Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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We have received apologies from Deputies Micheál Carrigy and Brian Brennan. I believe some other members are delayed or may not be able to attend. This meeting has been convened to consider the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2025: Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport, which were referred to the committee by Dáil Éireann. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, the Minister of State, Deputy Charlie McConalogue, and their officials to the meeting here in committee room 3. As the Minister and Minister of State are present, it is not expected that the officials will speak in public session. I advise that the opening statements and any other documents submitted to the committee may be published on the committee's website after the meeting. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The format of the meeting is such that I will invite opening statement from the Minister and Minister of State, which will then be followed by questions from members on the basis of the speaking rota that was circulated. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Before we proceed to opening statements, I remind members of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that we should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I invite the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, to make his opening statement.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus leis na baill den choiste as an deis chun imleabhar na Meastúchán Athbhreithnithe don tSeirbhís Poiblí a chur i láthair thar ceann mo Roinne mar Aire Cultúir, Cumarsáide agus Spóirt. I welcome this opportunity to outline the 2025 financial allocations of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.

All of the sectors overseen by my Department play a key role in the quality of life and well-being of every citizen of Ireland, young and old, and are a key part of the fabric of how we express ourselves as individuals, as a society and as a nation. The Department’s overarching priority is to harness arts, culture, communications, media and sport to enhance our quality of life and to support a growing economy and population. To that end, €1.38 billion has been allocated to the Department in 2025 to support and develop these core and vital programme areas.

As Minister, it will be a key priority for me to support artists and the creative sectors and this will be possible through the 2025 allocation for arts and culture of €380.993 million. This funding, which my Department provides to the sector through the Arts Council, flows to support workers in the arts and the creative sectors and to make Ireland a great place to live for its citizens. The Arts Council has been allocated just over €140 million for 2025. While the council has rightly been the focus of much discussion within the joint committee and elsewhere, it is important that we do not lose sight of the vital work it does in developing and promoting the arts in Ireland.

I have previously spoken to the committee about the importance of the basic income for the arts pilot scheme. I recently extended the pilot to February 2026 to allow for further evaluation of the data submitted every six months by those participating in the scheme. The extension will give sufficient time to engage in stakeholder consultation and to evaluate the data that will provide the evidence base for Government to make decisions on the next steps, particularly in the context of the fiscal space in budget 2026. Some €35 million has been provided in 2025 to ensure that the scheme can continue for the full year.

With €8 million in funding for 2025, Culture Ireland will continue to showcase Irish talent and artistry overseas. The demand for Culture Ireland support has never been higher, demonstrating the success of Irish artists across global stages and the demand from international audiences to see their work. The Creative Ireland programme, delivered directly by my Department, partners with local authorities and many Departments and agencies in areas as diverse as climate change, education, children, health and through the shared island unit to use the power of creativity to unlock initiative and break down barriers in new and creative ways.

It will be important for me to progress the redevelopment of our national cultural institutions as key national assets. However, noting that these are mainly based in Dublin, it is also highly important to me that we support investment in the physical infrastructure of cultural and arts venues in regional locations and ensure support for a vibrant local cultural life with high-quality programming, whether that be from professional artists or local amateur dramatic societies or through the amazing work that groups like Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann undertake up and down the country. As well as anticipated funding for the ongoing capital development of the national cultural institutions in the new national development plan, NDP, there is an allocation of over €78 million to support their day-to-day activities.

In an era when traditional media are under threat, it is also important to support the Irish film and screen industry as well as broadcasters and local journalism. Screen Ireland’s allocation will exceed €40 million this year and will build on our recent successes in film, television and animation. I launched a new Scéal uplift for feature films and animated feature films in May. This will benefit the Irish film industry, Irish creative film workers and Irish cinemas, building on the success of the support already provided by section 481. I also recently spoke in the joint committee about how we can tap the potential of the gaming sector in Ireland.

The general scheme of the broadcasting (amendment) Bill, which the joint committee is examining, will improve transparency, accountability and value for money in RTÉ and TG4 and put in place a new statutory framework to support the provision of public service content by the wider media sector. I look forward to the outcome of pre-legislative scrutiny and to working together with the committee to progress the broadcasting (amendment) Bill to enactment. These Estimates provide €42 million in interim funding for RTÉ, which is linked to the delivery of its 2025-29 strategy. Some €60 million is provided for TG4 to support the provision of high-quality Irish-language audiovisual content.

Online safety for children is a Government priority and a top priority for me as Minister. It is essential we make sure children do not see illegal, harmful or inappropriate content and that they are able to safely avail of all the benefits of the online world. It is my view that robust age verification is essential for keeping children safe online. This is something I reiterated to the main social media companies when I met them recently. I am committed to working across government and with all stakeholders to ensure children and young people can be safe from harmful or illegal content online, in particular through robust age verification. We are making progress. Coimisiún na Meán’s online safety code sets out obligations for platforms to use age verification to prevent children seeing adult-only content. Along with the European Commission, an coimisiún has powers to address the risk of children seeing such content but we need to do more in this space. I am determined to make progress on this key issue and will work with other EU member states, including in the context of Ireland's Presidency of the EU next year, on effective and practical solutions that have regard to the rights of children but that also protect them from harm.

A budget of almost €329 million has been assigned to the broadcasting programme area for 2025. This will not only assist in this work but also ensure the ongoing independence and recognised integrity of our national broadcasters in a world where disinformation and generated false imagery are a growing concern.

The communications programme area has a total allocation of over €442 million. Key priorities for the Department include completing the roll-out of the national broadband plan over the coming year. Very good progress is being made on this and we are on track to deliver the deployment ahead of schedule and within budget. The forecast is now to have 66,000 more premises connected at the end of 2025 compared with the original schedule. This represents a connection rate that is two years ahead of schedule. Implementation of the digital connectivity strategy is also a priority to ensure that all premises in the State have access to gigabit broadband by the end of 2028, with all populated areas covered by 5G no later than 2030.

We must ensure the security and resilience of our communications and digital infrastructure in the face of increasing hazards, both from malicious attacks and from extreme weather events. I have been highly critical of the response of some of our service providers to the damage to communications infrastructure caused by Storm Éowyn. Notwithstanding the severity of that storm, it was unacceptable that some rural areas and customers were left for months without service.

