Written Answers Nos. 143-149
143. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the projected overall budget envelope for the 2026 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund and whether this will exceed the €277.9 million allocated under the 2023 round. [22544/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraOver a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to 3,048 community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 from the 2023 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF), representing the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland.
In line with previous rounds of the Fund, a review of the current funding round has been undertaken and will be finalised shortly. I have asked my Department to prepare for a further round of the CSFF in 2026 which I expect to open in the coming months. It is anticipated that the next CSFF round will particularly target areas and sports that have been under-invested in over the years. No decisions have been made on the quantum of funding to be made available for another round of the CSFF and any decisions in this regard will be subject to the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
144. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the funding streams available for a young chess player (details supplied [22750/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSport Ireland, which is funded by this Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards, including the allocation of funding under its various programmes. Sport Ireland does not provide direct funding for clubs or individuals but channels the funding through the relevant National Governing Body (NGB).
As there is no Sport Ireland-recognised NGB for chess, there is no mechanism by which chess organisations/clubs or players can secure funding from Sport Ireland. There is no discretionary funding available to my Department through which financial assistance can be provided to chess players or other individual athletes.
Sport Ireland operates a formal recognition process for organisations wishing to become eligible for support as NGBs. The recognition criteria set out the minimum requirements for NGB recognition and the additional criteria that may need to be met to receive financial investment from Sport Ireland.
Any organisation wishing to gain Sport Ireland recognition as a NGB is advised to engage directly with Sport Ireland which can advise as to the application process. Sport Ireland can be contacted directly in this regard via e-mail at recognition@sportireland.ie or by telephone on 01-8608800.
145. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the position regarding the number of employees that were employed in his Department at the end of December 2025, broken down by grade, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22869/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraA total of 521 staff were employed by this department as of 31 December 2025. The below table sets out the number of employees, broken down by grade, on 31 December 2025:
146. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the number of employees in each of the agencies under his Department's remit at the end of December 2025, broken down by grade, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22891/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. Grade breakdowns of individual headcounts are available from agencies through their dedicated Oireachtas email addresses.
|
Q4/December 2025 |
|
|
State Body |
FTE |
|
Arts Council |
136.00 |
|
Chester Beatty |
41.50 |
|
Crawford Art Gallery |
20.18 |
|
Digital Hub Development Agency |
12.00 |
|
Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) |
92.35 |
|
National Gallery of Ireland |
168.40 |
|
National Library of Ireland |
112.70 |
|
National Museum of Ireland |
179.30 |
|
Screen Ireland |
49.00 |
|
National Concert Hall |
180.17 |
|
Sport Ireland |
86.30 |
|
Coimisiún na Meán |
264.30 |
|
ComReg |
210.90 |
|
RTÉ |
1709.82 |
|
TG4 |
124.00 |
|
An Post |
10517.00 |
147. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23072/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince I took up office in January of last year, my Department has progressed development and implementation of policy across the Arts and Culture, Media, Communications, and Sport sectors.
Arts & Culture
A cost-benefit analysis of the Basic Income for the Arts pilot concluded that for every €1 of public money invested, society received €1.39 in return. In February this year, I announced the successor to the pilot scheme. Practicing artists based in the Republic of Ireland will be invited to apply for the scheme and 2,000 eligible artists will be selected to receive the payment of €325 per week. The payment will be for 3 years and will also feature a tapering-off period of 3 months at the end of the cycle.
In January, I announced funding of over €1.6 million for the promotion of Irish arts globally through Culture Ireland’s Regular Grants Programme. This is the largest single grant round in the 20-year history of Culture Ireland. The funding will benefit 191 projects taking place over 48 countries, covering circus, dance, film, literature, music, opera, theatre, and visual arts. In February, I launched Canada-Ireland 180 - a major cultural and commemorative initiative marking 180 years since 1847, a defining moment in the shared history of Ireland and Canada. This will be delivered jointly by Culture Ireland and the Irish Embassy to Canada.
Last year, to increase access to the arts, I announced funding for 64 events to support Small Scale Local Festivals and Summer Schools taking place around Ireland in 2025. To support opportunities for emerging musicians, in March this year, I announced a new phase of the Night-Time Economy support scheme aimed at independent grassroots venues. The scheme is being introduced in recognition of both the contribution that grassroots music venues make to the music industry by nurturing emerging acts, and the challenges facing these venues. A total fund of €1 million has been allocated to the Grassroots Venue Support Scheme, which aims to support small established venues that promote themselves and are known in the community as live performance venues that showcase emerging Irish acts or artists performing live music or comedy that they have written or created themselves. Last year, we launched the ‘Safe & Sound’ safety training Night-Time Economy initiative, which aims to make Ireland’s nightlife safer for customers and staff. In May 2025, a new enhanced Section 481 tax credit for mid-to-lower budget feature films was launched. I also announced a new Screen Ireland Irish language slate development fund. These measures support artists and the creative industries and strengthen Ireland’s position as a champion of the arts, and a world-class destination for film, gaming and culture.
