Vol. 615 No. 5
36 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he has made a final decision on increased funding for the community games; his views on the clear need for more funding for the games in view of the drop-off in the numbers of volunteers able to devote time to the games; if he has had discussions with representatives from the community games regarding the new strategic plan currently being formulated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8190/06]
The Irish Sports Council was set up as a statutory body in July 1999 with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards. The provision in funding for the Irish Sports Council in the 2006 Estimates is €40.9 million, in comparison to just over €13 million in 2000. The council provides funding to recognised national governing bodies of sport, including the national Community Games organisation. National governing bodies are dealt with as autonomous organisations and grants are allocated under agreed funding conditions and with specific priorities in mind. The grant allocation process is run on an annual basis by the Irish Sports Council, with national governing bodies submitting an application form covering their programmes for the coming year. My Department has no role in the level of annual funding provided to individual national governing bodies of sport.
In 2006, the national Community Games received a grant from the Irish Sports Council of €250,000, which represents the largest amount of grant aid given to the national Community Games by the council since its inception. This is in recognition of the work that has been done to streamline and modernise the organisation including the reduction of members on its executive. The council has been in regular contact over the last two years regarding the changes being implemented as part of the previous strategic plan and will continue to be involved with the community games this year in developing the new strategy. The national Community Games have recently announced a new sponsorship arrangement with the Health Service Executive and this is to be welcomed as a very appropriate partnership. This increased funding will alleviate financial concerns for the future of the games and will give added recognition to the work of their many dedicated volunteers.
The Minister said he does not have an input into the funding for the games. At a recent function at which the famous founder of the Community Games, Joe Connolly, was honoured, the Taoiseach said an announcement of increased funding for the games had been expected but the issue was still being assessed by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue. I do not know whether the Minister or the Taoiseach is wrong on this issue but perhaps the Minister will clarify it.
The Minister is responsible when there is good news.
Obviously, the Taoiseach is waiting for a statement from the Minister about it. In the same press report in The Irish Times on 11 February 2006, grave concern was expressed by Donal Buggy, the chief executive of the Community Games, about problems with volunteerism and about parents being under extreme pressure, to the point that they are not encouraging children’s participation in the Community Games.
The Community Games is a huge undertaking because of the variety of sports, which encompasses practically every sport one can imagine a child being involved in. There is a need for further funding from the Sports Council for the Community Games. It takes 20,000 volunteers per year to run the games, probably more than is required by any other sporting organisation in the country. This is important because the Community Games can determine what attitude a child will have towards recreational sport in the future. Is the Taoiseach correct that further funding will be made available or will it still be determined by the Sports Council?
The committee on arts, sport and tourism has discussed the issue of volunteerism. What can be done by the Minister's Department, the Sports Council and other organisations to revive volunteerism in Ireland? Nowadays, volunteerism is a major problem in every organisation. What can we do to reverse that trend? We spoke earlier about reversing a decision relating to the film industry. Given the number of sports involved in the Community Games, can an increased amount of funding be provided? This investment is important in fostering children's views on recreational sport. The funding situation might also increase the number of volunteers attached to the games.
I am a great fan of the Community Games. Unlikely as it might seem, as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform I was also involved in giving grant aid to the Community Games. Indeed, the current Minister today added to the funds which I, in that office, had allocated so between us we have allocated €800,000 to the Community Games at Mosney. The Taoiseach is correct that the amount allocated to the Community Games this year is the highest ever allocated by the Sports Council, at €250,000.
I will be looking at the newspapers in the next few weeks.
Volunteerism is an important issue. Few organisations of the country boast of a greater level of volunteerism than the Community Games. The men and women who volunteer to assist in sport are the true heroes and heroines of sport in Ireland. In that context, the Community Games movement has a registered adult volunteer complement of approximately 20,000 people and approximately 250,000 registered under 18 year old members. It has approximately 711 affiliated areas and, in 2005, the number of counties participating was 31. The sole exception was County Antrim.
With regard to volunteerism, the ESRI report prior to Christmas indicated that there are 400,000 volunteers in the country. That is a wonderful sign of how things are going in Ireland. In an age of materialism, the individual often transcends the community but in the case of these 400,000 people, the community clearly transcends the individual. The men and women who put up the nets, line the fields and put out the flags are the true heroes and heroines of Irish sport.
It is time we recognised the role of volunteers in sport. In that context, I am formulating plans to bring before Government with a view to examining whether we can create an appropriate awards scheme which would recognise not just the individuals concerned but also the individuals as representing the volunteers who give their time and effort to the children of the nation. These plans are well advanced and I hope to bring them to Government in the not too distant future so we can appropriately recognise the true heroes and heroines of Irish sport.
