Written Answers Nos 111-125
111. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he plans to introduce a new grant scheme for local authorities to fund the development of swimming pools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43468/26]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to implementing the first-ever National Swimming Strategy by investing in pools and swimming facilities allowing everyone an opportunity to swim.
The Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report, which was funded by my Department and published by Swim Ireland in December 2025, identified significant deficiencies in Ireland’s aquatic infrastructure and highlighted the need for urgent investment and strategic planning to ensure every Irish person has access to swimming facilities and the life-saving skill of swimming. Many of the gaps in terms of pool condition, supply, energy and sustainability can be addressed via future rounds of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) and the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The report is being examined by my Department and will be a key input to the future development of swimming pool facilities by enabling enhanced decision-making with regard to targeting investment more effectively.
Where opportunities arise, specific and targeted measures in addition to the two funding streams can be considered to lend impetus to delivery of the National Swimming Strategy.
I recently confirmed an additional €3.25 million in support to help progress the long-awaited Galway Regional Aquatic Project. The proposed allocation will close the remaining funding gap identified by Galway City Council, enabling the project to move toward the construction phase - subject to completion of due diligence, final business case approval and tender documentation.
To date, €297 million has been allocated under LSSIF including €44.65 million for swimming pool and aquatic infrastructure projects. With regards to a new round of LSSIF, the current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF and this process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round.
113. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport cén leasú teicniúil atá molta aige ar an mBille Craolacháin (Leasú) 2026, de réir an fhreagra a thug sé don Chomhchoiste um Ealaíona, na Meáin, Cumarsáid, Cultúr agus Spórt an 13 Feabhra 2026 ar mholadh 14 den Ghrinnscrúdú Réamhreachtach, chun smacht neamhspleách eagarthóireachta TG4 ar a sheirbhís nuachta a éascú, agus cén plean atá aige chun an smacht sin a thabhairt do TG4. [43463/26]
View answerMhol an Choimisiún um Thodhchaí na Meán (FOMC) gur cheart smacht eagarthóireachta neamhspleách a bheith ag TG4 ar a seirbhísí nuachta chun níos mó iolrachais i gclúdach nuachta a cheadú agus chun cur ar chumas TG4 seirbhís fheabhsaithe a chur ar fáil dá lucht éisteachta. Ghlac an Rialtas leis an moladh i bprionsabal.
D’fhonn an moladh seo a chur i bhfeidhm, tá Coimisiún na Meán ag obair leis an dá chraoltóir chun na roghanna féideartha a phlé maidir le smacht eagarthóireachta a chur ar fáil do TG4 ar bhealach costéifeachtach a fhreastalóidh ar lucht éisteachta.
An 30 Meitheamh 2025, chuir Coimisiún na Meán an t-athbhreithniú ar leordhóthanacht an mhaoinithe phoiblí do TG4 (‘an t-athbhreithniú 5 bliana’) isteach, a chlúdaíonn na blianta 2026 go 2027. Roimh chomhaontú idir RTÉ agus TG4, mhol Coimisiún na Meán go gcuirfí maoiniú ar fáil do TG4 in 2026 chun seirbhís nuachta digiteach neamhspleách a bhunú ar líne. Leag Coimisiún na Meán amach freisin go bhféadfadh sé maoiniú breise do TG4 a mholadh do 2027 i gcomhthéacs athbhreithniú bliantúil Choimisiún na Meán 2026 ar an gcraoltóir, atá dlite faoin 30 Meitheamh 2026.
Ina dhiaidh sin, i mBuiséad 2026, méadaíodh maoiniú do TG4 óna leibhéal REV2025 de €60 milliún go €65.4 milliún, méadú 9%, rud a éascóidh bunú seirbhís Nuachta dhigitigh. I mí na Nollag 2025 agus mar fhreagra ar athbhreithniú 5 bliana Choimisiún na Meán, leag an Rialtas amach, i leith Bhuiséad 2027, agus i gcomhthéacs na n-acmhainní Buiséadacha atá ar fáil, go gcuirfí san áireamh aon mholadh breise a dhéanfaidh Coimisiún na Meán maidir le rialú eagarthóireachta ar sheirbhísí nuachta Gaeilge.
