Written Answers Nos. 294-314
296. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a list of the names of each special advisor employed by his Department since 2015, the relevant Minister they worked under and the date that their employment with the Department/Minister ceased where applicable. [51779/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that details on Special Advisers employed by the Department of Finance since 2015 are shown in the table below;
|
Name |
Minister |
Ceased |
|
Ms. Fiona O’Connor |
Minister Donohoe |
Incumbent |
|
Ms. Deborah Sweeney (temporarily on leave) |
Minister Donohoe |
Incumbent |
|
Mr. Aidan Murphy (temporary, acting capacity) |
Minister Donohoe |
Incumbent |
|
Mr. Aidan O’Connor |
Minister Fleming |
Incumbent |
|
Mr. Edward Brophy |
Minister Donohoe |
25-Jun-21 |
|
Mr. Sean Kinsella |
Minister Noonan |
14-Jun-17 |
|
Ms. Mary Kenny |
Minister Noonan |
14-Jun-17 |
|
Mr. Paul Bolger |
Minister Noonan |
22-Feb-16 |
|
Ms. Caroline Hofman |
Minister D'Arcy |
27-Jun-20 |
|
Mr. Barry Harrington |
Minister D'Arcy |
29-Apr-19 |
297. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 153 of 6 October 2022, his views on a matter (details supplied). [51824/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn Budget Day, I announced a €500 Rent Tax Credit which it is proposed will be claimable in respect of rent paid in 2022 and subsequent years to end-2025.
In answer to the Deputy's question, as I have indicated previously in my responses to Parliamentary Questions on this matter, I understand that licence arrangements may exist and that, in such circumstances, the licensee may be entitled to claim the proposed rent tax credit. However, I also indicated that it is intended that entitlement to the tax relief will be subject to compliance with a number of conditions.As the Deputy will be aware, it is intended to publish details of the tax credit in Finance Bill 2022 this coming Thursday, 20 October. I look forward to discussing the credit as well as other aspects of the Bill with members of the Oireachtas in the subsequent Finance Bill debates.
298. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Finance if it is in the spirit of the EWSS and TWSS given that it was to support business through the pandemic to have granted and then withdrawn from a company (details supplied) employing 12 staff in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the city and then demand the amount that was paid, back, thus undermining the future viability of the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51970/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra299. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Finance the merit of putting a start-up (details supplied), Ireland’s highest rated brewery, out of business when the brewery only commenced production on 7 November 2019, with the first product packaged for sale on 26 November 2019, over a technical argument over the EWSS and TWSS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51971/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra300. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to a company (details supplied) that commenced production as a new brewery business on 7 November 2019, once the Revenue Commissioners issued it its brewery licence and had its entire on-premise business closed for the majority of the pandemic when it only opened its manufacturing facility four months before the lockdown and should therefore fully qualify for the EWSS and TWSS which it received and which is now being demanded to be repaid. [51972/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra301. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Finance his views on a matter (details supplied). [51973/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 298, 299, 300 and 301 together.
Section 28B of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provides for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) which was an economy-wide enterprise support for eligible businesses in respect of eligible employees. The scheme closed with effect from 31 May 2022.
As the Deputy will be aware, eligibility to EWSS is based on the employer demonstrating that its business is likely to experience a 30% reduction in turnover or orders during a specific reference period and that this disruption to business is caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the business must also have tax clearance.
To qualify for the scheme as a New Business, an employer must have commenced to trade after 1 November 2019. I am advised by Revenue that the question of whether a business is commencing or is the continuation of an existing business is determined by the facts of each individual case. A substantial body of existing case law, in the wider tax context, exists on this issue and certain principles have been established. These established principles include whether the management and control, employees, activities, customer base, suppliers, and accounting systems of the business are substantially the same following any change in activity. I am advised by Revenue that, in this case, the employer registered and applied for the scheme as a New Business. However, on examination, Revenue considered that the business of the employer existed prior to 1 November 2019 and as such, actual turnover for 2019, i.e., 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019, instead of projections, was used to determine eligibility. Based on the information provided, the employer was advised that it did not meet the 30% reduction in turnover criteria and was therefore ineligible for EWSS.
I am further advised by Revenue that the employer in this case has exercised their rights under Revenue’s Complaint and Review Procedure and additional information has been sought from this employer as part of this process. Revenue will consider any additional information provided by the employer which they consider relevant to their claim.
302. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the number of tracker mortgage cases currently before the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, disaggregated by complaint stage, investigation, preliminary decision, final decision and appeal by respondent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52011/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) has advised that as at 14 October 2022, its office had 1,077 complaints on hand identified as being tracker mortgage interest rate related complaints. In 2022 to date, the FSPO has identified 113 new complaints as being tracker mortgage interest rate related; closed 172 tracker mortgage interest rate related complaints and re-opened 11 such complaints.
Tracker mortgage interest complaints will continue to account for a substantial proportion of the work of the FSPO, for some time to come, because in most tracker mortgage complaints, the respondent financial service providers continue to confirm that the complaints meet the time limit eligibility prescribed by section 51 of the governing legislation.
Of the 1,077 tracker mortgage interest rate complaints on hand, 104 complaints have been placed on hold. This can be for a number of reasons including where (i) the complaint may be impacted by the outcome of an ongoing statutory appeal or judicial review which arises in a similar matter, (ii) no action is appropriate pending the outcome of the Tracker mortgage Examination Independent Appeals Panel process, (iii) the outcome of external legal proceedings is awaited, or (iv) the hold is at the Complainant’s request for personal reasons.
Of the remaining 973 active tracker mortgage complaints on hand, the detail of their status is listed in the table below:
|
Complaint Stage |
Number |
|
Registration & Initial Assessment |
22 |
|
Dispute Resolution Service (Mediation) |
46 |
|
Formal Investigation |
251 |
|
Adjudication |
638 (This includes 25 where a Preliminary Decision has been issued to the parties, and an additional 145, where the preparation of the preliminary decision is at an advanced stage) |
|
Legal Review |
10 |
|
Appeal/Judicial Review |
6 |
As of 14 October 2022, there were 302 legally binding decisions relating to tracker mortgage complaints available on the FSPO’s Database of Decisions. Of these decisions 11 complaints were upheld; 12 were substantially upheld; 26 were partially upheld; and 253 were not upheld.
At the time of publication of the Digest of Tracker Mortgage Interest Rate Complaints in February 2020, the FSPO noted that it is likely that it will continue to be the case that a large number of complaints relating to tracker interest rates on mortgage loans will not be upheld, because for a person to have an entitlement to a particular tracker interest rate, there must be some contractual or other obligation on their bank entitling them to such a rate.
The FSPO has advised me that the data contained in this response is extracted from a live database and therefore depicts complaint information at a specific moment in time. Data in this database is subject to ongoing verification and data categorisation as the understanding of the specific complaint is developed.
303. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Finance the number of section 481 tax-relief claims that have been rejected on application stage in each of the years 2016 to 2020; the number of section 481 tax-relief claims that have been subsequently recovered with interest following inspection of the post-production compliance report; the total value of recovered claims in each of the years 2016 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52012/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the period of time covered by the Deputy’s question, two different certification mechanisms applied. It is necessary to summarise the two certification mechanisms to provide a comprehensive reply.
Prior to Finance Act 2018 a producer company would apply to Revenue for a certificate confirming that the production met the conditions set out for the scheme. The certificate was issued by Revenue, but both Revenue and the then Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht had specific responsibilities in relation to the certification process. The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht had regard for:
- The categories of film eligible for certification and;
- The contribution a film would make to either or both the development of the film industry in the State and the promotion and expression of Irish culture.
Revenue had responsibility for all other aspects of the project, including the financial aspects. Revenue did not issue a certificate unless they had received an authorisation from the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht that they were satisfied with the other aspects of the application. Therefore pre-Finance Act 2018, an application may have failed to be certified by Revenue or by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
As part of this old claiming mechanism, Revenue examined applications based on budgeted expenditure to certify the value of the initial 90% that could be claimed up-front. Upon completion of the film and receipt of the compliance report, Revenue conducted another full examination of the actual expenditure incurred before certifying the balancing 10% of the claim. This process meant that Revenue adjusted the value of the claim where it was incorrect. In this manner Revenue verified that the amount claimed was correct. Therefore there was no incorrect amount claimed to which interest and penalties could apply. I am advised by Revenue that from January 2016 to March 2019, 320 films applied to Revenue for certification and, of these, 19 did not continue to certification.
From January 2018 Revenue began tracking the level of ineligible expenditure which was included in the initial claim, but was excluded from the final claim following the examination by Revenue. By the end of May 2019, 75 compliance reports had been reviewed with combined gross eligible expenditure of €218 million, of which €2 million was deemed ineligible. This reduced the related film relief by €0.6 million. Information concerning applications to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in this period is outlined in the table at the end of this reply.