The Minister will be aware of the Oireachtas committee report on volunteerism which quantified the value of volunteers to the country. If they were to be replaced, it would cost the Exchequer approximately €250 million. That must make the case for additional funding. There is a great deal of burn-out among volunteers. People are getting frustrated because it is costing them a great deal of money and, to a greater extent, time. The perception is that the Community Games, which has been one of the most positive movements in sport in this country with the GAA, is being sidelined. Will the Minister make a commitment today that it will be top of his priorities?
The report on obesity was produced approximately six months ago. It stated that 300,000 young people in this country are either obese or overweight. The Community Games would be an important vehicle for ensuring that this rate of obesity, which will lead to major health problems, including type 2 diabetes which is now manifesting itself in young children, will not continue into the future. There are compelling reasons for investing in the Community Games. The money provided at present is inadequate, despite what the Taoiseach said. Will the Minister give a more firm commitment in this regard than he has given thus far?
The amount of money allocated to the Sports Council for 2006 is the highest ever, at €40.9 million. Clearly, this gives greater scope to the Sports Council to fund various non-governmental organisations and bodies in the State. The Community Games is one example. The organisation has received the highest amount ever. It is also welcome that the organisation has been greatly facilitated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the current Minister. In that context, a new contract for the use of Mosney was signed between Mosney Irish Holidays Limited and the Minister on 18 November 2004 to provide for the use of the facility at Mosney up to 5 June 2010. I greatly welcome that because this was one of the major concerns the organisation had when I was Minister in that Department. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and its various Ministers, including myself, have been as helpful as possible to the Community Games.
In the same way the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism has been hugely helpful to the organisation. Since 1999, the Irish Sports Council has funded the Community Games to the tune of €1,745,345. That is no mean achievement in the context of the funding that was available to the Sports Council over those years. The Sports Council decides how it will allocate its funding. I will bring to its attention what has been said by the Opposition Members today and see whether the council will, in its wisdom, decide to increase the funding even though the €250,000 for 2006 is the highest amount ever given. Some 500,000 youngsters are involved in the Community Games in any given year, which is a considerable number by any stretch of the imagination. I accept Deputy Deenihan's point that the games help to combat obesity and so on. The national Community Games are of immense importance. I acknowledge the role of Mr. Buggy, his officers, executive, volunteers and staff. Without the games, there is no question that Irish life and the children of the nation would be the poorer as a consequence.
I want the Community Games to continue to thrive and I want more young people involved in them. It is sometimes forgotten that some of our greatest sporting heroes began their sporting lives in the Community Games. Sportspersons like Sonia O'Sullivan, Eamon Coughlan, MichaelCarruth and Niall Quinn, to name but a few, started out with the Community Games. It is appropriate that we would continue to fund the games adequately.
37 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding his recent announcement that three new super-regions are to be created from existing rural tourism authorities to promote rural tourism; the efforts he is making to encourage more tourism to the regions; the amount of money to be allocated to fund new tourism initiatives in each of the new super-regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8180/06]
41 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his plans for the creation and funding of three new super-regions for tourism in this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8242/06]
61 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the position regarding the new €1 million innovation fund to support new developments and stimulate investment across the three new super-regions that have been created out of the existing rural tourism authorities; the precise schemes this money will be used to fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8185/06]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 37, 41 and 61 together.
Having good levels of tourism growth throughout the regions has become an increasing challenge for tourism policy. As a result, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have incorporated a strong regional focus in their current strategies. In this year's Estimates, I obtained substantial additional funding to help the agencies address this challenge. Last week, I attended the launch by Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland of a number of marketing initiatives — the super-regions initiative, the opportunities fund and the local area marketing fund — which are designed to help improve tourism growth throughout the regions.
The operation of these programmes is a day-to-day matter for the tourism agencies and the regional tourism authorities. Details on the local area fund are available on www.failteireland.ie and fuller information on the other programmes will emerge as the final details are agreed between the agencies, the regional tourism authorities and regional industry.
In case there is any confusion, let me be absolutely clear about last week's announcement in regard to the super-regions initiative. A super-region is a marketing concept, not an administrative structure. Therefore, the super-regions initiative is not about creating new structures at a regional level. It is purely a marketing initiative created by the tourism agencies and designed to present Ireland's regions more coherently to overseas consumers. I addressed the current state of play with regard to the restructuring of the regional tourism authorities in my earlier reply. The super-regions initiative will not impact on these structures.
