Written Answers Nos. 1321-1340
1321. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the total spend by his Department on external legal services in each of the past three years; the main areas of legal activity for which external advice was sought; if he will provide a breakdown by case or category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40855/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra1322. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the amount spent on legal fees associated with litigation, advice and settlements in each of the past three years by his Department and agencies under its aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40875/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra1332. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated discounted rates; how fees are monitored for compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41499/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra1333. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if his Department conducts regular benchmarking, or market testing, to ensure that the rates paid for legal services, solicitors and barristers, represent value for money for the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41517/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra1334. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to detail the procurement processes used when engaging external legal firms and barristers, including whether panels are used; how often these are refreshed; the criteria used for selection and performance review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41535/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra1335. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if his Department has conducted any audits or reviews in the past five years on legal fee spend; if so, to publish the findings or summaries of those reviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41553/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra1336. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal services once engaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41571/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra1337. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if his Department makes use of capped fee arrangements, fixed-fee briefs, success-based fee models or other such arrangements in its legal engagements; if not, the reason such options are not considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41589/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra1338. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the number of such cases and total overrun; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41607/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1321, 1322, 1332, 1333, 1334, 1335, 1336, 1337 and 1338 together.
My Department has an Internal Legal Advisor seconded from the Office of the Attorney General with additional support from that office as required.
Details of any Compensation and legal costs are published in the Annual appropriation account for the Department which is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General and published on their website here: www.audit.gov.ie/en/publications/appropriation%20accounts/
From time to time it may be necessary to engage external legal support and this is done subject to Public Procurement Procedures as set out by the Minister for Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. These are available on the Office of Government Procurement’s website.
It should be noted that my Department was re-configured as the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport at the beginning of June 2025. The previous configuration of my Department, as the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, was established in September 2020. The details sought by the Deputy in relation to the functions under my Department as it is currently configured, are set out below.
|
Year |
External Legal Service Provider |
Details of Service Provided |
Total Cost (incl. VAT) |
|
2023 |
Mr Jack Hazlett |
Drafting services for the European Electronic Communications Code transposition |
€400 |
|
2023 |
Mason Hayes & Curran |
Eircode-Legal advice on contracts |
€65,347.44 |
|
2023 |
McCann Fitzgerald |
To (i) advise the Expert Advisory Committees (EACs) appointed by the Minister to carry out independent reviews of RTÉ of any legal risks arising to the members of the EACs in respect of the conduct of the reviews and (ii) to review draft reports prepared by the EACs prior to their submission and advise of any legal risks arising. |
€19,455 |
|
2023 |
William Fry |
Legal advisory services in support of the National Broadband Plan |
€1,035,453 |
|
2024 |
Mason Hayes & Curran |
Provision of legal advisory services for the award of an agreement to operate, manage and maintain the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) |
€265,199.82 |
|
2024 |
McCann Fitzgerald |
To (i) advise the Expert Advisory Committees (EACs) appointed by the Minister to carry out independent reviews of RTÉ of any legal risks arising to the members of the EACs in respect of the conduct of the reviews and (ii) to review draft reports prepared by the EACs prior to their submission and advise of any legal risks arising. |
€74,450 |
|
2024 |
William Fry |
Legal advisory services in support of the Digital Connectivity Office |
€700,899 |
|
2025 (up to 17 July 2025) |
Mason Hayes & Curran |
Provision of legal advisory services for the award of an agreement to operate, manage and maintain the Emergency Call Answering Service (ECAS) |
€87,639.96 |
|
2025 |
William Fry |
Legal advisory services in support of the Digital Connectivity Office |
€340,394 |
|
2025 |
McCann Fitzgerald |
To (i) advise the Expert Advisory Committee appointed by the Minister to carry out independent reviews of the Arts Council of any legal risks arising to the members of the EAC in respect of the conduct of the reviews and (ii) to review draft reports prepared by the EACs prior to their submission and advise of any legal risks arising. |
Awaiting Invoice |
The engagement of legal services by the Bodies under the aegis of the Department is an operational matter for those bodies.