I have also engaged with the regulator, ComReg, in this regard. I have written to individual operators seeking more detail on the actions they have taken since the storm and any remaining actions they intend to take before next winter. My Department is also reviewing the statutory powers available to me, as Minister, and to ComReg, in relation to requirements on operators including storm-related information gathering and sharing, network integrity that includes maintaining networks in a proper state, obligations regarding network restoration and related timeframes and informing consumers about network and service restoration.

In respect of postal policy, the Government is committed to supporting the Irish post office network, in line with the programme for Government. These Estimates provide for €10 million for the post office network, which An Post disperses through the network. Clearly, the online world has changed the nature of postal services. This provides challenges for the post office network, but it also gives rise to opportunities. It is important that the network put itself in a position to take these opportunities to ensure its sustainability and continue to be a vital community service into the future. The Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, will speak further on this.

More than €230 million is provided for sport in the Estimate. Sport is a central part of Irish life, from the grassroots local level right up to our elite athletes and teams. I am committed to ensuring that it continues to contribute positively to health and well-being across all elements of society. We will achieve this by continuing to invest in much-needed facilities throughout the country via record allocations this year for the community sport facilities fund and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund. In addition, we have provided increased funding for Sport Ireland to support sporting organisations and programmes. We also have a number of important major sports events planned over the next two years. The Minister of State will go into greater detail on these issues too.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I thank the Minister. I now invite the Minister of State to make his opening statement.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach and the members for their invitation today. As we outlined at our last committee hearing, the Government is committed to supporting our sporting ecosystem so that people can participate, reap the benefits of sport and fulfil their potential, from grassroots right up to high performance level. In this regard, the Government has invested well over €1 billion in sports infrastructure and development across the country since 2018. The return on that investment in terms of community participation, inclusion, integration and physical and mental well-being is substantial. I have previously highlighted to the committee that the rate of active sports participation among adults is now 49%, the highest it has ever been, and the participation gap between men and women is now below 3%, the smallest deficit we have ever seen. This is due in no small part to substantial Government investment in sport over recent years. We will continue that investment in sport, including through the implementation of our national sports policy and action plan, which runs to 2027, and by working with Sport Ireland in supporting initiatives run through it. The national sports policy committed the Government to doubling funding in sport to more than €220 million by 2027, compared with 2018 levels. This target has been achieved two years ahead of schedule, with funding of more than €230 million provided for sport in these Estimates, which is an increase of €21 million from the original 2024 allocation. Earlier this year we announced Sport Ireland’s 2025 core funding allocations to our national governing bodies for sport, local sports partnerships and other funding bodies. The figure of €31 million in core funding allocated is an increase of 76% compared with 2018, when our national sports policy was published. This increased investment will assist in ensuring the long-term sustainability of our sporting organisations and will enable the sector to continue to deliver increased opportunities for people to participate in a wide variety of sports.

In terms of high performance, we have allocated €27 million across Sport Ireland’s high performance programmes for this year, including €4.5 million in direct support for athletes through the carding scheme. This is in line with the Government’s target of delivering €30 million per annum for high performance sport by 2027 as we track towards the 2028 L.A. Olympics. This increased funding for high performance sport reflects the programme for Government commitment to our High Performance Strategy 2021-2032, which provides the overarching policy framework for the development of our high-performance system for the next two Olympiads.

We have also announced investment of €4 million this year to Sport Ireland's Women in Sport programme, which funds projects and initiatives across a wide range of sports and supports the Government’s vision where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential while enjoying a lifelong involvement in sport. The Women in Sport funding programme has been in place since 2005 and over the past two decades we have seen €30 million invested through the national governing bodies and local sports partnerships in gender equality. Some €10 million has been allocated in the Estimates to sport under the Dormant Accounts Fund and this funding will be released to successful applicants across two tranches during the second half of this year. Despite recent progress, there is an enduring participation gap between those with and without disabilities. In line with the programme for Government, Sport Ireland recently appointed a disability in sport lead. The role has the potential to be transformational and the disability in sport lead will work with national governing bodies, local sports partnerships and other sporting bodies to develop and promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in sport.

In terms of wider investment in sport, the Government has made available several forms of tax relief to promote investment in sport, most recently in the latest Finance Act, including to allow a transferable tax relief for donations to national governing bodies of sport for specific purposes, including investment in equipment and high-performance programmes. Major international sporting events can play a key role in increasing sport participation, as well as encouraging domestic and international tourism and promoting Ireland as a destination for education and business purposes. They present a good opportunity to showcase Ireland and our world-class tourism and sports offering to Europe and the world. In this vein, the Government continues to support the hosting of major sports events in Ireland and to explore further hosting opportunities. That is evidenced by the support being provided for events such as the US college football classic series, which has been running annually since 2022 and will this year feature Kansas and Iowa state universities, the UEFA Europa League final in Dublin last year, the first ever National Football League regular season game which will be held in Croke Park in September between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings, the Ryder Cup in 2027 in Adare in Limerick, the co-hosting of the UEFA EURO 2028 football championship with the UK and the co-hosting with the UK of the 2030 T20 Cricket World Cup.

The 2024 Government policy and strategy framework for the hosting of major international sporting events is the first of its kind and fulfils a commitment under the previous programme for Government. That policy framework provides for how the Government should support major international sporting events, the benefits it should seek to derive from such events, the supports it could offer and the kinds of events it would prioritise. This framework and its further development will guide future bid activity and ensure Ireland remains competitive and strategic in pursuing these opportunities. Members will appreciate that bidding processes for major sports events can be complex, and that confidential commercial information and non-disclosure agreements are key features of such processes. Additionally, such bidding processes will typically feature other potential interested parties. Therefore, for the reasons I have outlined, I am not able to specify which events my Department is currently engaged with or considering future engagement with. However, I can confirm any engagements by my Department in this regard are guided by the key determining factors as set out in the new policy framework. This includes an assessment of the economic, sporting and social impact of the events in question. In this regard, my officials are working alongside officials in the Department of foreign affairs to implement our new international sports diplomacy framework to leverage sports and major sports events to promote Irish interests overseas.