At present, the country is divided into seven regional tourism structures for administrative purposes. These administrative divisions may not be optimum for marketing purposes overseas. Concepts like "Ireland west", "Ireland south" and "Ireland east" may have a greater chance of resonating with the foreign consumer than, for example, "Ireland south-east" or "midlands and east coast tourism". Basically, it is about making the marketing of regions simpler and, it is to be hoped, more effective.
From a policy perspective, I have long held the view that there is considerable scope for the existing tourism regions to work more closely together and to pool some of their marketing resources. The pooling of resources allows for campaigns with greater impact and also improves the chances of leveraging more funds from the industry, which is always desirable from an Exchequer perspective. Shannon, Ireland west and the north-west region could be said to have pioneered this concept last year when they came together to undertake a special strategic marketing initiative. The exposure and impact achieved by these three regions through pooling their funds and other resources far exceeded the sum of what they could have achieved individually.
It is important, however, that this initiative is not viewed in isolation but rather as one element of a much larger regional strategy being pursued by Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, several elements of which are designed to heighten the regional impact of Ireland's marketing activities both nationally and overseas. From the extra funding secured for tourism marketing, the agencies will maintain an opportunities fund of €1 million to allow them to respond to regional opportunities which may arise during the course of the year and which are not anticipated in current programmes. Fáilte Ireland is also introducing a new €1 million local area marketing fund to support the industry in generating additional business in 2006 and 2007. Full details of this fund, with application forms, are to be found on the Fáilte Ireland website.
Fáilte Ireland has an innovation fund of approximately €1 million, the immediate priority of which is to encourage innovation and investment across a range of new products with a strong emphasis on products designed to attract and hold visitors outside the mature urban tourism areas. Full details of this fund, with guidelinesand application forms, are to be found at www.failteireland.ie.
Apart from providing a policy impetus in addressing the regional issue, I have no role in the administration of the funds and initiatives, and neither I nor my Department decide on applications to be supported or the detailed content of relevant marketing programmes. On the basis that activities and attractions — things to do and see — are central to increasing visitor spend, Fáilte Ireland will continue to assist in product development, including developing and promoting looped walks, angling, festivals, cycling routes and equestrian, golfing and water-based activities.
As I stated in response to an earlier question, these initiatives are being taken against a backdrop of a restructuring and refocusing of the delivery of tourism at regional level that will effectively lead to the provision of a one-stop-shop for the tourism industry in the regions, with strong regional representation.
I agree with the idea of centralising, for want of a better description, the different regions. However, I cannot understand how Ireland east can include Dublin with the other counties. From a marketing perspective, if an overseas visitor receives a listing in regard to Dublin, the midlands, the east and counties Cavan and Monaghan, that visitor will focus on Dublin. We will not break down the barriers that have existed for the short-term visitor who believes Dublin is the place to visit, and counties such as Kildare and Wicklow will lose out given the proposed format.
I cannot believe that Dublin was not given a separate identity to the east region. If that were the case, we would have a level playing pitch for the east region. The midlands is suffering at present. Visitors know of the south and the west and simply travel through the midlands. Particular efforts to draw in visitors have been made in Kildare with regard to race meetings at Naas, the Curragh, the Punchestown festival and elsewhere. I agree with the new initiative because it reduces the number of tourism areas from eight but I cannot understand the logic of including Dublin with the rest of the eastern region. Dublin will be the central focus, which will reduce the impact of other areas in Leinster and counties Cavan and Monaghan in Ulster. Dublin should have been removed and an Ireland east region should have been created, separate from Dublin, to accompany Ireland west and Ireland south.
The current proposal will do nothing for the other counties in the eastern region. Given that only €1 million is to be provided and given the impetus of the Dublin area with regard to tourism, little funding will be left for the other areas, which include all of Leinster and Cavan and Monaghan. It does not seem logical to break down that amount of funding over such a large area. The focus of tourism seems to be on Dublin and the south and west. The midlands and the east coast counties of Wexford, Wicklow, Meath and Louth suffer accordingly.
The Minister said that the initiative is only a marketing concept and that the input of his Department is to provide funding to Fáilte Ireland. Does he not agree that the structure will do nothing to improve the focus on attracting tourists to the midlands, east coast and counties Cavan and Monaghan? Given the wide area involved, Dublin attracts most of the tourists at present. It has been said repeatedly in the House that we have not been able to draw tourists away from Dublin to the regions, which is why bed and breakfast accommodation providers are suffering. However, we are now placing them first in this regard. We put Dublin, the midlands, the east and Cavan and Monaghan after them. We did not even put them last, which might have given some context to the other areas. Can anything be done in this regard? Does the Minister agree Dublin should have been taken out of the super regions, leaving the other three regions to be funded accordingly?
