting Act to appoint a forensic accountant to examine the books or other records of account of RTÉ in respect of any financial year or other period. This will initially direct its focus on the barter account and address any other off-balance sheet accounts.
I have also asked RTÉ to seek to expedite as soon as possible the further report by Grant Thornton in respect of the period 2017-2019
It is critical for RTÉ to engage openly and constructively with the external review and the Oireachtas Committees in relation to these matters, as a first step in restoring the trust of the Irish people in RTÉ and public service broadcasting.
332. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide a schedule of the grants, grant-aid, low-cost borrowing and funding that her Department can provide to an association (details supplied), heading under which the grants, grant-aid, low-cost borrowing and funding is provided; the maximum amount that can be accessed; and the dates on which the schemes operate. [32287/23]
View answerDetails of financial assistance available to the specified association in respect of my Department are specified in the table attached.
The Deputy may also wish to note that funding is also provided by Sport Ireland to the specified association. Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards, including the allocation of funding across its various programmes. I have referred the Deputy's question to Sport Ireland for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to inform my office if a reply is not received within 10 days.
333. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the infrastructure map that is being developed by Sport Ireland; if his Department will develop a fund or a grant heading to fill the gaps in sports infrastructure around the country, with an emphasis on areas of disadvantage, facility sharing and participation; and if this mapping exercise will incorporate or have the ability to utilise census data in order to assist with the identification of areas that have sports clubs that are oversubscribed. [32289/23]
View answerI am pleased to confirm to the Deputy that the National Digital Database of Sport and Recreation Amenities, currently being developed by Sport Ireland, is on track to be substantially completed by the end of this year. It is a major, multi-annual project involving the integration of multiple datasets from a wide variety of stakeholders that will, inter alia, increase our understanding of gaps or shortfalls in Ireland's sporting infrastructure. The system being developed will have the capability to perform demographic analyses of the type and for the purposes indicated by the Deputy.
In relation to addressing any identified gaps, my Department provides capital grant assistance for new sporting facilities through the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). It should be noted that both schemes already contain weighting provisions in their grant allocation criteria in favour of the attainment of such overall sports policy objectives as increased participation amongst the disadvantaged and greater facility sharing. All such provisions are kept under ongoing review and will be considered further in the light of emerging information from the digital database.
334. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of WTE vacancies, by job title, at Fáilte Ireland; the estimated full-year cost of filling each of these vacancies; and when each of these vacancies will be filled, in tabular form. [32304/23]
View answerThe matter raised is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. Accordingly, I have referred this question to the agency for direct response to the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
335. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when she last met with the CEO and/or Chairperson of the National Concert Hall; and when she is next scheduled to meet the CEO and/or Chairperson. [32349/23]
View answerI have met the Chair and CEO of the National Concert Hall informally on occasion, most recently at the launch of the National Concert Hall capital redevelopment project on 8 December 2022. In addition, my Department engages regularly with the Chair and executive of this National Cultural Institution on an ongoing basis.
No formal meeting is currently scheduled with either the Chair or the CEO of the National Concert Hall.
336. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she believes if it is desirable there should be a personnel link between the RTÉ Authority and the Executive Board of RTÉ; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32413/23]
View answerSection 89 of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 sets out that the Director General shall, for the duration of his/her appointment, serve as an ex officio member of the Board. The Director General also sits on and chairs the Executive Board comprised of senior management in RTÉ and which is responsible for the day to day running of the organisation.
The Independent Examination of RTÉ that I am commissioning will, inter alia, examine whether the RTÉ corporate governance framework reflects best governance practice in compliance with applicable provisions in the Code of Practice for the Governance of State bodies; complies with relevant legislation; and includes robust internal controls. The review will, where required, make recommendations in respect of changes to RTÉ's governance framework to ensure robust public accountability in RTÉ.
337. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he will provide an update on when the next round of sports capital funding will be open for applications. [32782/23]
View answer338. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he will provide information on all facility upgrade grants which are currently available to sports clubs. [32783/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 337 and 338 together.
In relation to capital support, my Department provides grant assistance for sporting facilities through the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).The 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. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion. The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas.
The 2020 round of the SCEP closed for applications on Monday 1 March 2021 and by the deadline a record 3,106 applications were submitted. The final allocations under the 2020 round were announced on 31 May last year and the total allocation of €166.6 million represents the highest level of allocation ever made under the SCEP. Details of all allocations can be found on the Department's website.
The priority in recent months has been to advance the successful applications, which number almost 2,900, under the 2020 round to "formal approval" and grant drawdown stage. This requires detailed, ongoing engagement with all grantees.
Following completion of the appeal process, my Department commenced a full review of all aspects of the 2020 round of the SCEP. This Review has now been published and is available on the Department’s website.
Among the recommendations contained in the published Review is a continued prioritisation of projects that share facilities with other sports and further enhanced investment in areas of disadvantage. The Review also identifies new areas for consideration including:
• an increase in thresholds for capital grants at both local and regional level• rewarding projects which include adaptations for persons with disabilities through ring-fenced scores at assessment stage• rewarding projects which incorporate climate action measures• expanding the SCEP remit to include applications for upgrades to swimming pools, and • prioritising applications from areas witnessing significant population growth.
Now that the Review has been published, I have asked my officials to draft the "Guide to Making an Application" for the 2023 round to reflect the recommendations in the Review and I hope to have this finalised shortly. Once completed, the Guide will be published on my Department's website and I will then announce the exact date on which the SCEP will open for applications.
With regard to larger projects, the National Sports Policy published in 2018 provided for the establishment of the LSSIF. The aim of the fund is to provide support for larger sports facilities where the Exchequer investment is greater than the maximum amount available under the SCEP. The first allocations were announced in January 2020 and approximately €86.4 million has been allocated to 33 projects. The projects that received provisional allocations and the amounts provisionally awarded to them are published on the Department's website.
The first LSSIF allocations were announced just prior to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic obviously gave rise to significant financial challenges for all grantees with many of them having to reprioritise their own expenditure plans due to reductions in their income streams. In more recent times, the high level of construction inflation has also presented considerable challenges for grantees.
In view of these issues, it was considered timely to review progress on all projects that were allocated grants and meetings with all grantees have taken place. It is encouraging that, based on these discussions with grantees, over half of the 33 projects should be in a position to draw down funding this year. While this progress is very welcome, these discussions also confirm that some projects in receipt of LSSIF grants may not proceed in the short to medium term. In view of this, Minister Martin and I are currently considering, and engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in this context, whether additional resources could be provided to projects in need of further assistance and whether a new round of the LSSIF could be opened in due course.
I expect that my Department will be in further contact with existing grantees shortly and that the timing and terms and conditions of any new round of the LSSIF will be announced in due course.