Turning to postal policy, it is a priority for us that An Post harness the opportunities presented by e-commerce and the digital economy and deliver a sustainable nationwide post office network by offering a range of services. The Government recognises the special role that An Post and the post office network play in our lives, providing invaluable support for some of the most vulnerable in our society through the provision of social welfare payments, free postage to care homes, community focal points and other valuable services. I also recognise that there are challenges for the network, including uncertainty regarding global trade, the continuing decline in mail volumes and the growth of digitalisation. The Government is committed to supporting Ireland’s post office network vis-á-vis €10 million in this year's Estimates, following on from the same over the past two years. The current programme for Government also recognises the need to support Ireland’s post office network, committing to providing continued funding to aid its sustainability and enhance the value the network brings to local communities. Is cúis mhór áthais dúinn deis a fháil labhairt leis an gcoiste inniu. Go raibh maith agaibh.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister and the Minister and Minister of State for joining us again. I know it has not been too long since they were here previously, so I do not have much. I have a couple of questions I would like to tease out. I will start with the Minister of State and the post office network. He will be aware that its representatives appeared before the committee some weeks ago, and they were vocal and clear in their request to the Government for a €15 million support package this year to remain open and viable predominantly, but not just, in rural areas.

That lobby is coming at all of us as Members to be here to sing the same tune as them. The Minister mentioned that there is Government commitment to keep the network going, and I am aware the Department has provided funding of €10 million a year for the past three years. Is there any consideration in the Government at the moment to increase this to the €15 million or does the Department envisage it will remain at €10 million this year and for the foreseeable future?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We are very committed to continuing to support the post office network. As part of the budgetary process this year, we are engaging with the Department of public expenditure on the renewal of that three-year agreement. It is subject to what happens in the budget itself but it is fair to say that, as the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, and I have outlined previously, we are absolutely committed as a Government to making sure we take the steps that see our post office network as strong and vibrant as possible and in every parish and part of the country. It is very much to the fore in our budgetary considerations. I have been in contact regularly with postmasters. I attended their annual conference six weeks or so ago, and we will continue to engage with them. Oireachtas Members across all the aisles are very aware of the value of post offices now more than ever, given the absence of many other services in some of our towns and villages. We want to make sure we do what is necessary to fully support them.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I appreciate it is early in the budget process, but this is to the fore with us as well so it would be prudent of us to raise it.

If I may move on to the Minister and the national broadband plan, there is talk of an additional €80 million required. Can the Minister offer any clarity around that figure or what kind of funding is envisaged that can go into the national broadband plan? Before he comes in, I will even go one step further and ask if it is contractually viable to engage with broadband providers to contribute towards the cost of the national broadband plan to see it over the line, or is the onus falling solely on the Government in that regard?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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It is important to point out that when I first became a Member of the Oireachtas, I was a member of this committee - it was previously the committee on transport, communications and sport, I think, and tourism might have been thrown into it as well - and this was the single biggest issue by a country mile facing most Deputies, particularly from rural constituencies, from 2011 onwards. There was a requirement for an intervention. Nobody was going to do this. The commercial companies all made it very clear that they were not going to make an intervention. The Government decided at the time to make an intervention. There were many high-profile opponents to it. They said it was a total waste of money and asked why we would give people in rural Ireland the same level of connectivity as they have in Ranelagh, but it has been transformative. The Deputy knows, representing as she does a rural constituency, that were it not for it and the €2 billion the Government put on the table to make sure there was an intervention area, we would never have been able to see what I saw on Achill last week. People have come back to Achill Island and the west of Ireland to rear families and be part of the community. Now they can work in the UK or in Dublin remotely and it has been transformative. There will be, I imagine, a shortfall this year. That is normal. I do not have a final figure yet. I have to go to the Government with it. That is because it is running way faster than we had anticipated. It is running way ahead of schedule and it has the capacity to finish about two years earlier, which is phenomenal, but within budget. We are not looking for extra money; a profiling of the money is what we will be looking for. As they have gone around the country, they have found first of all a great level of success working with local authorities, which have the local knowledge, and they have been able to connect and offer connections far ahead of profile. That is an amazing achievement. In Mayo last week, that was very evident.

The Deputy asked about the commercial companies. The commercial companies opted out at the start, and that is why we needed a plan. The commercial companies are there because they will be the retail providers. National Broadband Ireland is essentially the wholesaler, and the retailers will be the people advertising for connections. Ultimately, the success here is that it is on budget and way ahead of schedule and has been transformative. There will be a requirement for a reprofiling of money this year. I do not have a final figure for that yet but I hope to have it for the Government in the autumn .

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I apologise for having had to pop out. I have just a few questions. The first is about sport. The community sport facilities fund is seeing an increase of roughly 50%, which is really welcome. I see that the target reach of the fund in terms of payments made and, by extension, clubs and initiatives supported has increased by only 14%. Can the Minister of State outline the rationale for that and give assurance that we are supporting those smaller community clubs with the fund?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We were profiling here in the funds and the budget for this year what we expect the drawdown to be this coming year, and we will do the same next year. Looking at the past three or four years, the projections are largely in line with what the expected drawdown might be. So far this year, we have had more drawdowns than we would have otherwise had, so while 1,800 payments were made last year, we have seen 1,100 payments made so far this year. That reflects the fact that the most recent round last year had a larger number and the one before that had too. That is feeding its way through the system and is something we are profiling in terms of the budget for this year. We will look to do the same again next year.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Moving on to broadcasting, one figure jumped out at me and I am sure there is an easy enough explanation for it. It was under financial and human resources inputs, C7, Coimisiún na Meán. The funding seems to have decreased from €5 million to €150,000. Is that accounted for elsewhere or is there a decrease or was it to do with the setup costs?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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That cost is met by the income sources it has. There is Coimisiún na Meán's imposed levy, so it is not dependent on the State for its income. That is where-----

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Okay, so it was just that first year for setup and now it has its own income. Perfect. I thank the Minister for that.