In December, I announced awards for capital grants with a value of €181,741 to six arts and culture organisations for upgrading and development of their facilities. This funding is provided under Stream E of the Cultural Capital Scheme, a €1.4m capital investment scheme focused on enhancing the existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout the country. This scheme remains open, and in line with the Government's action on climate change, it welcomes projects that reduce an organisation's carbon footprint as well as projects that provide additional capacity for artistic production. Separately, I announced arts capital grant awards of €987,498 to five Local Authorities for the development of up to 22 artist workspaces. This funding is provided under the Artist Workspaces Scheme, a €6m capital investment scheme for Local Authorities to enable them to provide additional capacity and availability of artist workspaces in their regions.
In December 2025, the Taoiseach, the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, and I launched the Transforming Crawford Art Gallery Redevelopment Programme at the gallery in Cork city. This is a major project under the National Development Plan and is a once in a multi-generation investment by the State to redevelop and restore a landmark, heritage building in Cork City Centre. In February, I updated the Government on my intention that a new regional branch of the National Museum of Ireland will host a permanent exhibition telling the stories of women in Ireland. This follows the recommendation of the recently published report of the Women’s Advisory Committee on Women’s Stories and is in keeping with the commitment in the Programme for Government to ensure that our national cultural institutions reach right across the country. In March, I announced a series of grant schemes in support of the Department’s strategic objective to increase access to the arts and National Collections.
Construction work commenced in January this year on the NCH Discover Centre, a new national centre for music learning and participation. This marks the beginning of an ambitious programme of redevelopment of the National Concert Hall.
Creative Ireland’s Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 provided over 1,000 free events across the country, celebrating creativity of youth through music, art, circus, storytelling, and film. A new Creative Youth partnership launched in 2025 will enhance inclusivity and access for young people of diverse backgrounds interested in the arts. Creative Ireland’s Shared Island Conference last year marked the achievements of 47 projects that have fostered partnerships and creativity across the island. In February this year, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, and I announced a new €6.5 million Creative Climate Action Fund, which will support imaginative, large-scale creative, cultural and artistic initiatives that help communities engage with climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural change.
In 2025, we supported the 2025 International Commemoration of the Great Irish Famine at Gaelic Park, Chicago; launched a Commemorative Programme to mark the 250th anniversary of Daniel O’Connell’s birth; and announced a comprehensive public programme to celebrate the upcoming centenary release of the 1926 Census of Population records - the first Census of the Irish Free State. The 2026 National Famine Commemoration will take place in May in Portumna, Co. Galway.
Media
Ireland’s first National Counter Disinformation Strategy was published in April 2025, providing commitment to strengthen resilience to disinformation by developing lifelong media literacy skills, implementing and enforcing existing regulations, coordination and collaboration between relevant stakeholders, supporting high quality journalism and media plurality, and developing the evidence base for countermeasures. I announced a €10 million allocation in August 2025 to support public interest journalism. €1.1 million was allocated in Budget 2026 to assist in the development of media literacy skills and fact checking expertise and research.
Coimisiún na Meán has progressed the implementation of Ireland’s online safety framework. The key to ensuring that measures put in place are as effective as possible will be the introduction of a robust and secure age verification tool. It is a vital part of the picture in terms of providing real assurance that children are the age they claim to be and to ensure they are not exposed to harmful or illegal content.
Online safety requires a harmonised approach and a robust legal basis across the European Union. I intend to make the online safety of young people a priority when Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of this year.
The Media Regulation Bill, which puts new rules in place to protect media pluralism and independence, and the Revised General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill have been published. The General Scheme will reform the corporate governance of RTÉ and TG4, in particular by assigning the Comptroller and Auditor General as auditor of RTÉ, strengthening the assessment of the performance and funding of RTÉ and TG4 by the independent regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, and establishing a Media Fund to support the production of public service content by the wider media sector.
Coimisiún na Meán launched the Digital Transformation Scheme, which will operate as a contestable award scheme on a platform neutral basis. In Budget 2026, the Department secured increased funding for TG4, with provision for a new digital news service. I announced an allocation of €10 million to Coimisiún na Meán to support public interest journalism.
Communications
Through continued deployment of the National Broadband Plan (NBP), there has been significant progress on enabling gigabit connectivity to every premises in the country, including homes, farms and businesses. The NBP is transforming the lives of over 1.1 million people across 560,000 premises in the State, by providing access to high-speed future-proofed broadband services. In 2025, premises on Achill Island were connected to high-speed fibre broadband for the first time. In Budget 2026, the Department secured a record capital allocation of €433 million to support the completion of the National Broadband Plan during this year. The Department is leading ongoing work to improve emergency response and resilience standards in telecommunications networks. In November 2025, the Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Communication Networks was published - a key milestone in ensuring that Ireland’s telecommunication networks will be fit for our future climate challenges. In March of this year, I announced that Ireland had endorsed the New York Joint Statement on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables to strengthen our maritime security. The principles outlined in the Statement align with the work being conducted by both my Department and the Department of Defence to progress the resilience and security of subsea communication cables.
