Written Answers Nos. 121-140
121. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will outline the work her Department has carried out to increase cross Border tourism in 2022; if work is underway to market the Newry, Mourne, Gullion, Cooley, Dundalk areas as tourism destinations within Ireland’s ancient east; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8396/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2022, Tourism Ireland continued to promote the island of Ireland, in more than 21 markets overseas, as a compelling holiday destination. The €35 million increase to the Tourism Marketing Fund that I secured in Budget 2022 was instrumental in helping to restore inbound tourism to approximately 75% of 2019 levels.
As part of its marketing strategy, Tourism Ireland established a recovery framework which was underpinned by an extensive programme of promotional activity throughout 2022. The organisation rolled out a flexible, three-phase plan to RESTART, REBUILD and ultimately REDESIGN demand. Over €80 million was invested in the programme in 2022, which allowed Tourism Ireland to ramp up its campaigns in key international markets.
On 20 January 2022, I took part in a Shared Island Dialogue event hosted by the Department of the Taoiseach, which focused on all-island tourism. Over 160 tourism and civil society stakeholders from across the island joined the event online to discuss the success of tourism cooperation on the island of Ireland over the past 20 years and explore how best to enhance opportunities for domestic and international visitors in the years ahead. Over the course of the dialogue, a number of key themes emerged including the opportunity for greater alignment and linkages between tourism initiatives on the island and further developing on-island cross border tourism.
My Department also had extensive engagement with the Department of the Taoiseach regarding Shared Island funding, with the result that €7.6 million is being allocated for a new all-island tourism brand collaboration and marketing initiative, connecting the Causeway Coastal Route and the Wild Atlantic Way in the North West.
Throughout 2022, officials from my Department liaised with their counterparts in the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland via regular meetings and also quarterly operational meetings which also included Tourism Ireland.
My Department and both tourism agencies will continue to foster north-south co-operation to enhance an all-island tourism offering and grow international visitor numbers to the entire island.
With regard to marketing the specific areas to which the Deputy refers, Fáilte Ireland will continue to develop, support and promote tourism in all parts of Co. Louth within its Ireland’s Ancient East Experience Brand. Because Fáilte Ireland's remit does not extend to jurisdictions outside the State, it is not possible to include any part of Northern Ireland in the Ireland’s Ancient East experience brand.
122. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of sports organisations in County Carlow that are in receipt of the sports energy support scheme. [8408/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraSport 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. This includes the allocation of funding to the sporting organisations, across its various programmes. The Sports Energy Support Scheme (SESS) will support sporting organisations with the rising energy costs associated with the provision of sport, for example around increased indoor activity and the provision of outdoor floodlighting, with a particular emphasis on sports clubs with dedicated facilities. As the Scheme is being run by Sport Ireland, 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.
123. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a schedule of the non-commercial and semi-State commercial companies under his aegis; if an explanatory memorandum will be provided in respect of the policy of a dividend payment to the Exchequer from each company; the dividend paid by each company to the Exchequer for each year from 2000 to 2022; if his Department collects the funds and forwards it to the central fund or whether it goes directly; if, over that period, his Department has requested an increase in respect of the dividend due over its percentage shareholding; and the number of occasions that it waived the dividend. [7913/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of the Taoiseach has no non-commercial or semi-State commercial companies under its aegis.
124. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Taoiseach if he has received a request from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for properties under the control of his Department or under the control of agencies under the remit of his Department for the purposes of providing accommodation to international protection applicants or beneficiaries of temporary protection; and if he has identified potential properties and their locations. [8033/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is in regular contact with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth as part of its role in co-ordinating the humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine to ensure a joined-up approach to accommodation and services. All accommodation used by my Department and by the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), which is the only body under the aegis of my Department, is provided and managed by the Office of Public Works. All this accommodation is currently in use with nothing additional available for alternative purposes, so the Department did not receive a letter from the Minister on this matter.
125. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Taoiseach if he will provide a timeline for the establishment of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs and the timeline for the provision of its terms of reference to the Houses of the Oireachtas. [8160/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government agreed on 14 February to establish a Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use.
Motions are before the Dáil and Seanad this week to formally establish the Assembly which will likely commence in April and conclude its work by the end of the year.
126. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 by his Department and by agencies which operate under the remit of his Department. [8248/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish Sign Language Act 2017 provides that all public bodies should provide Irish Sign Language users with free interpretation when accessing or availing of statutory services.
