Thursday, 6 Feb 2025

Written Answers Nos. 105-122

• Díospóireachtaí
• Aimsigh díospóireacht
  • Díospóireachtaí na Dála
  • Díospóireachtaí an tSeanaid
  • Díospóireachtaí Coiste
• Aimsigh vótáil
  • Vótálacha na Dála
  • Vótálacha an tSeanaid
  • Vótálacha Coiste
• Ceisteanna Parlaiminte
  • Ceisteanna scríofa
  • Ceisteanna ó bhéal
• Leideanna cuardaigh
• Nuair a bhíonn tionchar tromchúiseach ag aithrisí

Caiteachas Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta

Ceisteanna (109)

Conor D. McGuinness

Ceist:

109. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Conor D. McGuinness den Aire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán an bhfuil sé ar an eolas faoin easpa oifige poist i nGaeltacht na nDéise le nach mór bliain anuas – an tseirbhís stáit dheireanach a bhí ar fáil sa cheantar Gaeltachta sin; an dtabharfaidh sé cead d’Údarás na Gaeltachta maoiniú nó infheistíocht a chur ar fáil chun tacú le saincheadúnaí dul i ngleic leis na constaicí airgeadais a bhaineann leis an tseirbhís a chur ar fáil; an mbuailfidh sé leis an Aire Comhshaoil, Aeráide agus Cumarsáide chun réiteach a fháil ar an tsaincheist seo; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [3614/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Níor mhór a nótáil gur saincheisteanna oibriúcháin do An Post iad ceisteanna a bhaineann leis an ngréasán poist.

Tuigim ó Údarás na Gaeltachta go bhfuil scrúdú déanta ar an bhféidearthacht a bhaineann le tacaíocht a thabhairt d'aon mhiondíoltóir a bheartaíonn an tseirbhís poist a sholáthar ar son An Post i nGaeltacht na nDéise, ach ní shásódh a leithéid de thionscadal na ceanglais incháilitheachta d'aon cheann de na scéimeanna reatha atá á reáchtáil ag an eagraíocht.

Foras na Gaeilge

Ceisteanna (110)

Conor D. McGuinness

Ceist:

110. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Conor D. McGuinness den Aire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán an bhfuil sé ar an eolas faoin gcruachás ina bhfuil Foras na Gaeilge de dheasca easpa maoinithe; an bhfuil aon phlean aige chun dul i ngleic leis an nganntanas airgid atá ag cur scéimeanna Gaeilge i mbaol ar fud na tíre; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [3615/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Is í an Chomhairle Aireachta Thuaidh-Theas (CATT) a cheadaíonn maoiniú reatha don Fhoras Teanga Thuaidh-Theas, Foras na Gaeilge san áireamh.

Cuireann mo Roinn 75% de bhuiséad ceadaithe Fhoras na Gaeilge ar fáil go bliantúil, leis an 25% eile ag teacht ó Roinn Pobal Tuaisceart Éireann, de réir an cóimheas maoinithe a aontaíodh nuair a bunaíodh an Foras Teanga.

Cé go bhfuil airgead breise ar fáil i mbuiséad mo Roinne le blianta beaga anuas, 2025 san áireamh, is gá cómhaoiniú de réir an cóimheas maoinithe a bheith ar fáil ón Roinn Pobal, Tuaisceart Éireann, sular féidir aon ardú a chur ar bhuiséad an Fhorais.

Tá ceist mhaoinithe na bhForas Fhorfheidhmithe Thuaidh Theas á plé ag na Ranna uarraíochta agus na Ranna Airgeadais sa dá dhlínse agus níl cinneadh deiridh déanta maidir le buiséad 2025, a bheidh le cur faoi bhráid an chéad chruinniú eile den Chomhairle Aireachta Thuaidh-Theas.

