Departmental Bodies

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

Questions (680)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

680. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide details of all active interdepartmental, interagency, and department-agency working groups organised under his remit. [10150/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport

The details sought by the Deputy in respect of all active interdepartmental, interagency, and department-agency working groups organised under the remit of my Department are set out in the table below.

Culture
Working Group	Detail of working group’s purpose / work
Advisory Committee on the Restitution and Repatriation of Cultural Heritage	Established in 2023 to advise the Government on matters relating to the restitution of historically and culturally sensitive objects in Ireland and to develop a national policy framework for the restitution of objects in Ireland that may have been illegally or unethically obtained or traded.
Basic Income Consultation Group and BIA Steering Group	To share research findings and discuss policy proposals relating the Basic Income for the Arts.
Commemorations Advisory Committee	To provide independent and expert advice to the State on commemorative matters.
Creative Careers Steering Group	To implement an initiative concerning the promotion of careers in cultural and creative industries for young people.
Creative Youth and ESRI Research Steering Group	To deliver the Joint Research Programme Agreement on Children and Young People’s Engagement in Creative and Cultural Activities.
Creative Youth Working Group	To implement the Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027.
Culture Ireland Advisory Committee	To make recommendations to the Minister on funding by Culture Ireland.
Digital Creative Industries Forum	Jointly chaired by the Department and DETE to oversee the implementation of the Digital Creative Industries Roadmap.
EU Presidency Culture Programme - Interagency Group	To oversee the planning and delivery of the EU Presidency Culture Programme.
National Creative Arts & Health Working Group National Creative Arts & Health Steering Group	The Working Group reports to the National Creative Arts & Health Steering Group, consisting of senior managers in the Department and the Department of Health, the Arts Council and the Health Services Executive. The Working Group drives delivery of the National Creative Arts and Health Strategic-Action-Plan. The vision of the group is that people living in Ireland have access to creative and cultural activity as part of an holistic health journey throughout the life course, supporting better health and wellbeing outcomes and enriching the creative and artistic landscape.
National Famine Commemoration Committee	The Committee, chaired by the Minister, is responsible for assisting with the appropriate arrangements of both the National Famine Commemoration and International Famine Commemoration.
Night-Time Economy Implementation Group	To oversee the progression and completion of the actions contained in the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce.

Communications
Working Group	Detail of working group’s purpose / work
Copper Switch Off Working Group	To facilitate co-operation and liaison between the Department and ComReg in relation to the transition from copper to modern infrastructure. The group will focus on identifying any potential challenges and assist in the development of mitigation strategies to minimise any potential impact of the switch off of copper services on consumers and businesses, taking account of ComReg’s role with ComReg Decision D09/23 and Guidelines 24/76.
Digital Hub Development Agency (DHDA) property working group	To examine the option for Dublin City Council to take DHDA properties not being acquired by the Land Development Agency.
eIDAS Steering Group	To advance the legislation to give full effect to (the eIDAS) Regulation 2024/1183.
Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) Emergency Services Forum	This Forum acts as the Project Board for the ECAS and is chaired by the Department. It consists of representatives of An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service, the Fire Service, the Irish Coast Guard, the Irish Aviation Authority, the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage and the ECAS. Its role is to act as an advisory board and advise the Minister for Culture, Communications & Sport on the management of the Emergency Call Answering Service.
Gigabit Infrastructure Act Bilateral Working Group	To facilitate co-operation and liaison between the Department and ComReg in relation to the discharge of ComReg’s and the Department’s potential roles and responsibilities in relation to a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on measures to reduce the cost of deploying gigabit electronic communications networks, the Gigabit Infrastructure Act.
National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) Portfolio Steering Group	Established in 2025 to provide oversight of steps required to designate an operator of the NDRC portfolio when the services contract ends in December 2026.
National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) Sponsors’ Group	To discuss developments in the wider ecosystem within which NDRC operates, ensuring strategic alignment of the NDRC project within the wider set of business supports and activities.
Telecommunications Resilience and Response Group (T-RRG)	The T-RRG is made up of voluntary representatives from Government – D/CCS, OGCIO, ComReg, OEP, and qualifying industry and operators. The purpose of the T-RRG is to: * promote resilience and high availability of Irelands telecommunications infrastructure and * provide a coordinated sectoral emergency response capability.
USO Working Group	To facilitate co-operation and liaison in relation to the discharge of the respective ComReg and Ministerial roles and responsibilities, in relation to Universal Service, and as set out in the S.I. No. 444 of 2022, and the Framework Agreement governing this engagement between ComReg and the Minister.

Sport
Working Group	Detail of working group’s purpose / work
Ryder Cup Government Steering Group	To aid the successful delivery of the 2027 Ryder Cup and the provision of a legacy for Limerick and Ireland.
The Open Championships Government Steering Group	To assess the feasibility of hosting The Open Championship events (both men & women’s Championships) and to identify required inputs across Government for the event, explore potential benefits for all sectors and advance planning to maximise legacy.
The National Physical Activity Plan Implementation Group (co-chaired with Department of Health)	To develop and monitor coherent policies across a range of Government Departments and Agencies with policy responsibilities relevant to the promotion of physical activity.

Media
Working Group	Detail of working group’s purpose / work
National Counter Disinformation Strategy Implementation Steering Committee	To drive the implementation of the National Counter Disinformation Strategy and to review progress periodically. Terms of reference available [here].
National Counter Disinformation Strategy Implementation Coordination Group	To support the work of the Steering Committee by sharing insights, ideas and updates; to consult and be consulted on counter disinformation initiatives and to provide updates on progress on the Strategy, as appropriate for individual members. Terms of Reference available [here].
Technical Working Group on the Reform and Enhancement of the Television Licence	To develop proposals for the implementation of improvements in collection and compliance of the TV licence to maximise revenue generation.

Corporate
Working Group	Detail of working group’s purpose / work
Departmental Monitoring Committee established under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005	To monitor, in consultation with the National Disability Authority, the compliance of public bodies under their department's remit with Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005. Committee is chaired by the Department and includes representatives from both the Department and bodies under the Department’s aegis.