While the Department of the Taoiseach nor the body under its aegis, the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), provides any such statutory services to members of the public, both have committed to providing competent ISL interpreters, where requested, for relevant interactions with members of the public who cannot hear or understand English or Irish.
The Department of the Taoiseach provides Irish Sign Language interpreters through the Government Information Service (GIS) for live press events held in Government Buildings.
127. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Taoiseach the amount expended on advertising and promotion in his Department and all agencies under the remit of his Department in 2022 and in January 2023. [8694/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of the Taoiseach incurred expenditure of €1,784,926 on advertising in 2022. This figure is provisional until the 2022 accounts are finalised.
The vast majority of that spend, amounting to €1,765,805, related to COVID-19 public information campaigns undertaken in the first half of 2022 as part of the Government’s coordinated approach to COVID-19 public health communications. The remainder relates to other advertising of Judicial and DPP appointments, state events, national weather events and a public survey relating to the Well-being Framework for Ireland.
The National Economic and Social Council, which is the only agency under the remit of the Department of the Taoiseach, recorded no expenditure on advertising or promotion in the period in question.
In addition, the Citizens’ Assemblies incurred expenditure of €43,754 in 2022 and €26,634 in January 2023 (payment related to services incurred in 2022) on public awareness of the Assembly's work and media outreach.
128. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Taoiseach the number of communications staff currently employed in his Department; the cost of these staff for 2022; and the expected cost for 2023. [8712/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile there are elements of communications to most policy roles in my Department, the Unit in my Department whose function relates to communications is the Government Information Service (GIS).
GIS includes the Government Press Office and the MerrionStreet.ie content team and works on a cross-functional and collaborative basis to:
- provide the Taoiseach, the Government and the Department with Press Office and Communications services;
- ensure strong collaboration and coordination among Press and Communications officials in other Government Departments and Agencies;
- coordinate, amplify and create communications around Government priorities such as Housing for All, Climate Action / Energy, Ukraine, Shared Island, Brexit, COVID-19 and the National Wellbeing Framework; and
- lead the development of Government communications, facilitate and encourage capacity-building in the area of communications and engagement across the civil and public service, and manage the “Government of Ireland” identity and unified web presence (www.gov.ie).
There are currently 18.6 posts in the division, the composition is outlined in the table below. The current rates for General Service Grades used by my Department are set out in Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 19/2022.
|
Salary Scale |
Number (Whole time equivalent) |
|
Principal Officer |
1 |
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
3.6 |
|
Administrative Officer / Higher Executive Officer (including Government Press Officers) |
9 |
|
Executive Officer |
4 |
|
Clerical Officer |
1 |
130. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach if he has any plans for reform of the Office of the Attorney General. [8779/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe role of the Attorney General, as provided for in the Constitution, is to advise the Government in matters of law and legal opinion.
The Attorney General’s Office provides a range of legal services to the Government and to Government Departments and Offices.
There are no plans at present for significant or fundamental reform of the Attorney General’s Office.
The Attorney General’s Office, just like other Departments and Offices, seeks to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. It embraces organisational change and development in order to meet the growing demands on its services.
131. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach the details of the supports that his Department has provided for Ukraine and for Ukrainian people since February 2022, whether in Ukraine or within the State; the number of people supported where relevant; and the estimated cost and value of the support where available [8875/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of the Taoiseach is ensuring effective co-ordination of our humanitarian response across all Government departments through the work of the Senior Officials Group. This is assisting the work of the Cabinet Committee on the Humanitarian Response to Ukraine, which I chair. I also have regular engagements with Ministers at Cabinet and individually to discuss matters of concern for their Departments.
Since the start of this war, more than 75,000 people arriving from Ukraine have availed of temporary protection in Ireland. To date, Ireland has accommodated over 78,000 people who have fled here, between international protection applicants currently in International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) accommodation, and those fleeing the war in Ukraine who have sought accommodation from the State.
Government is focused on managing ongoing pressures on accommodation and services, and significant capacity challenges in the face of continuing arrivals both from Ukraine and other countries.
Community Fora, set up by Local Authorities, are working effectively across the country, managing the response at the local level.
We’re also developing a more agile response to provide accommodation beyond the use of hotels and tourist accommodation.
We are accelerating the refurbished buildings programme, continuing the unoccupied homes campaign, as well as providing pledged accommodation and rapid-build homes on suitable sites.
The Government is keeping our response to all aspects of this humanitarian crisis, in particular accommodation options, under continuous review.
132. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Taoiseach the number of discrimination cases taken and won against his Department over the past ten years, under each of the grounds applicable, in tabular form. [8888/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraNo discrimination cases have been taken and won against the Department over the past ten years.
133. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if consideration will be given to working with construction firms to have AED equipment installed at large scale construction sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8100/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe availability of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public areas throughout the Country has increased in recent years with many local authorities and sports facilities taking the lead in installing these potentially life saving pieces of equipment. The provision of such equipment on a construction site, or any other place of work, would be categorised under the provision of first-aid. Provision of first-aid at a place of work is regulated by the provisions of Chapter 2 of Part 7: First-Aid of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 to 2021. Guidance on this statutory instrument, and its application, is available from the Health and Safety Authority.
The Health and Safety Authority works closely with all stakeholders involved in the construction industry primarily through the Construction Safety Partnership (CSPAC) which is an advisory committee to the Board of the Health and Safety Authority. Construction industry employers, worker and clients are all represented on this committee and throughout the year programs advocating safety matters in the construction sector are promoted through various media and other platforms .
I will ask the Health and Safety Authority to explore with the CSPAC how the availability of AED equipment on construction sites can be better promoted and supported across the construction sector.
134. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of businesses that have applied for assistance under stream 1 of the Ukraine enterprise crisis scheme to date, by county; the number of applications that have been successful, by county; the estimated value or worth of the support to date for each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8082/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Ukraine Enterprise Crisis Scheme which was launched in October 2022, the total number of completed applications received to date is nineteen. Fourteen of those applications were approved by Enterprise Ireland's Investment Committee.
The following table provides data on numbers of approved applications per County and the value of funding approved per County.
|
County |
Total Approved |
No of Companies |
|
Cavan |
147,000 |
1 |
|
Cork County |
156,000 |
1 |
|
Donegal |
500,000 |
1 |
|
Dublin |
422,042 |
2 |
|
Louth |
500,000 |
1 |
|
Mayo |
500,000 |
1 |
|
Meath |
109,000 |
1 |
|
Offaly |
500,000 |
1 |
|
Sligo |
329,330 |
2 |
|
Westmeath |
500,000 |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
228,836 |
2 |
|
Grand Total |
3,892,208 |
14 |
Approval was received by the EU Commission in December 2022 to augment the Scheme in line with the amended EU Temporary Crisis Framework. Sanction by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently awaited to implement the amended Scheme.
135. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of businesses that have applied for assistance under stream 2 of the Ukraine enterprise crisis scheme to date by county; the number of applications that have been successful by county; the estimated value or worth of the support to date for each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8083/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Stream 2 of the Ukraine Enterprise Crisis Scheme which was launched in October 2022, of the total number of 76 application packs issued by Enterprise Ireland, to date one application has been returned. The response to Stream 2 reflects that a significant number of companies requested application packs, but they have not yet been converted into application forms mainly due to companies reviewing their financial year and comparable energy costs over the eligible period.
Approval was received by the EU Commission in December 2022 to augment the Scheme in line with the amended EU Temporary Crisis Framework. Sanction by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently awaited to implement the amended Scheme.
136. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of businesses that have applied for loans under the Ukraine credit guarantee scheme to date, by county; the number of applications that have been successful, by county; the estimated value or worth of the loans to date for each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8085/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme (UCGS) is now available to businesses through Bank of Ireland (BOI). The Scheme will see up to €1.2 billion in lending to assist the liquidity needs of SMEs, farmers, fishers and small mid-caps. Increased energy costs are driving increased costs in every area of business operations. Viable businesses need access to cashflow funding to ensure they can continue to operate, pay their employees and pay their suppliers. This type of scheme provides access to low-cost loans to meet these liquidity needs.
The relevant amendments to the Credit Guarantee Act were enacted in December 2022. The Open Call to finance providers to participate closed on the 27th of January 2023. These applications are being assessed and due diligence carried out by an independent evaluation committee. To bring forward the availability of the scheme, I pre-allocated €100 million each to the largest SME finance providers, BOI and AIB. I was delighted to announce the deployment of the scheme by BOI on the 30th of January 2023. AIB will follow in the coming weeks.
The UCGS differs from the Covid Credit Guarantee Scheme in that a business can now check if they are eligible for the scheme through the online Hub of the operator, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland. This went live on the 27th of January 2023 and to date 245 successful applications have been completed with 88 applications in progress. This shows significant interest in the scheme by Irish SMEs. With the scheme only available for two weeks to the market through one lender, the figures of applications to the lender have been significant. As the scheme becomes established through multiple lenders, I will publish the monthly statistics, with breakdown by loan size, business size and by county on my Department’s website, as was done for the Covid Credit Guarantee Scheme.
137. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which the EU Digital Services Act requires online platforms and apps to compensate victims of financial fraud or authorised push payment scams through their platforms; its provisions in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8141/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraEU Regulation 2022/2065 on a Single Market for Digital Services, the "Digital Services Act", provides that recipients of an intermediary service shall have the right to seek, in accordance with Union and national law, compensation from the provider of that service. This right is tied to the circumstances where the damage or loss suffered is due to an infringement of the obligations under the Digital Services Act.
These obligations include a requirement on online marketplaces to obtain information, such as identity, business and payment account details from traders operating on their platform. This is intended to ensure that users of the service know who they are dealing with and who to pursue for appropriate redress. The Digital Services Act also provides that designated "very large" online platforms and search engines, that is those that have over 45 million users in the European Union, must conduct an assessment of the risks that may arise from the design or functioning of their systems and provide for the mitigation of risks identified. These risks must include risks as to the dissemination of illegal content which includes illegal services. There are also obligations as to transparency as to how a service provider's recommender systems work and a prohibition on targeting advertisements using profiling based on certain categories of personal data.
The obligations which the Digital Services Act provides, therefore, relate to the systems that intermediary service providers are required to have in place to combat illegal content, including illegal services, appearing online rather than directly providing for remedies for the harm that may be caused by a specific instance of illegal content.
The Digital Services Act also restates and builds on the liability regime which applies to intermediary service providers. The basic rule is that these providers are not responsible for illegal material appearing on their sites unless they are specifically aware of its illegality. The Digital Services Act amends this in two important ways. Providers will not now be liable for material on their site purely because they have taken voluntary, own initiative, steps to identify illegal material. This removes the disincentive which was attached to making such checks. The Act also provides that providers who are online marketplaces will be liable in respect of illegal goods and services where that provider has presented itself, either by the way it presents information or the way in which it provides for transactions to be concluded, in a way which would cause a reasonable buyer to assume that the online marketplace is the party the buyer is contracting with.
All together, these obligations are designed to improve transparency of online services and give users more control over the services they received.
The Digital Services Act comes into effect for the majority of intermediary service providers on 17 February 2024. However, very large online platforms must comply with requirements that apply to them from four months after they have been designated, which could be from as early as Q3 of this year.
138. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on the implementation of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 by his Department and by agencies which operate under the remit of his Department. [8237/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is fully committed to making services accessible to all, including ensuring that customers who wish to conduct their business using Irish Sign Language can do so. In this regard, the National Sign Language Interpreting Service for Ireland provides customers free access to an interpreter using a live video-link.
My Department is committed to monitoring the level of demand for services to be provided in Irish Sign Language on an ongoing basis and responding to those demands in a planned, coherent, and accessible way.
The provision of sign language interpreting services in the agencies under my Department is an individual operational matter for them, however my Department makes them aware of their obligations under the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 on a regular basis.
139. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of senior principal scientific officers and senior executive in global procurement working for Enterprise Ireland in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [8360/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Table below provides the relevant data sought on the number of senior principal scientific officers and senior executives in global procurement working for Enterprise Ireland in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023
|
- |
As at 1st July 2021 |
As at 1st July 2022 |
Current |
|
Senior Principal Scientific Officers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Senior Executive (Civil Service AP Equivalent) |
3 |
2 |
2 |
140. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his views on whether the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act 2021 should apply to tickets (details supplied), which sometimes run at up to six times the face value of the ticket, given that said package does not include any extras; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8372/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act 2021 regulates the secondary ticket market where tickets are resold after their original purchase from the primary ticket market and where tickets are more likely to be sold above their original sale price. In this case, secondary ticket sellers, who have no connection to the cultural, entertainment or sporting industry, are benefiting from resales.
The details supplied by the Deputy refer to tickets that are not resale tickets and are being sold for the first time. These tickets provide fans with access to the most in-demand tickets in a venue, i.e., premium seats for a popular event. This is common practice among business to sell tickets that are of premium value at a different price to those that are generally on sale. For instance, airlines and hotels offer seats or rooms respectively that are of a higher quality at a higher price. Buyers are aware in advance of making a booking of what is on offer and choose their purchase accordingly. These are the normal parameters of trade and are market driven, where buyers compete on a supply/demand basis. It would not be appropriate for the State to interfere in the market in this instance.