Finance Act 2018 split the certification process between Revenue and the now Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM). Production companies now claim the tax credit under the self-assessment system. This brings the credit within the normal penalty and prosecution provisions for incorrect claims.
Production companies must first apply to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for a cultural certificate. In order to be certified the production must pass ‘the Industry Development test’ and ‘the Culture test’. The requirements to pass these tests are clearly set out in DTCAGSM guidance. Therefore applicants are aware of the criteria which must be adhered to from the outset.
DTCAGSM perform an in-depth examination of each of the documents which are submitted as part of the application. Applications are assessed by one member of staff in DTCAGSM, reviewed by another member of the Department, and are finally approved at the Principal Officer grade.
If, at the stage of application for certification, an application does not meet the requirements of the relief, DTCAGSM engage with the production companies to advise as to why the application may have not met the standard required. This engagement can often lead to adjustments in the application.
For projects with eligible expenditure in excess of €2 million, Screen Ireland engage thoroughly with applicants to ensure they adhere to requirements concerning skills development and training. Any issues are identified and corrected to ensure adherence with the requirements of the relief. Within 6 months of completion of the project, applicants are required to submit a Quality Assurance Compliance Report to Screen Ireland. Evidence of compliance with all conditions is required, including evidence of skills development activity. The quantity of training and the budget expended in this regard should not be less than that which was proposed at application stage.
In consideration of the importance of Section 481 funding to productions, and the significant conditions attached to the relief, applicants aim to fully comply with these requirements from the outset. As production companies become familiar with the requirements of the relief, the quality of application improves. These factors reduce the number of applications which are rejected outright.
As stated above, prior to Finance Act 2018 an application had to be approved by both Revenue and DTCAGSM to be eligible for relief. The table below concerns applications to DTCAGSM only, it does not include those which were not certified by Revenue as part of the old certification mechanism.
|
Year |
No. of applications originally refused by DTCAGSM |
No. of applications deemed eligible following engagement by DTCAGSM |
Final no. of applications refused by DTCAGSM |
|
2016 |
15 |
13 |
2 |
|
2017 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
|
2018 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
2019 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
2020 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
304. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the report on the independent review of the allocation and utilisation of National Lottery funding. [51120/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Lottery is a significant asset which plays an important role in generating funds for Good Causes throughout Ireland and across a range of areas including sport and recreation, culture and heritage, community health, the arts, and youth affairs.
The National Lottery Fund transferred €289m to the Exchequer in 2021 which represents a significant 14% increase on 2020 and is a record, unprecedented figure under the license commenced by Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) in 2014.
Circa €6 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery commenced operations in 1987.
As agreed by Government, I commissioned an independent, external review to explore potential policy options to help provide a more transparent and effective model for distributing National Lottery. One of the key inputs to the report is a review and report on examples of systems used in other jurisdictions for the allocation of Lottery funding.
I believe that work on finalising and submitting the report is very close to completion and I understand that the report will be available for my consideration in the near future. I will bring the Report to Government and publish it thereafter.
305. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a list and status for OPW-owned and controlled properties in County Longford. [51127/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland that the following is a list of properties in County Longford that are in the ownership and management of the Office of Public Works.
|
Location |
Property |
Status |
|
Ardagh |
Former Garda Station |
Being prepared for disposal in 2023 |
|
Ballinalee |
Former Garda Station |
Being prepared for disposal in 2023 |
|
Ballymahon |
Garda Station |
Operational |
|
Drumlish |
Garda Station |
Operational |
|
Edgeworthstown |
Garda Station |
Operational |
|
Granard |
Garda Station and Residence |
Operational |
|
Kenagh |
Garda Station |
Operational |
|
Lanesborough |
Garda Station and Residence |
Operational |
|
Longford |
Government Offices |
Office |
|
Longford |
Garda Station |
Operational |
|
Longford |
Circuit Court Offices |
Office |
|
Longford |
Prison Service Headquarters |
Office |
|
Longford |
Educational Training Board |
Office |
|
Smear |
Garda Station + Residence |
Operational |
The following is a list of National Monuments and a Visitor Centre in the management and care of the Office of Public Works.
|
Location |
Property |
Status |
|
Aghaward |
Ringfort |
National Monument |
|
Granard |
Motte and Bailey |
National Monument |
|
Inchcleraun |
Early Monastery |
National Monument |
|
Kenagh |
Corlea Trackway |
Visitor Centre |
|
Larkfield |
Ringfort |
National Monument |
|
Sonnagh |
Ringfort |
National Monument |
306. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the former Garda station in Ardagh, County Longford (details supplied). [51128/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility on behalf of the State for managing and maintaining a substantial and complex estate - comprising approximately 2,500 properties. This extensive and diverse portfolio of State properties extends from Leinster House to Skellig Michael and includes office accommodation for all Government Departments, the property estate for An Garda Síochána and numerous properties for many State Agencies. I am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that all surplus properties, including the former Garda station property at Ardagh, Co. Longford are treated in line with the disposal policy of the Office of Public Works (OPW).