1323. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to report on the achievements of the State-backed National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) programme in supporting early-stage startups; the financial returns realised to date from public investment, referencing successful exits; the details of the way in which those realised funds have been or are planned to be reinvested to accelerate future entrepreneurial activity; the statistics on the number of companies supported, the scale of private follow-on investment attracted, and the regional impact of the programme; and his views on the performance to date and on plans to continue and expand this highly successful innovation model under his Department’s remit. [40926/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince its inception, the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) has impacted the Irish economy by advancing early-stage digital enterprises and aiding portfolio companies in raising over €500 million, and more than 700 jobs have been created in the Republic of Ireland by companies accepted into NDRC support under the current contractor's tenure alone.
The NDRC is operated under a commercial contract and since 2020, it has been delivered by Dogpatch Labs, partnering with subcontractors in Kerry (RDI Hub), Cork (Republic of Work) and Galway (PorterShed) to embed trained teams within local ecosystems.
The NDRC has provided: a) Accelerator Programmes; b) Capital investment in Start-ups; c) Regional Services; and d) Portfolio Management, with the NDRC contract sets out the services to be provided as well as the performance targets for those services. The contractor (Dogpatch Labs) has published an Impact Report in 2024 on the NDRC’s performance in supporting companies. The report is available on the NDRC website at [www.ndrc.ie/impact-report-2024].
To further enhance the performance of the NDRC, under the terms of the commercial contract, realised financial returns from successful investments made through the NDRC programme may be reinvested by the contractor (Dogpatch Labs) in line with the strategic objectives of the programme. Initiatives supported to date include enhancements to regional pre-accelerators, dedicated programmes for women and youth entrepreneurship, talent development and co-founder matching and a regions-led AI accelerator.
As to the future of the NDRC, the Programme for Government contains the commitment that Government will support the NDRC and transfer responsibility to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE). In this regard, I understand that DETE and Enterprise Ireland (EI) are currently reviewing policy for incubators and accelerators, and it is envisaged that a successor to the NDRC will be designed as part of this process. Pending the launch of the successor programme(s) by EI, the government recently decided that I may extend the NDRC contract until December 2026.
1324. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the data his Department holds on the digital divide in Ireland, including access to high-speed internet across different regions, socioeconomic groups, and age demographics; the measures being taken to address these disparities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40944/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.
I am advised by NBI that there are over 564,000 premises in the Intervention Area (IA) and design work has been completed for 100% of these. NBI has also passed over 381,000 premises (68%) in the intervention area and are connecting circa 4,400 premises to their fibre network per month. NBI expect to have passed over 420,000 premises by end of 2025. NBI also advise that 411,235 premises (73%), across all counties in mainly rural areas, can now order or pre-order broadband and over 136,730 premises (35%) are already connected.
Along with the NBP intervention contract, progress is being made by commercial operators in expanding their next generation networks throughout the State and ensuring the targets set out in the Digital Connectivity strategy are achieved.
Based on current plans and achievements, the Department expect to deliver the deployment of the NBP by the end of 2026, as per the Programme for Government commitment.
The European Commission's recent 2025 Ireland Report on the EU Digital Decade states that both Very-High Capacity Networks (VHCN) and Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) coverage in Ireland exceed the EU average, with strong rural growth supported by the National Broadband Plan. This European Commission report is available online at https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/factpages/ireland-2025-digital-decade-country-report
Further reports detailing Irish households’ access to high-speed internet across different regions, socioeconomic groups, and age demographics are available to the Deputy from ComReg at https://www.comreg.ie and from the Central Statistics Office(CSO) who published a report on Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2024 and is available at https://www.cso.ie.
1325. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if there are any grant supports within his Department that would apply to an organisation (details supplied) which operates on an 32 county basis and is registered in the North for accounting purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40997/25]
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. It also has responsibility for the recognition and funding of national governing bodies of sport in Ireland.
I have referred the Deputy's question to Sport Ireland for direct reply in relation to its role in the matter mentioned by the Deputy. I would ask the Deputy to inform my office if a reply is not received within 10 days.
1326. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide the total number of grant payments issued by the Department in each of the past five years, along with the total value of those grant payments for each year, in tabular form; and to confirm whether these figures include all schemes and discretionary grant programmes administered directly by the Department or through its agencies. [41053/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt should be noted that my Department was re-configured as the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport at the beginning of June 2025. Across its broad remit of responsibilities, my Department directly administers a range of grant payments. The details sought by the Deputy for the functions under the remit of my Department in the period since September 2020 (when the former Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media was established) are set out below, by relevant Sector.