Do the targets for the numbers of hours of Irish-language programming per day encapsulate RTÉ and TG4 together? Do they also bring together all TV programming, public and private? As a follow-on question, would the Minister consider breaking up those targets between TG4 and non-Irish-language TV stations to provide that better picture and target for Irish-language programming across all TV? I am asking about the granularity of it.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I may have to come back to the Deputy on the detail operator by operator, but every operator is different and every operator has a licence, and within the licence there is a requirement for X number of hours per week through the medium of the Irish language. That also includes the commercial radio stations. I can come back to the Deputy with a table with regard to each of the individual broadcasters and what they are providing. It will be tabulated for me by Coimisiún na Meán. We can get the Deputy that detail.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Please. That would be great because they are just slightly different in that they have that different objective of Irish-language support, so it would be helpful to see Irish-language broadcasting not just in one bucket but rather through the different channels providing it.

On arts and culture and the basic income for the arts scheme, this is just a small thing, but the output targets for 2023 and 2024 were 2,000 and then the figure dropped in 2025 to just 1,973. It is only a small number of 27 artists, but does the Minister have a reason why they are no longer on the books? Was it just fall-off from the scheme?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Each individual circumstance is different. Some of them unfortunately passed away.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Goodness.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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There is an individual story behind everything. People would have chosen to opt out. As I said the last day, I am committed to the concept of this and rolling it forward. We obviously have not started the current expenditure discussions yet with the Departments of Finance and public expenditure and reform, but as soon as we do this will be one we will be very anxious to see retained and grown if at all possible.

I should have said earlier, I was on TG4 last week, and the Deputy is correct that the importance of Irish-language programming cannot be overestimated, particularly the spinoffs, because it is also very evident that a lot of the organic, homegrown Irish film industry is born directly out of TG4.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Exactly.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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We have seen in recent years that the Irish-language programming has been particularly successful with the likes of "An Cailín Ciúin" and other productions and in the animation space. We want to try to continue to support that. The presentation I got from TG4 last week would inspire me with hope that there is a lot of stuff in the pipeline. For instance, even the Tour de France, which is very much in vogue at the moment, is broadcast five hours a day continuously through the medium of Irish in a tiny little room in Baile na hAbhann by two presenters, who have obviously got to know each other very well over recent weeks.

They are literally inside in a tiny box, doing a fantastic job through the medium of Irish.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Yes, they do an incredible job. That money goes straight into the economy and straight into those communities. It would be great to see that extended and replicated. Sometimes, perhaps, TG4 and its success have been somewhat overshadowed by other broadcasters in these discussions. It is important to make sure they are kept prominent and front and centre.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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One could say TG4's success has been overshadowed by other people's sins.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Exactly, yes.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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TG4 certainly has not been given credit. In fairness, in some cases it is operating on a shoestring compared to others. A lot of people have been spun out of TG4. Right next door to the place in Baile na hAbhann is a small studio, which is now producing content for TG4 and RTÉ. Again, it started as a sole operator. It now employs 25 people through the medium of Irish in content production.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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The target and outputs for individual artists in receipt of funding is 2,100. That is the same as last year, as is the target for organisations. Does that figure for individual artists include the basic income scheme?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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No. That is the Arts Council supports.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Are there any plans to expand that or increase those targets?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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That will all be predicated on what kind of a scheme, if any, I am able to put in place after the budget. As I said the last day, I am open to suggestions from the committee once the budget is over, assuming we get some amount of money to continue a scheme. As to what people would suggest as a reasonable and proportionate way of trying to administer it, I am open to any kind of suggestions regarding what a new scheme should look like.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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The output targets for the number of film and television projects funded by Screen Ireland are also lower this year than they were last year. In the context of wanting to support the fantastic work of Irish writers, directors, producers and actors, why are we not seeing an increase in the target for projects supported in that area?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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To be fair to Screen Ireland we also have a number of different initiatives that were not there last year. For instance, section 481 has been expanded. The Scéál uplift has been brought into place. We also have an unscripted levy, which was approved by the European Commission this year. That will allow for reliefs in that area that did not exist previously. Even as late as last month, when I was on a trade mission to Los Angeles with Screen Ireland, its pipeline was very busy. It is very enthused by the amount of interest being shown and the number of commitments being given to Irish studios in Dublin and Wicklow, and in remote places as well. At last week's Film Fleadh, the key ask was that there would be a greater emphasis on regional production outside Dublin and Wicklow, which is something I support. Obviously, that will come with an ask around section 481. That will form part of the discussions we will have with the Department of Finance.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I absolutely endorse that because the fact that production is so concentrated in Dublin and Wicklow is an issue. We do need to see efforts to stimulate it outside of that hub. I welcome that. I thank the Minister.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I apologise for being late; I was at another meeting. I welcome the Minister and Minister of State. I will start with football and an article in the Sunday Independent at the weekend. It related to matters in the Minister's home county connected with safeguarding and governance. Over the last few weeks, this committee has been discussing concerns around safeguarding and governance. I will not go into the detail of either but, broadly speaking, what I read in the newspaper is concerning. The article referenced comments from Dr. Una May and some correspondence between Sport Ireland and the FAI. We have had difficulty engaging with the FAI over the last few weeks. We are trying to get its representatives to appear here. The FAI has, finally, agreed to come in September. Could the Minister comment-----

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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To clarify, we do not have full agreement from the FAI yet. It is in process, hopefully.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Okay, it is hoped the FAI will come in the autumn. I am a football man. I go to Cork City matches. I have often burned the ears of the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, on expanding the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. We want more investment in sports capital grants. We all want the FAI to be governed well. Can the Minister comment on concerns around safeguarding in particular and the memorandum of understanding, MOU?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I will not comment specifically on the article in the newspaper. Correspondence between me and the CEO of Sport Ireland, when it comes to an individual or group of individuals, and correspondence between the CEO of Sport Ireland and any national governing body of sport on the welfare of individuals who are involved in any national governing body of sport, I would take as being very important and should not be leaked. It is beyond regrettable that correspondence relating to people's welfare and conduct within particular organisations winds up in the media.