I bhfianaise na ndeacrachtaí atá sonraithe thuas, tá socraithe déanta ag mo Roinn infheistíocht uilebhliantúil suntasach a dhéanamh i dtionscnaimh ar leith de chuid an Fhorais agus a chuid ceanneagraíochtaí le blianta beaga anuas ar mhaithe le cuidiú leis an earnáil dul i ngleic leis na dúshláin airgeadais seo. San áireamh anseo, tá mar shampla:

- Clár na Leabhar Gaeilge agus forbairt foclóirí nua de chuid an Fhorais;

- Scéim Gaelbhratach de chuid Gael Linn;

- Scéim Teanga Tí, Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonnchadha agus Gradam Gnó na Gaeilge de chuid Ghlór nan Gael;

- Scéim Spreagadh na Gaeilge, Seó Bóthair agus an Clár Céad Míle Fáilte de chuid Chonradh na Gaeilge;

- maoiniú don eagraíocht Ghaeloideachas chun earnáil an luathoideachais a fhorbairt; agus,

- maoiniú suntasach d’Oireachtas na Gaeilge chun na healaíona teangabhunaithe agus Gréasán Gaeilge na Seirbhíse Phoiblí a fhorbairt.

Sna seachtainí romhainn, leanfaidh oifigigh mo Roinne ag plé na ceiste seo lena gcomhghleacaithe sa Roinn Pobal ó thuaidh féachaint chun buiséad aontaithe an Fhorais Teanga a chur faoi bhráid na Comhairle Aireachta Thuaidh Theas.

Tourism Promotion

Ceisteanna (111)

Alan Kelly

Ceist:

111. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the capital budget allocation for Fáilte Ireland in the years of 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form. [3765/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

The total capital allocation for Fáilte Ireland for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, as laid out in the Revised Estimates, is as follows:

Year	Fáilte Ireland: Capital Allocation
	€000
2023	44,050
2024	41,922
2025	62,165

The Revised Estimates for each year are published on the Gov.ie website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/e20037-revised-estimates/

Tourism Promotion

Ceisteanna (112)

Alan Kelly

Ceist:

112. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of current Fáilte Ireland board members who are directors or shareholders in companies that have received finance, grants and other support from Fáilte Ireland. [3767/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

My role and that of my Department in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy development and in securing resources to assist the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, in implementing that policy.

The matter raised is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. Accordingly, I have referred this question to that agency for a direct response to the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

A referred reply was forwarded to the Deputy under Standing Orders.

Tourism Policy

Ceisteanna (113)

James O'Connor

Ceist:

113. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if he will provide an update on a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3913/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

The Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy development and in securing resources to assist the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, in implementing that policy.

The matter raised is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. Accordingly, I have referred this question to that agency for a direct response to the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

A referred reply was forwarded to the Deputy under Standing Orders.

Sports Funding

Ceisteanna (114)

Conor D. McGuinness

Ceist:

114. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the funding schemes available to support soccer clubs (details supplied) to improve their facilities. [3610/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

My Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF), and soccer clubs can apply for funding under either programme, when open, dependent on the scale and scope of funding sought.

Cumulative investment from the LSSIF since 2020 now stands at €297 million, while over a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 under the latest round of the CSFF. This funding represents the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland.

In line with previous rounds of the CSFF a review of the current funding round will be undertaken and that review will inform the details of the next round.

Arts Council

Ceisteanna (115)

Conor D. McGuinness

Ceist:

115. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the proportion of An Chomhairle Ealaíon funding awarded to Irish language projects in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3611/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

In 2024, An Chomhairle Ealaíon awarded €2,226,481 to Irish language projects. The Arts Council also funds other organisations which would have supported Irish language projects in 2024, for example Axis Ballymun, The Irish Writers Centre and Earagail Arts Festival to name but a few.

I would also like to note that Ealaín na Gaeltachta Teo. is a joint venture between Údarás na Gaeltachta and the Arts Council which promotes the development of the contemporary and the traditional arts in the Gaeltacht. Ealaín na Gaeltachta provides services and grant schemes that support the development of arts organisations and individual artists. They also support training and mentoring support, as well as supporting initiatives that help build the capacity of and infrastructure for the arts in the Gaeltacht. Further information on Ealaín na Gaeltachta can be found at https://ealain.ie/en/.