The Commission for Communications Regulation launched a Short Message Service (SMS) Sender ID Registry to help prevent SMS text scams in Ireland.
In January, Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue, announced a funding package of €15 million per annum over a 5-year fixed period (2026-2030) to support a sustainable, nationwide post office network.
Sport
My Department published an International Sports Diplomacy Framework, which will help to develop our reputation as a sporting hub. November 2025 saw the official launch of UEFA EURO 2028; Ireland will host seven games including a quarter final - one of the biggest sporting events ever held in Ireland. The €93 million investment is expected to net €449 million in social and economic benefits for Ireland. 2025 saw the first-ever NFL regular season game in Ireland, which generated an estimated €104.5 million in total economic impact, and the official handover of the Ryder Cup. Hosting the Ryder Cup in 2027 should provide a substantial economic and tourism boost and last month I announced funding of up to €5.7m to help ensure that it will produce a lasting legacy in Adare, in the wider Limerick region, and in Ireland as a whole.
In November, the sod was turned to mark the start of construction of the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre, and planning permission was obtained for the first phase of the National Cricket Centre. The Munster Rugby Centre of Excellence received €2.7 million in funding from the Department under the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). In December, I attended the re-opening of the Askeaton Pool & Leisure in County Limerick, which was also supported by the LSSIF. Connacht Rugby’s Dexcom Stadium, another beneficiary of the LSSIF, opened in January this year.
€4 million was announced under the Women in Sport Programme for 2025, supporting the Government’s vision that women achieve their full potential and have lifelong involvement in sport. In December, I announced €5 million in Dormant Accounts Funding for National Governing Bodies of sport. This will be invested in community sports and physical activity initiatives. A record €27 million funding through Sport Ireland in High Performance Sport is a significant step towards the investment objectives of the National Sports Strategy 2018-2027. In Budget 2026, the Department secured funding of €3 million to the FAI to support League of Ireland Academies. In January this year, we announced record investment of over €33 million in core funding support to sporting organisations.
148. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities are resourced efficiently to process Section 5 planning applications as part of the vacant property refurbishment grant to ensure that the statutory four weeks for a decision on said application is made; if he is aware of delays in a local authority where such applications are waiting since December 2025 for a decision, well in excess of the four weeks; the steps he will take to ensure the statutory timeframes are met for applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22617/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, funded under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.
While my Department issues guidance on the provisions of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, the administration of the Grant, including the application assessment and decisions on approval and payments to applicants, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.
The refurbishment/conversion of properties may involve development that requires planning permission. Where appropriate, the local authority will require evidence of planning permission for the development/works proposed or a declaration of exemption under the Planning Acts.
My Department is also supporting local authorities with resources to tackle vacancy and dereliction. All 31 local authorities have a full-time Vacant Homes Officer. My Department provides annual funding of €60,000 to each local authority to support this post and reinforce their capacity to ensure a dedicated focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction.
My Department has also provided €180,000 to each local authority to support processing Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant applications. Technical and legal support is also available to support local authorities in administering the grant through the Housing Agency.
Delivering Homes, Building Communities committed to increasing funding for local authorities to support the administration of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, with up to an additional €100,000 being made available to each local authority per annum. My Department will be advising of the process for draw down of this additional funding in the coming weeks.
While my Department has a role in strategic workforce planning within the local government sector, Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible.
149. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No.1025 of 18 March 2026, if he intends to introduce a measure to count the number of build-to-rent apartments that are being built; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22655/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation on planning permissions granted is published quarterly by the Central Statistics Office. This includes data for planning permissions granted which can be broken down by type of dwelling, including for private flats and apartments and is available by local authority area. This data can be found at Dataset BHQ17 at the following link on CSO website https://data.cso.ie/table/BHQ17
Information regarding the number of residential units commenced is collated by my Department and is also published on the CSO website via dataset HSM14 at the following link on the CSO website: https://data.cso.ie/table/HSM14
This data is also available by dwelling type (including apartments) and per local authority area. It should be noted that this data relates to units commenced rather than permissions commenced, therefore the two datasets are not directly comparable in tabular form.
In 2022, the Government removed 'Build-To-Rent' as a distinct and separate planning application category as part of the amended ‘Sustainable Urban Housing Guidelines: Design Standards for New Apartments’ planning guidelines which took effect from 22 December 2022. There is therefore no separate category for 'build to rent units' and, as such, no data on the number of permitted, commenced or completed units which are build-to-rent is available for data collection purposes.