I was a Minister of State with responsibility for sport previously. There can be no place in a national governing body of sport for anything other than absolute commitment to protecting people's dignity, safety and welfare within national governing bodies. In the past, we have had a number of different issues regarding different sporting organisations in this country and we have had to deal with them. We have robust governance procedures in place, including oversight by Sports Ireland, backed up by legislation, to make sure ordinary members, volunteers, coaches, players and participants are protected. The State's role, through Sports Ireland, is to make sure everybody, regardless of who they are, is protected, their welfare and individual position within the sport are protected and they are not victimised in any way. We have seen enough of that in this country over many years. That is why we have robust governance in Sport Ireland and my Department with an overarching position, setting out legislation and voting through funding to Sport Ireland to manage on behalf of the taxpayers. The Minister of State may also wish to comment. I cannot find an adequate formula of words to sum up how I feel about seeing correspondence in the media between the CEO of Sport Ireland and any national governing body relating to welfare issues, to be honest.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Like most people here, I am a football fan. Nobody here is trying to comment on any individual situation, but we are faced with requests. The FAI have come in here and made presentations to us about the future funding for academies, for example. We all want to support that. Will the Minister of State elaborate on the status of the specific request to fund those academies? Has that progressed and has anything major made it to his table yet?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We have had a number of engagements with Sport Ireland on the proposal for academy footballers. There is an obvious need there, particularly post-Brexit. Previously, a lot of our under-18 players went to Britain but they can no longer go until they are 18 years of age. We have seen the benefits of that as many of the young players who would otherwise have been across the water are in the League of Ireland now. It does bring challenges regarding the academy system. The Government has so far committed up to €1 million to conducting the audit and a full assessment of the landscape of the academy system currently in place. We will be informed by that audit as to the next steps. Anything we will consider doing would be subject to budgetary engagement as well. That is where it sits at the moment.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Is that in this budget cycle, as opposed to next year's?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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In the first instance it will be informed by the audit. Potentially, that will be complete at the end of August. Budget considerations will be made after that.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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A number of us met with TG4 representatives today. As with everybody else, they are looking for consideration from the budget. TG4's key ask is for multi-annual funding. I ask the Minister to comment with regard to multi-annual funding.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The concept of multi-annual funding is something every State and public body seeks, and for good reason. Ministers look for it too because it gives us certainty regarding, say, the number of roads we are going to build, the amount of cables we are going to lay or the number of pylons we are going to build.

It gives a certainty with regard to a whole pile of things.

The events of the past four or five days should serve all of us well in terms of the economic position of the country and the type of waters we are sailing into. We are very fortunate that we have run budget surpluses and that we have the economic situation we have. Had we taken the advice of some people, we would be in a totally different position, particularly now as we do not know what is going to emerge between the United States and the European Union. We have to be conscious of that. The summer economic statement will lay down in clear terms the parameters for Government spending. It will also give us ceilings as to what we will achieve. That will be done over the next number of years.

Coimisiún na Meán has a view on this. One of the recommendations was that funding would be multi-annual. We hope to have the broadcasting Bill finished in the Oireachtas soon. I met TG4 last week. In fairness, it is supportive and understanding of the Government's limitations. We should be able to try to achieve the type of thing it is asking for. TG4 does a fantastic job. It has specific asks related to news and other areas, none of which is unreasonable. I am looking forward to working with CEO and the board-----

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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That leads me to my last question on independent editorial control around news. Does the Minister have any comment to make on that?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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What TG4 is looking for is not unreasonable in this day and age. The organisation had that at one stage and I do not know why it lost it. I presume it was connected to the collapse in the economy, but I am not sure. It is not an unreasonable ask and it is one we will work through with TG4 over the next while. I do not see why it should not be able to produce its own news. Obviously, there will be cost implications and how we meet those will be another day’s work. I watch TG4 quite a lot. It has been transformative in terms of sport. It is broadcasting sports that no one would touch until recently and now everybody wants them. Everybody wants the national hurling league, the football league and the club championships because they realise the audience TG4 has for them. They want to try to poach them off TG4. They could not look after what they had themselves and now they want to take what TG4 has. It does a great job. It has my full support.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister, the Minister of State and their officials for attending. For some of the officials, it sounds like a weekly appearance at this stage. I am appreciative of their work. They will find cross-party support for the budgetary asks. When it comes to the arts and sports, it is not just that they are nice things to have; they are critical drivers for the economy, societal well-being and all of our communities. I echo the comments with regard to TG4 and any support that can be provided. TG4's role in the area of co-production, for example, its work on "An Cailín Ciúin", has been significant. It operates off a shoestring budget. I am conscious we are moving into budget periods, but if specific support were given to TG4, it would be welcome.

The Minister referenced section 481, as did Deputy Gibney in the context of the concept of regional uplifts. There was a regional uplift before. Where are we with that from the Department's perspective? The previous regional uplift was expanded because of Covid-19. Like the Minister, I would be keen to see if we can progress it.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The total figure for TG4 is a little bit more than €60 million. The Deputy is right that it does excellent work. You will not find too many flip-flops down in Baile na hAbhann, from what I see. I did not see many Renaults in the car park being offered by way of a raffle or anything like that either.

With regard to regional uplift, the Government brought this in before. With any uplifts, they have been tested by the European Commission with regard to EU state aid and to make sure they do not in any way infringe on competition. I met screen producers in Galway last week as part of the Film Fleadh. There were producers there from counties Donegal, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and a couple of other places. It is important to point out that even without a regional uplift, the work of Screen Ireland is hugely important. I was told clearly in all of the studios I visited in Los Angeles that the best film commission anywhere in the world is Screen Ireland. It does an amazing job. Either last year or the year before, the net worth of the film industry here hit €1 billion. It is not just film; it is also gaming and television. Screen Ireland is really important.

Outside of that, there are requests that we look at regional uplift. It would have to be looked at in the round of the budget. It is a Department of Finance issue because it comes in under section 481 of the Finance Act. We are at an early stage. We still have not bedded down the national development plan. As soon as that finishes, the negotiations will then start. As I said here the last day, film has been transformative in my region with the advent of Troy Studios. There are other places around the country that could be benefit from it. It is a lot more expensive to conduct work in Cahersiveen-----