Media Sector

Ceisteanna (116)

Michael Cahill

Ceist:

116. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to act swiftly on the feasibility report of Coimisiún na Meán on the introduction of a content levy, as legislated for in the Online Media Safety and Regulation Act 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3646/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Article 13(2) of the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive ('AVMSD') provides that Member States may require media service providers under their jurisdiction to make a financial contribution to the production of European works.

To exercise this option under the AVMSD, section 159E of the Broadcasting Act 2009, as amended, provides that Coimisiún na Meán may impose a content production levy on media service providers (i.e. providers of broadcasting and video on demand services). The purpose of the levy is to fund a scheme (termed ‘the European works scheme), to support the production of European works, including Irish works.

While Coimisiún na Meán has the statutory power to impose a levy, it was agreed that An Coimisiún would first carry out research and make recommendations in relation to the feasibility of an audiovisual content levy and fund.

External consultants were appointed by Coimisiún na Meán to conduct research and suggest possible recommendations for consideration. Coimisiún na Meán shared the report with my Department on 29th January 2025. As stated above, the power to introduce a levy rests with Coimisiún na Meán.

Stakeholders were consulted as part of the feasibility report process and this engagement will continue should a levy be introduced to ensure that it is delivered in a way that maximises its value across the entire Irish audiovisual sector.

Artificial Intelligence

Ceisteanna (117)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Ceist:

117. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide a detailed breakdown of all funding allocated for the year ahead or spent in the past fiscal year by his Department on artificial intelligence systems or artificial intelligence research; what programs or Department operations, if any, are conducted using artificial intelligence tools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3716/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

In relation to funding allocated for the year ahead or spent in the past fiscal year by my Department on artificial intelligence systems or artificial intelligence research, the table below provides the breakdown sought.

Nature of AI systems or research funded	Amount Spent in 2024 on AI systems or research	Amount allocated for 2025 on AI systems or research	Further detail
ALT-EDIC (Large Language Model for European Languages (Gaeilge))	€45,000	€45,000	ALT-EDIC is a European Digital Infrastructure Consortium founded in February 2024, with Ireland as a founding member. Its key objectives are to preserve linguistic and cultural diversity in Europe, promote technological excellence and leadership, and tackle challenges relating to Large Language Models (LLMs).
Abair.ie (Speech-to-text / Text-to-speech as Gaeilge)	€326,776	€427,691	The Abair project aims to develop state-of-the-art language technologies for Irish, with a particular emphasis on speech synthesis and voice recognition applications.
eStór (Large Language Model for Gaeilge)	€391,850	€249,098	eStór is a data collection project aimed at enhancing the operability of Irish for the European Commission’s eTranslation machine translation platform, which is based on neural machine translation.
An Gaodhal (Optical Character Recognition software for Old Irish script)	N/A	€40,000	The An Gaodhal project aims to develop character recognition software for Irish, with a particular emphasis on character recognition for texts written in the old Gaelic typeface.

I am advised by my officials that no programs or Departmental operations are conducted using artificial intelligence tools. The use of software or applications in my Department must be in line with all relevant Department policies, and consistent with advice provided by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Sports Facilities

Ceisteanna (118)

Paul Murphy

Ceist:

118. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media his views on whether a large scale infrastructure investment in the National Basketball Arena is necessary considering the fact that the current facilities are insufficient to meet the growing demand driven by population growth, youth demographics, and increased interest in sports among diverse communities, and a significant redevelopment could address these issues by expanding capacity, enhancing amenities, ensuring the arena can continue to serve as a vital hub for sports and community activities in Tallaght; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3722/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

In 2024, the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund ('LSSIF') received an unprecedented demand for funding, amounting to €665 million from 96 applications. As a result of this significant demand, a range of valid applications did not receive an LSSIF allocation at the initial allocation stage including the National Basketball Arena.