Arts & Culture
A full list of all arts payments is published on my Departments website on an annual basis and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/publications/creative-arts-grants-and-funding-previous-schemes/
Grant payments in respect of the following schemes operated by my Department for the years 2020 to 2024 are published on my website and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/publications/cultural-projects-funding/. No grant payments have been made to successful applicants for these schemes to date in 2025.
• the Regional Museum Exhibition Scheme,
• the Co-operation with Northern Ireland Scheme,
• the Small Scale Festivals and Summer School Scheme and
• the Mobility of Collections Scheme.
Basic Income for the Arts
Basic Income for the Arts is a pilot research scheme where 2,000 artists and creative arts workers are being paid a weekly basic income. The primary objective of the scheme was to help artists deal with precarious incomes. The pilot is underpinned by a robust research project consisting of a randomised controlled trial with a Treatment Group of 2,000 and a Control Group of 1,000. The Control Group provide the same survey data as those in receipt of the payment. To facilitate the research element of the scheme the cohort of participants remain the same for the duration of the scheme. Details of the grant payments to recipients are detailed in tabular form below.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2022 |
€1,413.21 per month (5 months) for up to 2,000 Recipients |
€7,066 to each recipient |
|
2023 |
€1,413.21 per month (12 months) for up to 2,000 Recipients; and
€650 per year to 997 in the Control Group |
€16,959 per annum to each recipient; and
€650 per annum to Control Group |
|
2024 |
€1,413.21 per month (12 months) for up to 1985 Recipients; and
€650 per year to 977 in the Control Group |
€16,959 per annum to each recipient; and
€650 per annum to Control Group |
|
2025 (to date) |
€1,413.21 per month (7 months) for up to 1,973 Recipients; and
€650 per year to 959 in the Control Group |
€16,959 per annum to each recipient; and
€650 per annum to Control Group |
Commemorations
The number and value of grant payments in respect of Commemorations is outlined are outlined in the table below.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2020 |
53 |
€977,854 |
|
2021 |
111 |
€3,737,385 |
|
2022 |
109 |
€4,632,845 |
|
2023 |
119 |
€4,710,662 |
|
2024 |
73 |
€1,316,891 |
|
2025 (to date) |
2 |
€10,000 |
Culture Ireland and Live Performance
Details of grant payments administered by my Department under Live Performance schemes are outlined below. I wish to advise the Deputy that all Live Performance schemes concluded at the end of 2022.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2020 |
59 |
€5,000,000 |
|
2021 |
1,685 |
€46,556,873 |
|
2022 |
1,103 |
€39,337,393 |
Culture Ireland operates a range of funding programmes to support and promote the presentation of Irish arts internationally. Details of grant payments administered by my Department in this regard are outlined below. More than one grant payment may be made in relation to a grant offer.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2020 |
47 |
€1,149,867 |
|
2021 |
249 |
€2,779,009 |
|
2022 |
568 |
€5,105,227 |
|
2023 |
851 |
€6,536,348 |
|
2024 |
1,022 |
€7,892,489 |
|
2025 |
417 |
€3,121,586 |
Creative Ireland Programme
The Creative Ireland Programme is an all-of-government, culture-based initiative, led by my Department. The strategic vision of the programme is to put creativity at the heart of public policy to allow every person in Ireland the opportunity to realise their creative potential. More information in relation to the Creative Ireland Programme can be found at the following link: [www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/]. Details of the grant payments issued by the Creative Ireland Programme are outlined below.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2020 (September – December) |
106 |
€8,754,529 |
|
2021 |
166 |
€8,448,288 |
|
2022 |
222 |
€12,252,004 |
|
2023 |
211 |
€9,994,963 |
|
2024 |
317 |
€12,894,751 |
|
2025 to date |
32 |
€714,354 |
National Archives of Ireland
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2021 |
7 |
€10,466 |
|
2022 |
17 |
€147,618 |
|
2023 |
7 |
€137,069 |
|
2024 |
3 |
€157,600 |
|
2025 to date |
4 |
€2,000 |
Night-Time Economy
The number and value of all grant payments in respect of Night-Time Economy support schemes and initiatives are outlined below. I advise the Deputy that there were no grant payments in this regard in 2020.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2021 |
2 |
€156,937 |
|
2022 |
311 |
€2,502,760 |
|
2023 |
59 |
€2,094,547 |
|
2024 |
46 |
€2,641,294 |
|
2025 to date |
4 |
€409,333 |
Communications
Digital Connectivity Office
The National Broadband Plan contract provides for a future proofed high-speed broadband network to be deployed by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) to people living and working in the intervention area. In parallel with the ongoing oversight of the contract with National Broadband Ireland, the Department’s Digital Connectivity Office (DCO) developed the Local Authority Funding Scheme (LAFS) to assist Local Authorities and the Road Management Office (RMO) with the processing of National Broadband Ireland's licence applications in recognition of the scale of the project and demand on Local Authority resources.