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Is the Minister keen to develop it?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I am, but my keenness will be matched only by the support that I get from the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Generally, on the arts, I strongly welcome the Minister's commitment to the basic income for artists scheme. The hope will be that the scheme will be expanded. There is still the questions of whether to welcome this scheme this year or whether it will be broadened to cover more than the current 2,000 recipients? Will the Minister comment on the commitments in the programme for Government towards an arts capital programme? I welcomed his commitment at a previous meeting of the committee to funding for amateur theatre and amateur musical theatre around the country. Does he envisage that being funded directly through his Department or through the Arts Council?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Arts Council gets €141 million per year. This is a substantial amount of money. That has grown substantially over the past number of years. As I go around the country, there is an obvious question that I am often asked. I see some people on the front of a particular newspaper today asking, as Deputy Brian Brennan asked the last day, why comedians are not funded by the Arts Council. A comedian took to the front of The Irish Sun today to have a go at that suggestion, asking whether we want comedians working for the Government. We support writers, musicians, song writers and poets. They are not working for the Government. It is fine for some people who might be on television morning, noon and night as comedians. For people trying to start out, it is an art form. We should not be prescriptive by saying that country music is out, but ballet is in, or comedy is out, but harping is in. Ireland is a totally different country now culturally than what it was in 1945. It looks different, it sounds different and it is different.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Minister about comedy. Will he be directing the Arts Council? I welcome that he has committed to continuing to fund that level. Will we look at seeing where amateur drama, musical theatre and comedy will be covered under schemes through the Arts Council, or will it be funded directly? During the Covid-19 period, there was funding made available to the amateur musical and amateur theatre space.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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That is a fair extrapolation on what I said. I never said that I would be directing the Arts Council to do anything. I was speaking in a musing way as to why one art form is covered, and another is not.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate that. The Minister would not be shy in directing the Arts Council.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I know my legislative role. I would not care for one minute to overstep. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is funded directly from the Department. That is just bizarre that the Department has a lump of money for Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and that for some historical reason - I am not really interested in the history - it does not get funding from the Arts Council. What greater demonstration of art in Ireland through the medium of music is there than from our own music, yet it falls to the Department to fund it. There are anomalies here that are going to have to be addressed. I would not care to direct the Arts Council to do it because I understand its independence. I am, however, empowered in my role as the Minister to give my opinions.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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And also to offer a view. With regard to the development of an arts capital programme, similar to the successful sports capital programme that the Minister will be familiar with in Limerick as we are in all parts of the country, there are theatres and arts centres often run by volunteers that cannot access the same levels of supports.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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It is in the programme for Government. It is something that we are going to try get. Any supports that members of the committee can weigh upon the Minister for public expenditure and reform at this sensitive time of the negotiations would be very welcome.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Can the Minister provide any update about his intentions with the basic income for artists scheme? The extension is welcome but he will appreciate that for those in the scheme and those hoping to come into the scheme-----

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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That is the reason I extended it. I did not want to have them cut off at the end of August and left without any sort of an income. I also did not want to cut it short on 31 December. That would be a real message of "Happy Christmas lads, we are cutting you off now". We are going to resource the first two months out of the Department's own resources next year. We have no money for it but we are going to try to get it. As I said to Deputy Gibney a while ago, once I get the money - presuming I will get something - I am open to suggestions as to how it should be designed and what Deputies feel are good learnings from the previous iteration. The previous iteration was not perfect but it was certainly a far better situation than what the artists had prior to then, which was that they did not know from Monday to Friday where their income was going to come from.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate that. I have one very quick final question on the national cultural institutions in terms of capital funding. He will be aware that the Abbey Theatre, the National Library of Ireland and the National Concert Hall all have major capital projects ahead. I presume there is a commitment to-----

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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There is and they are in the existing national development plan. Some have started and are well under way. The library project is started, as are the Crawford Art Gallery and the archives. I am not happy with the pace of these projects, to be quite honest. I have spoken to the Secretary General on this. We will have to see if there is a different mechanism to deliver them because it is taking far too long. The national cultural institutions and their patrons are quite right to be annoyed over the fact that these projects are taking longer than we thought. We had money in the previous national development plan. They should have been moved a lot further. We are relying on another State agency to do this work for us and we have not gone as far as we should have on their delivery.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I thank the Minister. We will have one small round of questions afterwards. I have a few questions and some observations. I thank the Minister for his frankness. The issue regarding TG4 is something that has been expressed by nearly every member of this committee. I refer to the contribution TG4 makes not just in sport, but also in documentaries, which is what I like. It is for a pittance. It is phenomenal so I wanted to acknowledge that. My Sky+ remote is constantly on TG4 for all the various different documentaries, which I watch at the weekends.

One other thing on this committee, because the Minister has referred to it a number of times. I am reading between the lines. I am a huge supporter of this. I will explain the situation. Both my children are involved in acting and performing. He is looking at broadening the cultural institutions scheme to regional areas. That would be smaller venues as well, I presume. He is also looking at designing a scheme to support the various different small groupings across the country as well. It might be useful for the Minister's schemes, and it would provide some indication post budget, if this committee met with a selection of the people to discuss and put forward some ideas. Would he be open to that?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Absolutely. It would be a very good idea.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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It would be on both of those aims, if funding comes through in the budget obviously.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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It is in the programme for Government. We have had too much of a narrow focus in what is and what is not supported by the State by virtue of the artistic communities.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I agree with the Minister.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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There are some people who feel outside the pale. Their music might be very popular in Monaghan but it may not be popular in certain parts of this city. That does not mean those artists should not get support from the State and at the moment they get zero.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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There is a young chap - well, not young as he is nearly 40 now - in GMCBeats down in Cork who is teaching rap music to kids for the last 15 to 20 years.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Is that not an art form?

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I doubt he has ever got any State support. He may have got-----

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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But that is an art form.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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-----some small supports. Exactly.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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It is an art form. Ireland is a totally different place from what it was in 1941.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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For our own members, we would probably do this post budget but could probably do it in one or two sessions.

I had to speak at the IMRO launch last week; I would say I was a late addition. One thing that came up quite a bit was the whole issue around artists, because of AI and everything else, having to do more performances in order to have an income that is sustainable. When I spoke there and mentioned that the Minister had said at our committee that he was looking at more venues, it was very welcome. It is obvious from their situation that they have to perform so much more but they do not have access to the venues to be able to do that. That was a message that came back loud and clear.

