Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the officials and witnesses, as well as people in the Department and wider agencies. It should be acknowledged that during the Covid-19 period, the services they provided to the sectors they deal with, including arts, sport and tourism in particular, were among those worst affected by Covid-19. Quite a number of the schemes administered by the Department had to be designed quickly and adapted because of pressure being applied from the likes of us. The committee should acknowledge the work of the witnesses and all their officials, who put in tremendous effort trying to deal with those schemes.

We have heard some of the numbers but because things ran so smoothly in most cases, we may not appreciate it. This is an example of the public service responding very well at times of crisis. It is important we put that on record.

I have a general question. Sometimes we are not even certain of the correct order of the Department's name. It is nearly a quiz question. It brings together a number of different departmental elements. Has that worked relatively well and how can officials ensure co-ordination? In discussions in the committee we dealt with questions around abuse in sport, which has an obvious impact in certain ways with online safety and media regulation legislation. It is about trying to ensure, even within one Department, a level of co-ordination.