The Deputy and I will need to agree to disagree. If I had taken Dublin out of the eastern region, I would have needed to ensure Dublin was marketed on its own. The market has completely changed. We now have cash-rich and time-poor visitors coming to Ireland. People are booking at shorter notice and coming for shorter breaks. I will deal specifically with the eastern region as requested by Deputy Wall. Dublin is the third most popular capital in terms of visitors. We have indications that it is becoming even more popular among visitors from the European Union and even beyond. I hope it will soon have a new conference centre resulting in additional visitors to Dublin.
Dublin is marketed with the east to ensure those interested in coming to Dublin are aware of an entire hinterland extending far beyond Dublin, which is of equal if not greater interest to a potential visitor depending on his or her preference. We are marketing not just Dublin, but the entire eastern region. To this extent the eastern region outside Dublin will have the advantage of benefiting from the attractiveness of Dublin. Equally visitors who may prefer to be predominantly in the countryside can decide to visit Dublin also, thereby benefiting Dublin. Dublin and the eastern region are marketed together to ensure they can gain a mutual benefit. People understand that they can compare and contrast and will have alternatives by coming to the eastern region. They can have an urban or rural experience or can have both.
It makes sense to promote the area as a region. In an international context we are seen as a very small dot on the periphery of Europe. Dividing the country into three super regions such as these makes perfect sense from a marketing perspective. Introducing super regions is not the only initiative. Fáilte Ireland is investing €60 million in promoting regional tourism in 2006. I believe this will be a record year for Irish tourism, all things being equal. I am interested in seeing a greater degree of equivalence between the regions and the sectors. In other words I want to see less disparity between the larger urban centres and the rural regions, which is best achieved by marketing each of the super regions individually to provide the contrast.
Like Deputy Wall, I have major concerns about marketing the eastern region together with Dublin. Given the Minister has agreed to disagree on that matter, I wish to place more emphasis on the midlands, an area of lakes, plains, rivers, mountains and bogs, which comes last in terms of tourism revenue and promotion even though it is one of the last remaining unspoilt regions in the country. All of a sudden the midlands have been swallowed into nothingness. In this context, how does the Minister plan to promote the midlands as opposed to the coastal region, if the midlands per se are not to be promoted?
Internationally it might make sense to spend €1 million changing the website and having nice glossy leaflets printed focusing on the southern region and referring to Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Kerry. While it might be acceptable for an American flying into Shannon Airport to think Gorey and Cahirciveen are twinned in some kind of cultural heritage, what about Irish people who remain a significant part of the tourism market? Will there be separate marketing of regions for Irish people or will we need to put up with the globalised system that throws in Wexford with Kerry, when as every Dub who goes to Courtown knows, there is a big difference between that area and Cork or Kerry? They should not necessarily be included in the same region.
The Minister mentioned the cash-rich and time-poor visitor. Without a proper public transport infrastructure, how is one supposed to get from Wexford to Kerry in any regional context? Given the location of Shannon Airport, it would make more sense to link Kerry with Limerick and Clare. As no rail network of any substance links the areas, people need to drive and it takes a long time to drive from Wexford town to Tralee. The Minister should ask his colleagues in Government to focus more on the product being delivered.
I had the privilege of going to Tralee for a Green Party national council meeting last Saturday. Owing to various delays, it took five hours to get down and the return journey took four and a half hours. To try to save time for everyone, I asked to be served eight slices of toast. The Irish person behind the counter said: "Get out of it. I'm too busy." He gave me half the amount. I gave him a €50 note and he looked at me. When I asked him what side of the bed he got out of, he said: "What's wrong with you? I'm doing you a favour". Meanwhile the Lithuanian or Latvian person serving from the trolley was the epitome of politeness and courtesy. While much remains to be done in upgrading our network so visitors can get to the regions, much needs to be done in educating and training our staff so the traditional Irish welcome, which is part of what we are, can be maintained. Otherwise we will have nothing to market.
Would the Minister agree that while it is all very well to apply the bells and whistles and introduce new globalised southern and eastern regions, if the core product no longer remains it is not worth a damn?
The core product very much remains. Last night I presented the CIE Tours International awards and I could not believe the satisfaction ratings, with up to 96% of people saying they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their holiday in Ireland and that they would recommend Ireland to a friend. We have probably the best product in the world.
Regarding the regions and rural tourism, the object of the exercise is to get more people into the regions. We are involved in an aggressive marketing campaign of the regions concerned, emphasising their respective advantages and attractions.