There was so much wind and rain in Portroe last night that when I woke up, the broadband was gone. It has come back in the last while. I welcome the fact that NBI is two years ahead. Just as an observation, there is also a misconception out there somewhere that the Minister needs to find money when I explained that actually it is ahead of schedule and this is just profiling.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Yes.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I just want to let the Minister know there is messaging out there that people do not understand that. I would have had a question on it too. As regards resilience, are there any changes we are going to insist on? I am thinking of connecting that with consumer protection. If your Sky is gone for a week, trying to get a rebate is so difficult. I refer to something similar with broadband.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach. I think he is right. One of the things that was exposed was that the regulatory environment was certainly designed at a time when climate change was not going to be the enemy of wires and poles that it is, together with trees that have ash dieback and a whole clatter of other things. I am not satisfied that there was a sufficient response when parts of west Cork and west Mayo, for instance, were left without connectivity for 19 weeks. Ireland is a very wealthy country. In 2025, being left without a connection for 19 weeks is not appropriate. The companies had their usual excuses. As a result of that, and I have discussed this with my own officials, the regulatory environment around ComReg is something we are looking at, particularly the protections for consumers and the provision of information to customers. Some of the information that went out through my Department, because it was reliant on the providers, was not accurate. We have to make sure that is not the case in the future.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Was it the timelines that were not accurate?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The number of people who were without a service that was being reported to me was not accurate at particular times at the height of the storm.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Was it way higher?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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It was way higher - multiples of the number. It is not good enough. Then there is the billing system. People are being left without a service and the companies have no problem in dropping an invoice into people's inboxes.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I know all about it.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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We have to look at this in the round. Storm Éowyn has probably provided me with an opportunity to bring forward modernisation that should be done anyway-----

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I am glad to hear it.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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-----and I will engage with the committee on that. On what the Cathaoirleach said about venues, we will try to do the grassroots scheme, which was a small pilot scheme of €0.5 million that was massively oversubscribed, next year with a bigger pot of money if we can. As to more venues, the Cathaoirleach is quite right. Most of the national cultural institutions are in Dublin with the exception of the Crawford Art Gallery. People in Nenagh, Roscrea and Templemore should have access to a cultural space. However, to do that we will have to collaborate with Tipperary County Council or their likes. The Department will not be able to do it on its own. What I will hopefully be doing after the budget, all going well and if we have money, is asking for local authorities to step forward and say that they would like to partner with us on-----

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Co-funding?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Yes. It would involve the provision of the same type of system as the large-scale sport infrastructure funding, LSSIF, scheme. Local authorities would have to provide a site and some of the working capital. As well as that, they would have operate it. We will not be there checking the tickets at the door. If cultural spaces are going to be provided around the country, they have to provided with the backing of the local authorities because if they are not, they will fail from the start.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Agreed.

I have a couple of quick questions from the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue. GAA integration is obviously a topic that this committee wants to discuss. It was one of the main topics when we discussed our topics at the beginning of the whole term and we will be coming to it in the autumn. I presume some sort of integration funding is likely.

Is that envisaged? Obviously, a programme or plan would have to be put before the Department. I do not doubt any of that. Integration is the way to go. It is something we all have to support in modern Ireland across all components of the GAA. There could be a request for funding. Is that something the Minister of State is expecting?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It is something the Government is very supportive of, as we discussed the last day. The nitty-gritty hard work and graft is under way. I met the GAA again this week and we discussed this matter. It is likely that there will be an ask around funding. It would be unusual for any organisation not to have an ask. It is something that will be considered in the context of how we manage budgets.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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It would need to be multi-annual, I assume.

My final question is on the post office funding. When An Post was before the committee, it listed off an amount of things it could do for funding. I know the Department is going through the process now and there is a short timeframe but are all the proposals, some across banking, social services and basic things like being a commissioner, under consideration as part of this package for the future?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We are looking at all opportunities and potential. However, at the same time we are also considering the state aid technicalities for how the agreement will be renewed and what can and cannot be done as part of that. For example, there may be challenges around offering new services as part of the package. We are looking at how that tallies with maintaining an existing service and providing funding for that. We are scoping out what that would look like but our objective is to try to ensure-----

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Is it the case that the timeframe is tight?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Yes. We are availing of opportunities to support An Post to provide as many services as possible but we are looking to see how that matches the technical requirements of the renewal of the agreement.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Okay. Deputy Gibney has three minutes.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I have a follow-up question on the basic income for the arts scheme. I do not think I said in the last round that I think it is brilliant that it is being rolled out for artists. I appreciate that the scheme is particularly suited to the artistic community where there is so much precarity and difficulty in making a living. I also have an interest in how basic income can be applied into other sectors, particularly seasonal farmers and those in care roles in the home. What is in the budget to model that and learn from what we are doing in the arts community to make sure we can share what we learn with other Departments? Is that factored into the budgetary process so we capture all that?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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To clarify on the Deputy’s previous question, that is just for TG4.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Okay, thank you.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The basic income for the arts scheme is a pilot. It was set up to see what the take-up would be like and how it would address the precarious nature of artists' income. There is no doubt that it has been massively successful. It has probably been a victim of its success because there might have been some people in the Department of public expenditure and reform who thought it was a pilot and would die a death, and then they could forget about it. However, it has been hugely successful and it is something to which I am hugely committed. That will form the basis of our negotiations with the Department. Support from Opposition parties such as the Deputy’s party is important because it puts it firmly and squarely on the agenda. I will not say to other sectors that they cannot look at this. They can freely look at it to see if there are other social enterprises-----

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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As it is a pilot, I think there is a need to build into the budgetary system a way of monitoring it and monitoring its success. What is the Department doing to get data that can be reused by other Departments?

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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As I said the last time I was here, that work is under way. I extended it so that I would have four quarters of quantitative and qualitative results. It is research, primarily. We will publish it. Without seeing the final results, I have no doubt that it will more than wash its own face in terms of output and I have no problem standing over it. Once I have a complete set of data, I will have no problem publishing it. If the committee wants myself or the officials to come back and discuss it, we will.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I feel for the control group in the whole pilot system. Are they considered for the extension? I know we are getting slightly into the nuts and bolts.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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They are not because I have no extension to consider them for. I have not considered anyone or anything. Once I have the money, I will consider everything.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Okay. I thank the Minister.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I call Deputy Byrne.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My question is for the Minister of State. The investment in sport has been really significant both with the huge investment under the last round of the sports capital programme and the LSSIF. However, there is an issue for minority sports and in certain disadvantaged areas and even some urban areas where clubs or organisations do not have access to facilities. This has been a long-running problem, as the Minister of State knows, particularly for minority sports. I know the Department is looking at reviewing the criteria and particularly partnering with local authorities because it will support those that have not been able to access the resources. As we anticipate that there will be another round of the sports capital programme next year and then hopefully an LSSIF in 2027, can the Minister of State update the committee?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The objective is to open a sports capital round next spring and have funding announcements later in the year. Sport Ireland is doing work on assessing the particular gaps that exist in different parts of the country across different sports. The information gathered by that will help to inform us for the next round of the community sports facilities fund. We will also assess how the criteria can encourage different clubs and different sports to come together and incentivise that in how they apply and how grants are awarded. We are very open to any ideas that committee members have in that regard.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am keen on partnering with local authorities or others. Boxing is a great example. Boxing can get into communities that many other sports cannot but it is difficult when they do not own their own facilities. Encouraging multi-sport participation is key.