In relation to LSSIF applications which have not received an allocation, it should be noted that a reserve list is being prepared by the Department on which all remaining valid applications will be assessed and placed in a prioritised order. As additional LSSIF funding becomes available, projects on the reserve list should then be able to be funded.

Departmental Contracts

Ceisteanna (119)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

119. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the details of each time his Department, or public bodies under the aegis of his Department, enlisted the services of consultants in 2023 and 2024; the purpose, value, and duration of each contract in relation to public bodies under the aegis of his Department, including where consulting contracts are classified under ‘business-as-usual outsourcing’ for annual reporting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3792/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

I wish to advise the Deputy that the information sought in respect of my Department is set out in the table below.

Consultancy Company	Purpose of Contract	Value of Contract (incl. VAT)	Duration of Contract
Mazars	Examination of the barter account and any other off-balance sheet accounts in RTÉ pursuant to section 109(7) of the Broadcasting Act 2009	€286,160	10 July 2023 – 26 April 2024
Crowe Advisory Ireland	Support the independent Expert Advisory Committee undertaking the Review of Governance & Culture in RTÉ	€230,533	12 August 2023 – 26 April 2024
Crowe Advisory Ireland	Support the independent Expert Advisory Committee undertaking the Review of Contractor Fees, Human Resources, and other matter in RTÉ	€401,591	12 August 2023 – 26 April 2024
MCO Projects LTD	Design and facilitation of workshops for Tourism Focus Group (relating to the new Tourism Policy Framework)	€4,736	22 February 2024 – 22 April 2024
Institute of Public Administration	Feasibility study in connection with recommendations set out in the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media’s report on ‘Working Conditions and Skills Shortages in Ireland’s Tourism and Hospitality Sector’	€47,786	Commenced in February 2024. Final report received mid-October 2024
Institute of Public Administration	Review of Oversight of Aegis Bodies	€20,295	21 May 2024 – 27 November 2024
Indecon International Economic and Strategic Consultants	Provision of market research consultancy services to report on the Review of Designated Events and Designation of Events of Major Importance to Society under the Broadcasting Act 2009	€116,210	21 May 2024 – 21 November 2024

Sports Facilities

Ceisteanna (120, 121)

Louis O'Hara

Ceist:

120. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if funding will be made available to clubs (details supplied) whose facilities were seriously damaged as a result of Storm Éowyn; if there are any other funding streams they can avail of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3813/25]

Louis O'Hara

Ceist:

121. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if funding will be made available to businesses and clubs such as (details supplied) whose facilities were seriously damaged as a result of Storm Éowyn; if there are any other funding streams they can avail of; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3814/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 and 121 together.

In the first instance, I would hope that sporting facilities’ own commercial insurance would cover the cost of restoring such facilities back to sporting use where they have been damaged by the recent adverse weather events.

Adequate insurance for facilities is a condition of capital funding granted by my Department under either of its funding schemes, namely the Community Sport Facilities Fund and the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund.

I have asked Sport Ireland to engage with the Local Sports Partnerships in the worst-affected counties, to collate any such instances of weather damage that cannot be covered by insurance and / or other schemes, and to forward to my department an overview report for each county. When that is done, I intend to report back to government on the scale of the financial ask.

Question No. 121 answered with Question No. 120.

Sports Funding

Ceisteanna (122)

Alan Kelly

Ceist:

122. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the details of all direct funding given to the IRFU in each of the years 2014 to 2024, in tabular form; and to detail all Co duties associated with such funding. [3828/25]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for funding National Governing Bodies of Sport (such as the IRFU), the development of sport and increasing participation. This remit also includes the allocation of funding to sporting organisations for the implementation of a range of programmes.

As the issue raised is a matter for Sport Ireland, I have referred the Deputy's question to the agency for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to inform my office if a reply is not received within 10 working days.

• Written Answers Nos. 85-104
• Written Answers Nos. 123-142