Mar a léirigh mé i mo chomhfhreagras chuig Comhchoiste an Oireachtais um Ealaíona, na Meáin, Cumarsáid, Cultúr agus Spórt an 19 Bealtaine 2026, measaim gur féidir Moladh 14 den tuarascáil réamhreachtach ar an mBille Craolacháin (Leasú) a bhaint amach ar bhealach níos oiriúnaí ó thaobh riaracháin de tríd an rannpháirtíocht leanúnach idir RTÉ, TG4 agus Coimisiún na Meán.
115. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if two deployment areas under NBI will be ready to connect in 2026 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44568/26]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the Government initiative to deliver high-speed broadband to all premises in Ireland. In addition, Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy published in December 2022, sets out a number of targets including that all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028.
In the Deputy’s own county of Cork, a significant investment of €314 million is being made under the NBP. There are 62,575 premises passed with a high-speed fibre broadband network and 72,435 premises available to order/pre-order, with over 21,430 premises now connected. A further circa 20,425 premises in County Cork will be passed by NBI’s high speed fibre broadband by the end of the network deployment.
The National Broadband Ireland rollout will include Ballingeary (963 premises) and Carriganimmy (3,974 premises) Deployment Areas. Network build is in progress for both Deployment Areas and will be made available to order/passed in the period October 2026 to December 2026.
Further details are available on specific areas within County Cork and can be monitored via the National Broadband Ireland website. This website is regularly updated providing the expected timeline for delivery and status of any works that are initiated at any point in time. National Broadband Ireland also has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
Along with the NBP intervention plan, progress is being made by commercial operators in expanding their next generation networks throughout the country including the deputy’s own county of Cork ensuring the targets set out in the Digital Connectivity Strategy are achieved. These plans will see improved high speed broadband access across County Cork.
Based on current plans and achievements, the NBP is expected to come in on time and under budget with the main infrastructure build on schedule to be complete by end of 2026.
116. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the way in which he plans to address poor mobile phone signal in parts of County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44458/26]
View answer122. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the engagement his Department has had regarding mobile phone blackspots including the R336 Coast Road, Connemara, where coverage is very poor in Indreabhán and in An Spidéal areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44554/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 122 together.
While the Department has no role in developing county or locality-specific strategies for mobile coverage improvements, the Department’s Digital Connectivity Strategy published in 2022 sets ambitious targets for fixed and mobile connectivity. This Strategy is currently being updated.
In the liberalised and competitive Irish mobile telecoms market, network coverage is the responsibility of network operators, who operate on a commercial basis, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). These operators consistently prioritise improving their networks’ coverage. However, mobile service quality is not uniform in all areas as it must overcome varying challenges such as different geographical terrains, varying physical and natural obstructions as well as different user demands.
In 2023, ComReg completed a Multi-band Spectrum Award (MBSA2) to assign long term rights of use in four spectrum bands to enable operators to provide improved mobile services. The award of these MBSA2 licences represented a 46% increase in the harmonised spectrum assigned for the provision of wireless broadband services, including 4G and 5G, in Ireland and included significant coverage obligations for operators. Those licence obligations place a key focus on delivering improved coverage to population centres, rather than solely focusing on geographical coverage. They also focus on improving network coverage of the national primary road network.
ComReg confirms that call blocks, call drops, and network availability, on mobile networks, remain stable even with increasing traffic volumes. A call block is a call made to a number, but the call fails and does not connect; a call drop is an unexpected disconnection of an established phone call. ComReg is satisfied that mobile network operators are meeting their licence requirements over the whole network. It is expected that ComReg will conduct an assessment of operators’ compliance with their 3-year obligations under the MBSA2 licence this year.
Mobile networks operators continue to add new capacity to their networks using both their newly acquired radio spectrum and by upgrading the radio technologies on their networks.
Finally, ComReg updates its online national outdoor mobile coverage map at coveragemap.comreg.ie. This helps customers select the best service for them. Where customers experience poor coverage, they should contact the customer care team of their mobile phone operator to make a complaint. The complaint can then be escalated to ComReg if not resolved to the consumer's satisfaction within 10 days.
117. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether he is aware of changes to a summer sports programmes coach revenue assessments (details supplied); and the impact this is having on camps in Cork. [43415/26]
View answerIt is important to note that matters relating to taxation law, in general, are matters for the Minister for Finance and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.
