Cian O'Callaghan
Question:7. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination last met. [36398/23]
View answerTuesday, 3 October 2023
Questions (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:8. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination will next meet. [42342/23]
View answer
Paul Murphy
Question:9. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination unit will next meet. [42344/23]
View answer
Mick Barry
Question:10. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination last met. [42485/23]
View answerCian O'Callaghan
Question:11. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination last met. [42507/23]
View answerOral answers (9 contributions)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 11, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination generally meets in advance of Government meetings. It last met on 25 September 2023. It is scheduled to meet again tomorrow. The committee reviews the agenda of Government meetings; discusses political priorities; and reviews the activity of Cabinet committees. I am a member of the committee, with the Tánaiste and the leader of the Green Party. The Secretary to the Government, my chief of staff and the chiefs of staff of the Tánaiste and the leader of the Green Party also attend the meetings. Ministers are asked to attend depending on what is on the agenda.
Today, Actors' Equity, the union representing actors in this country, submitted a petition to the Government of 3,700 actors. What they are calling for is the implementation of the Report on Section 481 – Film Tax Credit, that was published earlier this year. I asked for the committee of which I am a member to undertake this investigation. It has recommended that while we have to continue, and indeed, increase, investment in film, it has to be tied to the actors, the writers, the performers and the stage crew being remunerated properly and having, "quality employment and training", which is the condition of the nearly €100 million in public funding that goes to film producers in this country who, however, force our actors, as they were outlining again today and as I mentioned to the Taoiseach previously, to sign buy-out contracts. Under such contracts, they are forced to sign away the future revenues, royalties and residuals which actors always used get in the past. The Taoiseach may have noted the strike of writers and actors in the United States, which is on the same issues. Irish actors, whose film producers are funded with taxpayers' money, are being asked to sign lesser contracts than their English, Northern Irish, American and European counterparts. Similarly, stage crew and film crew are essentially never recognised for the service they have given to the film industry even though they may have worked for that industry for decades because they are on successive fixed-term contracts.
For years, the film crew have been saying this must be addressed. We want more investment in film but the actors, the writers, the performers, the directors and the stage crew need to be treated with respect. Blacklisting must end and they need decent terms and conditions.
I want to raise with the Taoiseach the participation of Irish soldiers in the EU's military assistance mission of Ukraine. We opposed Ireland's participation. We explained that this was a full-spectrum military training mission and a clear breach of neutrality. In response, Government representatives repeatedly said that Irish soldiers would only be involved in non-lethal training. A statement that went out from the Department after a Government meeting during the summer again stated that Ireland would be involved in things like de-mining and combat medicine but then it emerged, thanks to The Irish Times, that the Irish military is actually providing basic weapons training to Ukrainian soldiers. Yesterday, we had the spectacle of the Tánaiste explaining on the radio how providing training in using a rifle somehow qualifies as non-lethal training. Does the Taoiseach also believe that training people how to shoot rifles is non-lethal training? Does the Taoiseach accept that this is clearly lethal training? Does the Taoiseach accept that this is clearly yet another breach of Ireland's neutrality and a horrific abuse of Putin's invasion of Ukraine to drive this pre-existing agenda of removing what is left of neutrality and aligning Ireland with the western powers of NATO and the process of militarisation within the European Union?
When will work on the Cork event centre commence? What will the overall cost be? What will be the bill for the private investors and what will be the bill for the taxpayer? Last, but not least, and there will be plenty of people in Cork listening in on this answer, when will that centre be opened?
I remember being a councillor in Cork City Hall in 2014 when we were told that the overall cost would be €50 million and that the State would contribute €20 million. I remember when the Minister, Deputy Coveney, got kitted out in his high-vis and posed for the cameras with then Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny, to turn the sod weeks before the general election in 2016. Nearly eight years on, not a brick has been laid despite €1.5 million having already been spent on the project. It is a Fine Gael fiasco. It is a market fiasco. The Taoiseach might be able to answer at least a few of those questions for us today.
Recently, I met Sphere 17, which is a youth service in my constituency based in Darndale, Priorswood, Bonnybrook and Kilbarrack. It does tremendous work. I also met some of the young people who use the youth service who spoke about how well they feel supported there in terms of it being a safe place and a place where they are encouraged to reach their full potential. Youth services such as Sphere 17 do invaluable work helping to support our young people in communities around the country. Given the importance of this work, is the Taoiseach considering in the budget giving better resources and better funding to youth services such as Sphere 17?
Earlier, Deputy Ó Snodaigh and I met representatives of film crew in Ireland. I reiterate earlier comments about actors and how they do not have decent contracts or the residuals that many actors have across the world. Beyond that, we constantly deal with the other issues like blackballing and work conditions that no one would accept for film crew. We need the recommendations in the Committee on Budgetary Oversight’s review to be put in place. The Taoiseach has said he supports it. First and foremost, we must ensure we deliver the stakeholders forum, which would allow all these issues to be dealt with. The Taoiseach spoke about a sectoral employment order, SEO or an employment regulation order, ERO, but we just need this to happen as soon as possible. We cannot let it drag on. There have been promises previously but we have failed these people.
On the issues raised by Deputies Boyd Barrett and Ó Murchú, I have not seen the petition from the actors but I have read about it in the news. As the Deputies pointed out, a lot of taxpayers' money goes into the film and audiovisual sector, sometimes through grants and sometimes through Screen Ireland, often through tax incentives. With that in mind, it is only right that people who work in the sector, whether actors, writers, performers, cameramen, stage crews or riggers, should have decent terms and conditions. I have spoken about this with the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. The suggestion to establish a stakeholder forum as the next step is a good one and I will ask the Minister to bring it forward.
On Deputy Paul Murphy’s question, our Defence Forces are taking part in the EU military assistance mission in support of Ukraine, EUMAM. It is not the first training mission we are involved in. We were involved in one in Mali, for example, which I was able to visit some years ago. It is providing training for Ukrainian forces in areas such as de-mining because Russia has mined a huge part of southern Ukraine. That is presumably with a view to trying to hold on to it, given that Russia has annexed large parts of Ukraine. It is also providing training in firearms use. Firearms can be used in a defensive manner. We do not believe Ukrainian troops will invade Russia but quite the opposite. Ukrainian troops are defending their lands, their homes, their democracy, their independence and their neighbours.
The question was lethal not defensive.
Deputy Barry asked about the Cork event centre. I do not have an update. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, gave me a verbal update on it recently and I promise to get back to him when I have a chance to find out more about the project. I think it is a very good project and will be really great for the city of Cork and the wider region. Of course, it is embarrassing that it has not recommenced work after such a long pause. It is a very different project to the one that was initially envisaged. That is why the costs have gone up, as well as other reasons including inflation and the passage of time. We are very keen to see it under construction as soon as possible. I cannot give a cost or timeline at the moment but I hope we can do so in the very near future.
Deputy Cian O'Callaghan raised youth services. I know from my own constituency the real value that youth work can do. There are proposals in for additional funding for youth work in the budget. As I have told Deputies throughout the day, and will again tomorrow, the budget is not decided yet and I am not in a position to make any commitments or announcements today.