The scheme commenced in quarter 3 of 2022 for three years, ending in quarter 3 of 2025. The funding distributed €2 million per year (€6 million total) among 31 Local Authorities and the RMO.
Each Local Authority and the RMO submit a grant application form ahead of receipt of funding with a signed grant agreement to confirm the money will be put towards effective management of the processes for Section 254 licences, road opening licences, engineering issues, and/or campaigns and other activities relating to the rollout by National Broadband Ireland of the National Broadband Plan network. Details of the payments made under the Local Authority Funding Scheme are outlined in the table below.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2022 |
32 |
€2,000,000 |
|
2023 |
32 |
€2,000,000 |
|
2024 |
32 |
€2,000,000 |
Electronic Communications Policy and Regulation
The number and value of grant payments issued by my Department to the Economic and Social Research Institute Joint Programme of Research in Communications are outlined below. These grant payments are co-funded with ComReg annually following a negotiated contracted on a 3 year basis. The next 3 year contract will be negotiated in Q4 2025.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2022 |
1 |
€100,000 |
|
2023 |
1 |
€100,000 |
|
2024 |
1 |
€100,000 |
Strategy Development and Business Management
In accordance with a grant agreement with South East Technological University, details of grant payments to Quantum Communications Infrastructure Ireland are outlined below.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2023 |
2 |
€484,511 |
|
2024 |
4 |
€3,219,349 |
|
2025 to date |
2 |
€505,492 |
Sport
Community Sports Facilities Fund and Sports Capital Programme
The Community Sports Facilities fund (CSFF) provides grants to assist in the development or refurbishment of sports facilities and the provision of sports equipment. Grants are available to voluntary, not-for profit sports clubs, community groups, NGBs, and local authorities. Third level colleges, Education and Training Boards) and schools may only apply for funding jointly with sports clubs or organisations. All Community Sport Facilities Fund and Sports Capital Programme payments are published on Gov.ie on the following page: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/collections/sports-capital-programmes-payments/
A summary of the value of grant payments under the Community Sport Facilities Fund and Sports Capital Programme is outlined below.
|
Year |
Grant Payment |
Value |
|
2020 |
Sports Capital Programme |
€26,226,378 |
|
2021 |
Sports Capital Programme |
€24,001,136 |
|
2022 |
Sports Capital and Equipment Programme |
€40,011,216 |
|
2023 |
Sports Capital and Equipment Programme |
€53.672,408 |
|
2024 |
Community Sport Facilities Fund |
€48,183,957 |
Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund
The Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was established to provide support for larger sports facility projects, typically those requiring investments greater than the maximum available under the Community Sport Facilities Fund. Applications to the grant scheme must be made by either NGB or local authority. This does not preclude the involvement of other organisations in the application process; however, all applications must be submitted by an NGB or local authority.
Details of the LSSIF payments are available on my Department’s website at the following link: [www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/services/large-scale-sport-infrastructure-fund-lssif-2018/]. A summary of the number and value of payments made under the LSSIF from 2021 to 2024 is outlined below.
|
Year |
Number of Grant Payments |
Value |
|
2021 |
2 |
€417,015 |
|
2022 |
11 |
€1,895,561 |
|
2023 |
17 |
€3,121,412 |
|
2024 |
17 |
€14,924,000 |
Major Sports Events
In 2023, my Department provided two grant payments to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to cover all costs incurred by the FAI in relation to their joint bid to host the UEFA EURO 2028 Championships. The total value of both payments was €337,759. In 2024, my Department provided a single grant payment of €500,000 to Dublin City Council to fund a portion of the costs incurred for the hosting of the Europa League Final.
Both of these grants were subject to grant agreements signed by the grantee and the Department.