I am aware of the impact on the sport sector of the 2023 judgement of the Supreme Court in the case of Revenue Commissioners v. Karshan (Midlands) Ltd. t/a Domino’s Pizza and the associated subsequent guidance from the Office of the Revenue Commissioners in relation to employment classification. This has had significant implications for the sports sector, which relies heavily on staffing delivered on a voluntary or quasi-voluntary basis. My Department has engaged with Sport Ireland, the Federation of Irish Sport and the Department of Finance in this regard.
The Minister for Finance has advised that the judgment of the Supreme Court has application across all sectors and the Office of Revenue Commissioners, in carrying out its statutory function, is obliged to apply the judgment and has no discretion on the matter. He also noted that neither he, nor Revenue, can make special arrangements for the sports sector. In light of this, I would advise all sports organisations to ensure that they are compliant with Revenue Guidance and to seek expert taxation advice if necessary.
118. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the current status of any application submitted in support of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France being considered for Counties Clare, Limerick and Galway, and the wider Wild Atlantic Way corridor; if any engagement has taken place with cycling and tourism bodies on the subject; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44128/26]
View answerThe Government continues to support the hosting of major sports events in Ireland and to explore further hosting opportunities. This was evidenced most recently by the Government’s successful delivery of the first-ever National Football League (NFL) regular season game at Croke Park in September last year which delivered a major economic boost to the country.
Upcoming major international sports events in Ireland include the Ryder Cup in 2027 in Adare and the co-hosting of the UEFA EURO 2028 football championship with the UK. The EURO 2028 event will see seven matches taking place in Dublin including a quarter-final.
In relation to the strategy to attract these events, a government policy and strategy framework for the hosting of Major International Sports Events was published in 2024. In implementing this policy framework, my Department works closely with a range of partners including National Governing Bodies, local authorities and other state agencies in evaluating and delivering the events.
Before my Department and Government commits public monies to supporting the hosting of a major sports event in Ireland, a significant range of factors needs to be taken into account. These factors include the projected cost to the State, the expected economic benefits accruing to the State, and the proposed event’s capacity to contribute to wider policy objectives, such as increasing physical activity and participation in sport.
In relation to the specific event referred to by the Deputy, my officials are currently engaging with Cycling Ireland on potential proposals for major cycling events. These discussions are at an early stage and any decision to provide Government support would need to be consistent with the framework and include an assessment of the economic, sporting and social impact of the events in question.
119. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the way in which the recommendations of the Youth Forum on Online Safety are expected to inform future Departmental policy development and regulatory practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44216/26]
View answerStrengthening online safety, particularly for children and young people, is a central priority for the upcoming Irish Presidency of the EU. As part of delivery on this priority, I want to listen to children and young people’s views on their experiences online and what they think can make a safer online world.
In this regard, on 2 June last, I convened a Youth Forum on Online Safety, which took place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. The Youth Forum brought together a diverse group of approximately 100 children and young people from across Ireland to discuss key aspects of online safety across five themes:
• Children’s and young people’s right to be heard, and their lived experiences online.
• Defining online safety through a child right’s lens.
• Children and young people as partners in designing safer digital spaces.
• Access, restrictions and the best interests of the child and young person.
• Equality, inclusion and diverse digital experiences.
My Department worked with the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) as lead delivery partner for the Youth Forum, where they brought their expertise in youth participation, safeguarding and data protection requirements to the planning and delivery of the Youth Forum. My Department also worked with Foróige, which recruited children and young people from across its nationwide network as participants for the consultation.
My Department also put in place a Youth Forum Working Group comprising OCO, Coimisiún na Meán, Foróige and representative organisations Webwise, Belong To, ISPCC, Irish Traveller Movement and Irish Heart Foundation, which advised and supported the Department, with several participants also recruited through many of these organisations.
A report on the findings from the Youth Forum will be submitted to me over the summer. We have important decisions to make on strengthening online safety for children and young people to ensure that they have childhood and teenage years where they feel safe online, and can build healthy connections with other children and young people and freely express themselves. That is why, as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the EU, I am advocating for a decision at EU level on a minimum age for accessing certain parts of the internet (the digital age of majority) to ensure a coherent approach across the EU.
It is important that we listen to and take account of the views of the young people themselves who will be most impacted by policy decisions and any regulatory measures introduced as part of our decision making processes, but also to get their views on their broader experiences online to help us better understand their experiences and inform our wider policy making in this critical area for the lives of our children and young people. I look forward to reviewing the report in due course.
120. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide funding towards the proposed major development of a stadium (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44570/26]
View answerThe Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was established under the National Sports Policy to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects.
€86.4 million was awarded in early 2020 to 33 different projects under the 2018 first round of the LSSIF with additional funding of €37.6 million allocated to 27 of these projects in December 2023, bringing the total awarded under LSSIF 2018 to €124 million.
Grants totalling €173 million, benefiting 35 individual projects were allocated under the second round of the LSSIF in 2024. With this announcement, the cumulative investment from the LSSIF since 2020 totals €297 million.
Kerry GAA was awarded €6 million under the 2024 round to assist with the development of Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney. As with all capital expenditure, each project must undergo a series of assessments as required by the Infrastructure Guidelines, set out by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. The project is currently being assessed by my Department for the first approval stage required under the guidelines.
121. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he has conducted any analysis of the consolidation of media in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43819/26]
View answerMedia plurality is reflected in both diversity of content and diversity of ownership. Part 3A of the Competition Act 2002 (as amended) provides important protections for media plurality in the State and sets out a framework for the assessment of media mergers.
As currently provided for, it is for the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, on a case-by-case basis, to make a determination as to whether a merger may be put into effect based on the likely effect of that merger on media plurality in the State.
Last year, six media mergers were notified to the Department and, in each case, I issued a determination that the merger should be allowed to proceed. In the interests of transparency, these determinations, and associated assessments, are published on my Department’s website.
Part 3A of the Act requires Coimisiún na Meán to prepare a report every three years analysing ownership and control arrangements of media businesses operating in the State, including any changes and their possible effect on media plurality in the State. These reports are published on my Department's website once they have been laid before the Oireachtas. The next report is currently being finalised and will be laid before the Oireachtas and published in the near future.
The reports draw on the Media Ownership database which catalogues the ownership and control of media businesses in the State. It is maintained by Dublin City University, funded by An Coimisiún, and available for access at www.mediaownership.ie.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Media Regulation Bill, which is currently before the Oireachtas, will amend the existing media mergers framework to implement the main provisions of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) in Irish law. Most notably, primary responsibility for media mergers will transfer from my Department to Coimisiún na Mean. It will also expand the scope of Coimisiún na Meán’s ownership and control reports which will help to place information on changes in ownership and control of media businesses in its proper context and to better understand its impact on media plurality in the State.
124. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his views on the merits of increasing targeted support for independent Irish language productions for both television and online streaming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43424/26]
View answerOur language is a cornerstone of our heritage and national identity, and it is a priority of this Government to ensure the continued and increased support of the Irish language across all media platforms. In line with Government policy, Coimisiún na Meán, the independent media regulator, administers funding and support for high-quality Irish language content.
In order for Irish language programming and Irish language journalism to grow, it is necessary that it is underpinned by a robust legislative framework. This applies not only to the public service media providers RTÉ and TG4, but also to public service content provision among the wider media sector.
Central to this commitment is the requirement under the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill that not less than 25% of funding made available in any scheme for the production of new public service content shall be made available for content in the Irish language. This will play an important role in promoting Irish language content across the media sector.
The Sound and Vision Scheme administered by Coimisiún na Meán currently provides significant support to Irish language productions. In 2025, approximately €5.4m was awarded to either Irish language or bi-lingual productions, representing 38% of all funding awarded that year. To date in 2026, €2.87m has been awarded to Irish language or bi-lingual productions, 45% of the total funding awarded. These allocations are significantly higher than the stated goal of Sound and Vision to allocate 20-25% of its funding to support the Irish language.
Coimisiún na Meán commissioned two pieces of research with regard to high-quality Irish language provision in media. The first is on the feasibility of an Irish language radio service aimed at young listeners. The second is an extensive review of the current provision of Irish language media, as recommended by the Report of the Future of Media Commission. The findings of both research pieces will inform a strategy and action plan that is currently being developed by Coimisiún na Meán’s new Irish Language Unit.
My Department is committed to working with Coimisiún na Meán and other stakeholders to further strengthening Irish language media in a sustainable way, particularly where there is a clear audience demand.
125. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to take into consideration the mitigating circumstances and expedite a passport application (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44788/26]
View answer