The OPW policy with regard to non-operational (vacant) State property is to:
1. Identify if the property is required/suitable for alternative State use by either Government departments or the wider public sector.
2. If there is no other State use identified for a property, the OPW will then consider disposing of the property on the open market if and when conditions prevail, in order to generate revenue for the Exchequer.
3. If no State requirement is identified or if a decision is taken not to dispose of a particular property, the OPW may consider community involvement (subject to detailed written submission, which would indicate that the community/voluntary group has the means to insure, maintain and manage the property and that there are no ongoing costs for the Exchequer).
When a property is deemed surplus to the requirements of the Commissioners, the OPW notifies all relevant stakeholders as part of the OPW policy on the disposal of surplus assets. This includes notifying the Land Development Agency and the relevant local authorities who may be interested in acquiring the property for housing purposes.
In line with the above policy, the OPW has sought alternative State use for the property in Ardagh, Co Longford. To date no State requirement has been identified. The OPW is therefore proceeding with preparing the property for disposal on the open market during 2023.
307. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total spend by his Department and the agencies under his remit on cybersecurity measures since 2019 to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51178/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor operational and security reasons, my Department is advised by the National Cyber Security Centre not to disclose details of systems and processes which could in any way compromise the Department's cybersecurity efforts. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose any information which might assist criminals to identify potential vulnerabilities in cybersecurity arrangements in my Department or the bodies under its aegis. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the particular information requested by the Deputy or any information in relation to cyber security tools and services or operational security matters.
308. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the proportion of his Department’s IT data that is stored in the cloud; the proportion of the data held by all agencies and subsidiaries of his Department in the cloud; if this represents an improvement; if so, the development that has been made towards cloud storage since 2019 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51202/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), which is a division of my Department, produced a Cloud Computing Advice Note for public bodies in October 2019. This moved the debate on the use of cloud from whether we should use it to what, how and when we should move to the cloud.
My Department has taken its own advice in this regard and now makes extensive use of cloud. My Department’s focus is on using the cloud to deliver efficient digital services rather than using cloud for the storage of data, in line with data protection guidance. Accordingly, providing the Deputy with a proportion figure on data held in the cloud for my Department is not fully reflective of the extensive use the Department makes of cloud services as the majority of the data that is processed via cloud services is not stored in the cloud. Over the last three years, my Department has used cloud services to deliver significant public facing services including the COVID Tracker App, the EU Digital COVID Certificate and the electronic Passenger Locator Form, as well as Public Service facing applications including the recently launched Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management application. Furthermore, my Department uses cloud services to implement the gov.ie platform which is the primary source of government information for members of the public.
The position regarding the bodies under the aegis of my Department is set out below.
|
Public Body |
Cloud storage data (approximate figure) |
Progress since 2019 |
|
Office of Public Works (OPW) |
33% |
The OPW has moved data on a daily basis to the cloud since 2020. Since 2019, the OPW’s Building Fabric helpdesk, M&E helpdesk, and Property Management operations have been migrated to a cloud-based IWMS system. In addition, a new cloud based Intranet and employee engagement platform was implemented in 2021 and migration of email archive to cloud service in 2022. |
|
National Shared Services Office (NSSO) |
1% |
The NSSO has moved to adopted cloud based collaboration tools and has also augmented its systems resilience and robustness by utilising cloud technologies. The NSSO is actively looking at ways to exploit cloud technologies to enhance its operations. |
|
Public Appointments Service (PAS) |
85% |
Since 2019, PAS has moved backups, email and one SIEM solution to the cloud. |
|
Office of the Ombudsman |
12% |
Further use of cloud technology is planned by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2023. |
|
Office of the National Lottery Regulator (ORNL) |
34% |
In 2019, the ORNL did not use Cloud technology. However, significant progress has been made in the following years. The ORNL will continue to utilise this technology were appropriate. |
*The State Laboratory does not use store data on cloud technologies.
309. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the names of all special advisors working in his Department; the Minister and Junior Minister who each advisor is associated with and their respective salaries, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51261/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSpecial Advisers to Ministers and Ministers of State may be appointed by Government in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997.
The terms approved by Government for the appointment of Special Advisers are set out in the “Instructions to HR Managers on Ministerial Appointments for the 33rd Dáil” published by my Department.
My Department maintains a Listing of Special Advisers to the 33rd Dáil once their statutory appointment has fully concluded and is notified to my officials. This includes details of individual advisers, the Minister or Minister of State to whom they are assigned, their respective date of appointment, salary scale and starting rate of pay at the time of their appointment. This Listing is updated to reflect periodic changes and is published on gov.ie at www.gov.ie/en/publication/9ad159-special-advisers-pay/
The details requested by the Deputy on Special Advisers in my Department are shown in the table below.
|
Minister |
Special Adviser |
Special Adviser Salary |
|
Michael McGrath |
Kevin Barrett |
€106,518 |
|
Michael McGrath |
Grant Sweetnam |
€99,354 |
310. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the Office of Public Works has concluded phase 1 works at the National Monument located on 14 to 17 Moore Street, Dublin 1; if the OPW expert technical team and external technical services teams have been formally appointed; the amount of funding allocated in Budget 2023 to the project; and if design preparation works have begun. [51388/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn pursuit of the Government’s decision on the matter, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has engaged with the project to conserve the National Monument at 14 – 17 Moore St and present it to the visiting public together with appropriate historical interpretation and exhibition.
The supporting building technical team has been identified and terms of service have been set out; a formal appointment of the individual team members is expected shortly. Immediately thereafter, the team will review all of the designs and assessments that have been undertaken to date prior to the cessation of works in 2015 and will confirm that they are still valid and in accordance with current building standards or if they need any amendment. Additionally, OPW expects to advertise a public tender for the provision of interpretation design consultancy services to work in tandem with the building team as the design progresses.
The first stage of the project onsite will involve carefully addressing the structure and performing certain engineering works to stabilise these quite fragile buildings and create the platform for the provision of the proposed 1916 Commemorative Centre within them as a second stage.
Specific financial allocations for 2023 have not been determined as yet; however, the project’s financial parameters will become clearer when the Design Team complete their initial assessment. Drawdown from the combined approved Urban Regeneration and Development Fund allocation of €12.17 million and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s match funding will be available to OPW as required when works commence onsite.
311. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a list of the names of each special advisor employed by his Department since 2015, the relevant Minister they worked under and the date that their employment with the Department/Minister ceased where applicable. [51785/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe details requested by the Deputy on Special Advisers employed by my Department since 2015 are shown in the table below:
|
Special Adviser |
Minister |
Date of Cessation of Special Adviser Employment with my Department |
|
Ronan O’Brien |
Brendan Howlin |
06 May 2016 |
|
Anne Byrne Magner |
Brendan Howlin |
06 May 2016 |
|
Stephen Lynam |
Paschal Donohoe |
16 March 2018 |
|
Niamh Callaghan |
Paschal Donohoe |
04 November 2019 |
|
Deborah Sweeney |
Paschal Donohoe |
27 June 2020 |
|
Grant Sweetnam |
Michael McGrath |
n/a |
|
Kevin Barrett |
Michael McGrath |
n/a |
312. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the OPW will fund the purchase of defibrillator and cover the costs of the training of the usage of defibrillator by OPW staff based in Maynooth Castle. [51857/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe OPW is continuing to review the feasibility of installing defibrillators at heritage sites across the country, including at Maynooth Castle. In the interim, the Deputy might be interested to know that a defibrillator has been installed in the Gate Lodge at Maynooth University (South Campus), which is situated immediately adjacent to the Castle main entrance.
313. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when she will reply to this Deputy’s correspondence of 4 October 2022 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51123/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAwaiting reply from Department .
314. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the details of any engagement she has had with an organisation (details supplied) on foot of recent allegations of competition fixing at Irish dancing events; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51165/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the first instance, I will put on record that there is no funding regulatory or accreditation role by me as Minister or by my Department or its agencies and the organisation to which the Deputy refers.
I did, however, write to the organisation in question to seek assurances that it is taking timely and transparent steps to restore confidence that fairness is at the heart of all of their competitions to reassure the many families around Ireland and further afield that have a love for Irish dancing.
The organisation has replied advising that it is undertaking an investigation and that, to ensure transparency, the procedures are being overseen by an external independent individual. The organisation has further advised that this process, in accordance with its disciplinary procedure, is ongoing.