Is this campaign also aimed at Irish people?
A very serious marketing campaign is ongoing in Ireland, which we are not ignoring. While foreign revenue generated as a result of tourism stands at €4.3 billion, revenue from Ireland was at its highest level last year at between €1.3 billion and €1.5 billion, which represents a very significant market. The significance of the Irish market is not lost on me. The Irish tourist, more than any other, tends to go to rural areas, which is why we are making sure we market Ireland within Ireland.
On the other measures that we are taking to ensure that such places as the midlands benefit from the record numbers of visitors, we asked PricewaterhouseCoopers, through Fáilte Ireland, to examine our structures. It did so and reported to us that the seven regional authorities were fine as administrative entities but that it would be necessary for them to become much more involved than at present. It explained that it was necessary for them to engage in product development, enterprise support and, crucially, targeted marketing. We intend to implement the PricewaterhouseCoopers recommendations and, in that context, Mr. Fergus Flood has been asked to chair an implementation group, which he is doing quite successfully.
Those recommendations should start to be acted on this summer. I am not saying that all the work will be completed this summer, but they should start to get rolled out then and be tangible so that the original tourism structures will be able to deliver what had been delivered mainly by Fáilte Ireland centrally. In short, we are doing everything possible to ensure that there is less disparity between the greater conurbations and the regions and less disparity within sectors, for example, the hotel and bed and breakfast sector.
38 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the progress made to date with regard to the Lansdowne Road stadium refurbishment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8260/06]
51 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his attention has been drawn to recent developments regarding the proposed redevelopment of Lansdowne Road, specifically concerning the dispute between Wanderers RFC and the IRFU regarding the demolitions and relocation of their pavilion during the construction of the new stadium; if he has met the IRFU to discuss this or any other matter regarding such potential difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8187/06]
53 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the progress regarding the Lansdowne Road stadium refurbishment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8264/06]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 51 and 53 together.
I refer the Deputies to my reply to a priority question earlier today about the progress on the Lansdowne Road stadium refurbishment project. I am aware of the issues in the dispute between the Irish Rugby Football Union and Wanderers Football Club, and that discussions have been taking place between the parties.
I have been informed by the IRFU that it has made what it considers a very fair and reasonable offer to the Wanderers club. That included provision for a replacement clubhouse within the grounds, a grant to improve the Wanderers clubhouse on Merrion Road, financial compensation for the loss of income over the period of reconstruction, additional tickets for future matches and an extension of the current licence agreement beyond 2007 for the lifespan of the new stadium.
Those are issues which, in the final analysis, must be resolved by the parties directly involved and I have no intention of intervening directly or indirectly in the dispute.
However, I am disappointed that this matter should have been permitted to enter the public domain at a time of particular sensitivity for the planning of the new stadium.
I am sure the Minister would agree that the company he has appointed to provide the new stadium should have reached agreement with Wanderers Football Club before it started planning. That would be a matter of courtesy. As we all recognise in the House, Wanderers is one of the oldest rugby clubs in Ireland. Its clubhouse is a feature of Lansdowne Road and a major attraction. It is very much part of the atmosphere and ambience of the stadium. It is obvious that it would demand guarantees regarding its future accommodation within the new stadium.
Even at this late stage, perhaps the Minister might insist that the company, which reports to him, ensure that a resolution is agreed between the board of Wanderers and the company rather than simply the IRFU. It is the company that is charged with providing the new stadium. The agreement must be reached as soon as possible. If it is a matter of ticket guarantees, let the issue be resolved, as I am sure it can be.
This stadium debacle has been going on for too long and the last thing we want is that the main tenant of the stadium, Wanderers, which has been there since 1922, even before the IRFU, should be embroiled in a planning permission battle with the company that could result in the question going to An Bord Pleanála. I would obviously be very concerned at any objection from Wanderers, perhaps even more so than at other objections. It is very important that this is resolved as soon as possible. Perhaps the Minister will request that the company ensure it happens.
Lansdowne Road is the oldest rugby stadium in the world, and Wanderers is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of rugby clubs in Ireland.
It is the fourth oldest.
It is particularly sad that agreement could not be reached between the IRFU and Wanderers, given the history of rugby in Ireland and the inextricable link between Wanderers and the IRFU. In that context, it is important to point out that the IRFU has been engaged in talks with Wanderers for over 14 months. The IRFU put before Wanderers what it considered a very fair offer. I have outlined what that offer comprises. I sincerely hope that differences can be resolved. The last thing that Lansdowne Road requires at present is a civil war.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