Details of all expenditure by my Department is contained in the Annual Appropriation Accounts which are published by the Comptroller and Auditors and are available using the following link: www.audit.gov.ie/en/publications/appropriation%20accounts/
1327. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the funding options available to a theatre company during the remainder of 2025 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41085/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Arts Act 2003, the Arts Council has primary responsibility for the development of the arts in Ireland and Budget 2025 has provided record funding of €140 million for the Arts Council. The Arts Council is committed to increasing public engagement in the arts in Ireland and it provides financial support to a number of initiatives aimed at increasing public access, participation and engagement in the arts.
The Arts Council recognises the many and varied ways theatre artists work and supports artists to engage with audiences across Ireland and beyond in the creation, development, production and dissemination of theatre.
I have asked the Arts Council to make direct contact with the Deputy and provide him with the information requested in relation to funding and grant opportunities available to theatre companies. Please contact my private office if you do not hear from the Council within the next ten working days.
1328. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his plans to establish a large scale sports infrastructure fund grant scheme; to open a round in 2025 and-or 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41279/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was established under the National Sports Policy, published in 2018, to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, typically those requiring investments greater than the maximum available under the Community Sport Facilities Fund (formerly the Sports Capital and Equipment Fund).
The first allocations under LSSIF were announced in January 2020 with €86.4 million awarded to 33 different projects. Additional funding of €37.6 million was allocated to 27 of these projects in December 2023, bringing the total awarded under LSSIF 2018 to €124 million.
In 2024, the second round of LSSIF received an unprecedented demand for funding. On 4 November 2024, grants totalling €173 million were awarded to 35 projects. Details of these allocations are available on the Department's website www.gov.ie/en/service/6f3f3-large-scale-sport-infrastructure-fund-lssif-2024/#lssif-allocations. As a result of the significant demand, a range of valid applications did not receive an LSSIF allocation at the initial allocation stage.
My current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF, 2018 and 2024, and this process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round. The timing will also be considered in the context of the determining the detailed spending allocations within my Department under the National Development Plan as recently agreed by Government.
1329. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 231 of 8 May 2025 and No. 357 of 27 May 2025, if it is the intention of the Public Warning System to advise of potential flood related events, similar to what is currently in operation in other EU jurisdictions; if there is any requirement under the EU Electronic Communications Code Directive to introduce such a warning system nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41297/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn November 2023, Ireland put in place a mobile SMS-based emergency public warning system, via S.I 583 of 2023, as required under Article 110 of the EU Electronic Communications Code Directive. This system enables mobile phone operators to send texts to the public on behalf of the Government during an emergency.
Last year, my Department engaged the services of Analysys Mason to provide technical advice for the procurement of a cell based public warning system that will replace the current SMS system. This new system will allow for localised alerting based on network mast location. This work is currently ongoing in collaboration with the Department of Defence and the Office of Emergency Planning and it is intended that procurement of the new system will begin in 2025.
Dissemination of information during an emergency is a matter for the Lead Government Department responsible for that emergency, as set out in the Strategic Emergency Management Framework. My Department is not the Lead Government Department with respect to flooding.
1330. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will consider expanding the basic income for artists scheme to all artists, and not confine it to those who have previously applied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41418/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government commits to assessing the Basic Income for the Arts pilot research scheme to maximise its impact. I appreciate the importance of the Basic Income support for artists, which is why I recently announced that Government had agreed to my proposal to an extension of six months to allow for further evaluation of the pilot data. This will also give sufficient time to engage in stakeholder consultation and to evaluate the data which will provide the evidence base for Government to make decisions on the next steps.
The primary objective of the scheme is to help artists deal with precarious incomes and to prevent talent from leaving the sector for economic reasons.
My Department has been undertaking a comprehensive research programme based on this data and is currently preparing a report examining the first 24 months of the scheme. I also recently published a paper which collects the experiences of BIA recipients, who were interviewed by a sociologist. A cost-benefit analysis paper is also being prepared. It will compare the benefits and costs arising from the BIA in order to determine its net value.
While the research phase of the pilot scheme is still ongoing, it is clear from evidence collected to date under the scheme that it is having a positive impact on participants. This data shows that the BIA payment is having a consistent, positive impact across almost all indicators - affecting practice development, sectoral retention, well-being, and deprivation.
Artists in receipt of the support are typically able to devote more time to their art, produce more pieces of work, experience a boost to their wellbeing through greater life satisfaction and reduced anxiety, and are protected from the precariousness of incomes in the sector to a greater degree than those who are not receiving the support.