If the Sport Ireland review identifies sports deserts in parts of the country, will there be bonus points under the 2026 scheme for the allocation of funding?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We want to identify particular needs and try to make sure as best as possible that we address them. The Deputy mentioned boxing which is a case in point. I met the boxing association recently and that is one of the things we discussed. We will work with Sport Ireland and be informed by the work it is doing. We will work with national governing bodies too to try to ensure the support is being provided through them to clubs to make applications. There is no doubt that in some sports the clubs have been better at applying and have been more supported than others. That feeds through with drawdowns and successful applicants too, so we will see how we can better support them.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the Minister of State is hoping to break the record-breaking funding announcements under the last LSSIF and sports capital programmes.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We would be delighted to but it is obviously subject to the budget. The Government has shown great form and it has been transformative over 20 or 30 years but particularly in recent years with the level of investment. Our objective is to continue with that.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Deputy O’Sullivan wants to come in.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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To follow up on Deputy Byrne’s question, LSSIF is a fantastic scheme but it can be frustrating at times. I know it is primarily for medium- to long-term projects. We have one very positive relatively small LSSIF which was granted in the last round in Cork with Castleview soccer club. It will be transformative for that area of the city. It will have all-weather pitches and has just entered into an arrangement to provide padel tennis. This is secondary to the LSSIF application. It will be transformative and it has done all that with €1 million which is a relatively small allocation from that fund.

The frustrating thing for me is the centre of excellence in Glanmire which never happened. To this day, that funding has not been drawn down. I am not saying that is indicative or reflective of the wider scheme but it is frustrating when there are projects like that where the funding is not drawn down. I would like that review to consider time limits. Essentially, what has happened with that project is the money has been banked where it could have been redistributed to another project or projects. I would like the Minister of State to take that point away as part of the review because that money could have been spent on other worthy soccer-related projects in Cork.

It is more of a comment than a question.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It has been an issue. The drawdown has not been as strong as it should have been in the 2019 round. We are putting a focus on working with those who were awarded funding to make sure it is being drawn down because we do not want to see others suffer from an opportunity cost regarding projects that are not moving along. If they do not move, we look to see how the funding can be used elsewhere. It has been considered in the context of the most recent round of the LSSIF with regard to the allocations and considering where different projects are. In the context of us now closely monitoring drawdown and progress, we will look very closely at that and putting it up to every project that it must move on if it wants to get funding.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am engaged with two large projects potentially with Cork City Council and Cork County Council - one each. We are looking at including a swimming pool as part of that multi-sport proposal but there is an aversion on the part of the local authorities when it comes to swimming pools. That is an understatement. I understand that they are costly and require a lot of maintenance but, again, could some condition relating to swimming pools be looked at?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is right. This is something we will be giving much closer consideration to. Separate from the work Sport Ireland is undertaking, Swim Ireland is undertaking an audit of swimming pool facilities across the country, how it breaks down between public and private facilities and the capability for them to be accessed to report where the biggest weaknesses are. This is something we will consider regarding that need and how we might be able to address it. The Deputy is right concerning the challenge and the deficit that are there.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I was with my colleagues in Fáilte Ireland last week and the subject of the Ryder Cup came up. It is a significant event for us. It is a significant event from a marketing point of view. It is the biggest sporting event in the world. I am very happy with the appointment of the director there, who is doing very good work. Are there any additional requirements for the event? It feels like a project running the thing. Is there any support or is anything required? I will propose at some stage that the committee might engage with the group that is doing that. We might even visit it. If the Minister and Minister of State agree, we can arrange to do it on the same day. The committee should visit it to support it. I was at the last one. I was working in Bord Fáilte at the time. Is there anything we need to push for regarding funding? Is there anything we need to do to support it?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has a special affinity with this given his location. It is something we are monitoring very closely. We are looking at funding and the profiling of it and will update the Government on the progress of the-----

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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There is a jigsaw of different components.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There is. It is being very closely put together and that process is being more intensively managed as we move forward. I am sure the Minister will want to comment on that.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The most important thing is that we have a director running the public process. Tom Enright is a former Wexford county manager and would have appeared before Oireachtas committees. He was no stranger to the Custom House when the Cathaoirleach was there.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I know.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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He is a very competent public servant and a former director of services in Limerick County Council. A lot of work has to be done but an awful lot of the public work is already under way. The Adare bypass is progressing. I saw a chunk of it in Croagh where the roundabout is open. The railway is built and testing of that will start over the summer. Those are two massive legacy projects. There will be a requirement for Government support. Limerick City and County Council has to compile a list of supports around things like fan zones, traffic and An Garda Síochána. It is being chaired by Martin Fraser, former Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach and current Irish ambassador to the United Kingdom. Limerick City and County Council will probably be the lead public body. It is sufficiently resourced. From September, Adare essentially becomes the home of the Ryder Cup once this year's event at the Bethpage Black course concludes. There will be an ongoing requirement for funding and the Department will keep it under review. It is in my constituency so I have a vested interest in it. I have no problem saying that. I am sure the committee will be very welcome in Adare.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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We will align when the Minister is down there. This concludes our consideration of the Revised Estimates for Public Services for 2025: Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport. In accordance with Standing Orders, a message to that effect will be sent to the Clerk of the Dáil. I thank the Minister and Minister of State and their officials for their assistance to the committee today. I propose that the committee goes into private session for an item of housekeeping. Is that agreed? Agreed.