Written Answers Nos. 540-551
540. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the dates on which he or officials in his Department held meetings in the past 12 months with third parties where the subject of the soccer match between Ireland and Israel was discussed; and the names of the organisations or bodies with whom these meetings were held, in tabular form. [45708/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe draw for the league phase of the 2026 - 2027 UEFA Nation's League, which placed Ireland and Israel in the same group, took place just over four months ago on 12 February. Since that date, my officials and I have had one meeting with a third party at which the subject of Ireland’s fixtures against Israel in September and October was discussed .That meeting, on 25 February, was with the Football Association of Ireland.
541. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the steps he will take to expand the new late-night transport pilot serving rural night-time economy locations to additional towns and counties across rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44927/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra543. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his plans to expand the new late-night transport pilot serving rural night-time economy locations to additional towns and counties across rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44946/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 541 and 543 together.
The Night-Time Economy (NTE) is an important component in the development of our towns and cities, playing a crucial role in economic growth, cultural vibrancy, social vitality, urban and rural regeneration.
The Night-Time Economy Implementation Group, which my department chairs, oversees the progression of the actions recommended in the NTE Taskforce Report and ensures that these actions remain current. The National Transport Authority (NTA), Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and the National Town Centre First Office are all active members of the Night-Time Implementation Group and my department have been working closely with these members to look at ways to further develop and provide more late-night transport options across the country.
The Night-Time Economy pilots have also been a significant project in this policy area with Night-Time Advisors located in Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Sligo, Buncrana (Donegal), Longford, Limerick, Drogheda (Louth) and Dublin. During the development of the NTE strategies in Longford, Sligo and Buncrana, the lack of transport options for people travelling out of each of the towns was identified as a significant barrier in the development of the NTE in these locations.
The ‘One at One’ late night transport pilot initiative was developed by the Night-Time Advisors to address the primary transportation barrier identified during the research phase of the pilot project. The pilot is supported by my department and has been delivered in partnership with the NTA and Local Link. The pilot service is intended to help support the ease of movement for people who wish to enjoy evenings in Sligo, Longford and Buncrana Towns, particularly benefiting businesses in the Night-Time Economy.
At this stage, ‘The One at One’ pilot initiative is focused on delivery in the selected areas only. There are currently no plans to extend this pilot initiative. A full evaluation of the pilot initiative will be conducted to assess the overall effectiveness and future feasibility of the services. I will be happy to share these findings once that evaluation has been completed.
Ultimately, the funding and provision of late-night transport services is a matter for the National Transport Authority, but we will continue to work with all the relevant partners to look at ways on how we can improve the late night service delivery across the country.
542. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he or officials from his Department have met with representatives of a company (details supplied) where discussions included the suppression of hate speech, disinformation or misinformation during the period 2022 to date; if so, the number of such meetings that were held both virtually and in-person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44932/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI was appointed Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport on 23 January 2025 and have not met Google regarding the suppression of hate speech, misinformation or disinformation since my appointment.
On 16 June 2025, I met representatives of platforms, including Google, in-person to discuss online safety and in particular, protecting children online through age verification. Officials in my Department continue to engage with platforms, including Google, in-person and online, in relation to online safety matters.
As part of the process of developing the National Counter Disinformation Strategy, on 29 November 2023, my Department arranged an in-person consultation event. Representatives of Google attended this event along with around 80 other stakeholders. The Strategy was published in April 2025 and information on the development process and progress on implementation is available on the Strategy webpage.
544. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will consider an independent review into a charity (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45050/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe body referred to is not funded directly by my Department, however it is funded by the Arts Council. Under the provisions of Section 24(2) of the Arts Act 2003, the Arts Council is independent in its grant making decisions.
I have asked the Arts Council to make direct contact with the Deputy in relation to this request. Please contact my private office if you do not hear from the Council within the next ten working days.
545. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will provide an update on when a new build property (details supplied) will be added by the planning and networks teams in a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45083/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe premises in question is in the BLUE area on the broadband map which is available on www.gov.ie/en/publication/5634d-national-broadband-plan-map/.
The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services. The Department defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload.
If a person lives in the BLUE area and after contacting their Retail Service Provider are told they cannot get access to greater than 30Mbps, they should raise a query by clicking on “contact us” in the Contact section on www.gov.ie/en/publication/5634d-national-broadband-plan-map/ and the Department will escalate with the commercial operator to investigate this matter further.
As the premises in question is a new build, it may take some time for it to appear on the GeoDirectory and in turn updated on broadband and commercial provider maps. Further information in relation to GeoDirectory can be found on An Post GeoDirectory’s website at www.geodirectory.ie/
Please be aware that updating of eircode’s on commercial operator maps is not within the remit of this Department. The activities of commercial operators delivering high-speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard.
Open eir can be contacted by your constituent with regard to the connection timelines by visiting www.openeir.ie/developers/single-dwellings.
546. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether for procurement spend, a purchase order can be raised within his Department's financial management systems without reference to a contract, framework agreement, procurement process or other authorising arrangement; if so, the circumstances in which this may occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45160/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's financial management system is currently operated on a shared service basis by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Financial Shared Services Centre. The operation of that system is governed by robust internal financial and procurement controls and approval processes which are summarised annually in the statement on internal financial control in my Department’s Appropriation Account, published at: www.audit.gov.ie/en/publications/appropriation-accounts/appropriation-accounts-2024/. In that regard, the raising of a purchase order must be authorised at the appropriate level in line with those procedures.
547. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether an invoice can be paid by his Department without an associated purchase order having first been raised; if so, the circumstances in which this may occur; the number and value of payments made during quarter one of 2026 which were not associated with a purchase order; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45178/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's financial management system is currently operated on a shared service basis by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Financial Shared Services Centre. Through that system, the vast majority of payments require an associated purchase order to be raised prior to payment of an invoice. However, in certain circumstances, a manual payment process is required for which a purchase order is not required.
Authorisation limits, set by grade, are approved by my Department's Management Board and these limits are automatically applied on the Department’s financial management system for all invoice payments, whether or not the invoice has an associated purchase order.
In Q1 2026, 394 invoice payments with a total value of €1,057,903 were issued without an associated purchase order having first been raised. This represents approximately 0.37% of the Department's spend in Q1. Of the total, just under €821,000 relates to fees which are debited to a suspense account prior to recoupment to the Department.
548. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if consideration will be given to including a location (details supplied) in National Broadband Ireland's Intervention Area to ensure access to fibre broadband for the many residents living in the estate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45206/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.
The Government identified a need to deliver broadband services where commercial operators would not operate. As part of the NBP, the Government appointed National Broadband Ireland to deliver wholesale broadband services to those parts of the country, not served by commercial operators. The Department defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload.
The estate in question is in the BLUE area on the broadband map which is available on www.gov.ie/en/publication/5634d-national-broadband-plan-map/ and is currently capable of receiving in excess of 30 Mbps from open eir’s local high-speed broadband cabinet per information available at bbchecker.comreg.ie/.
The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services. The activities of commercial operators delivering high-speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard.
There may be a choice of operators offering this service in any given area. Further information in this regard is available at www.comreg.ie/compare/#/services. ?
If a person lives in the BLUE area and after contacting their Retail Service Provider are told they cannot get access to greater than 30Mbps, they should raise a query by clicking on “contact us” in the Contact section on www.gov.ie/en/publication/5634d-national-broadband-plan-map/ and the Department will escalate with the commercial operator to investigate this matter further.
The premises is also included in open eir’s Full Fibre to the Home (FTTH) deployment programme per information available at www.openeir.ie/fibre/broadband-checker. The Department does not have sight of information that provides an estimated timeline of when commercial operators will provide a full fibre connection to the area, other than what’s on the open eir messaging.
549. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when he is next scheduled to meet a person (details supplied). [45235/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMr Peter McKenna was first appointed to the Board of the National Concert Hall (NCH) for a five-year term commencing on 9 September 2022, initially serving as an Ordinary Member. On 24 March I appointed Mr McKenna as the Chairperson of the NCH Board to serve in that capacity for the remainder of his current term, and I met with him on that date.
I do not have a further meeting with Mr. McKenna arranged at present. However, officials of my Department meet with representatives of the National Concert Hall on a regular basis. The Assistant Secretary in my Department with responsibility for Culture met with Mr. McKenna and the Chief Executive Mr. Nigel Flegg on Thursday last, 11th June.
550. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when he will provide sign-off on the planned 2% increase to the pensions of retired An Post workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45252/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder section 46 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, approves any superannuation schemes submitted by An Post. The operation of the schemes is a matter between the management of An Post, staff representatives and the trustees of the schemes.
In accordance with the Act and the relevant Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, An Post must seek Ministerial approval from both Ministers to increase pensions and deferred pensions for members of the An Post superannuation scheme. Section 2.13 of the Code of Practice for Governance of State Bodies Superannuation and Remuneration annex sets out that NewERA advice should be sought in respect of pension amendment proposals, as is appropriate in their role as commercial and financial advisors to the Ministers.
On 11 May 2026, An Post wrote to my Department requesting consent for an increase to pensions in payment and deferred pensions of 2%, arising from its agreements with employee representative groups. It is not possible, at this point, to set out the specific timeframe within which the decision-making process will be concluded by both shareholding Ministers in respect of increases submitted for consent. It should be recognised that the time taken for the pension approval process is necessary to ensure that robust governance procedures are in place, however my Department is working closely with An Post and other relevant stakeholders to complete the process as quickly as possible.
551. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he has an any way to identify which Parliamentary Questions are AI generated; and the amount it costs, on average, to answer a Parliamentary Question. [45365/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not use technology or other means to identify whether a Parliamentary Question has been generated using Artificial Intelligence.
My Department does not track the amount it costs, on average, to answer a Parliamentary Question.