I know that the BIA support is hugely valued by artists in receipt of it, it has also been the subject of much positive commentary at home and in an international context and makes an important statement about the value placed on the arts in Ireland.
No decisions on the scale and scope of a successor scheme have yet been made. A Government decision will be required on a successor scheme to the pilot, and I intend to bring forward proposals for a permanent intervention in the context of Budget 2026 discussions, based on the evidence arising from the research programme and stakeholder engagement.
1331. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 80 of 9 July 2025, if the CSSO will confirm to the club concerned that they have no objection to the organisation changing its trustees (details supplied); if the CSSO will enable this to be agreed to allow the club to take the steps as outlined in the reply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41422/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe organisation referred to by the Deputy was provisionally allocated €170,259 from the 2023 Community Sports Facilities Fund (CSFF) towards works for an artificial surface. My Department have been in contact with the organisation and has confirmed that the grant is being dealt with by way of a grant agreement form. The correspondence with the Chief State Solicitor's Office is not relevant to the progressing of this grant.
1339. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when a broadband connection will be restored for a person (details supplied); the reason for this disconnection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41668/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.
The mapping consultation between fixed line operators and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications was concluded in 2019.
As part of this mapping consultation the three large, fixed line operators (Open Eir, Virgin Media and Siro) were asked to submit their current High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) coverage maps and potential future maps for HSBB. At the time HSBB was defined as a fixed line technology that could deliver 30Mbps or greater download speed and 6Mbps or greater upload speed.
Resulting from the analysis of this data, the NBI network is deployed to premises in the Intervention Area (IA) where HSBB was not going to be delivered by commercial operators.
I am advised that this area in question is predominantly in the BLUE area on the map, which represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services.
As per records available online at https://www.openeir.ie/fibre/broadband-checker the premises in question has been included in Open Eir’s Full Fibre deployment programme which provides a full fibre Gigabit connection. However, the build process has not yet commenced.
I have been advised that the premises’ owner has raised a query via the Department’s webform detailing issues they are currently experiencing. Following this contact my department's representatives have escalated the issue for review. This review is ongoing and the premises' owner has been advised that when the review is complete, they will be notified accordingly.
The activities of commercial operators are not planned or funded by the State and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard. ComReg is the independent body that issues licenses to broadband service providers and investigates complaints to make sure that companies are delivering services in line with their license obligations.
ComReg can be contacted at:
Phone - 01 804 9668
Online - www.comreg.ie
Email - consumerline@comreg.ie
1340. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the amount of funding that was last awarded by his Department to support female sports at both national and local levels that promote one club ethos; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41954/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFemale participation in sport is an important element of both the National Sports Policy 2018-2027 and its associated Sports Action Plan 2024-2027 and represents a core priority for me and my Department.
This Government is committed to a "Sport for All" approach aimed at ensuring that all persons can partake equally in sport and physical activity, regardless of gender. This commitment is reaffirmed in the Programme for Government and is also reflected in Sport Ireland's Women in Sport Policy.
The Women In Sport (WIS) funding programme, administered by Sport Ireland, was first established in 2005 and since then over €30 million has been invested through the National Governing Bodies of Sport and the Local Sports Partnerships.
Last month Sport Ireland announced an investment of €4 million under the WIS Programme for 2025. This is vital funding to support sporting bodies, and my Department will continue to support programmes to increase women’s participation in all sports and to progress strategic objectives for women in sport across all areas including active participation, coaching, officiating, and leadership.
The Programme for Government commits to supporting the sporting ecosystem so more people can participate in sport and reap the associated benefits. This will be achieved through a range of measures including continuing to to work with sporting organisations to promote equality of access to sporting facilities and to drive increased participation in sport
Organisations applying to the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) must be open to new members and must not have any restrictions on who may join or obtain full membership. All CSFF applicants must agree that, from the date of the grant, they will not deny anybody access to any facility on the basis of gender. In addition, the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) requires that recipients of LSSIF funding must accommodate the needs of women and men, on a similar basis, with respect to accessing the facilities.
As Minister for Sport, I will continue to tackle issues to ensure that women’s sport reaches parity with its male equivalent and that females do not drop out of sport due to a lack of adequate training facilities or access to opportunities.
