Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Irish Film Board (Amendment) Bill 2025. Before I do so, however, and since we are discussing Irish screen production, I would like to formally express my condolences on the sad, sudden passing of Hugh Wallace, who was not originally a television presenter but certainly endeared himself to the Irish public on the many shows he presented. I express my condolences to his husband, family, friends and colleagues.

This is a short, technical Bill, as the Minister of State has highlighted, but it carries real significance for jobs, creative talent and the stories we tell about Ireland. Its core purpose is straightforward: it raises the statutory ceiling on Screen Ireland's cumulative capital outlay and commitments from €500 million to €840 million. In effect, it ensures the agency can continue to fund development and production without hitting a legal wall in 2026. This is necessary as, under the current legislation, the €500 million limit will be exhausted once the full 2025 allocation is drawn down. By the end of 2024, the aggregate figure already stood at over €467 million, meaning that without this Bill the 2026 programme would breach the limit. The sector is growing and the demand for Irish content is also growing. Screen Ireland has demonstrated its capacity to deploy funding effectively. This legislation gives the agency the headroom to continue this good work.

The Oireachtas has had to adjust the ceiling several times over the past decade as the screen sector has expanded. The increases reflect the success of the industry. Sustained investment has driven creative output, talent development and economic returns. That remains true to this day.

Screen Ireland, formerly the Irish Film Board, is the national development agency for film, television, animation, documentary and digital production. Its mandate spans development and production finance, distribution and festival support, promotion, and, crucially, skills and talent development. It sits on a lineage that has helped to transform Ireland from a location for other people's productions into a country with a rich, self-confident screen culture of its own.

Since 2018 alone, the agency has supported the development of more than 100 feature films, dozens of TV dramas and documentaries and a constant stream of animation and short films. This activity translates directly into opportunity for writers, directors and performers but also for the crews and craftspeople who make up the backbone of the industry. The industry means work for carpenters, costume designers, editors, caterers and post-production teams. That diversity of employment is one of the sector's great strengths.

Irish work has also made a decisive impact internationally. Recent years have brought a record number of Oscar nominations and global acclaim for films like "An Cailín Ciúin" and "The Banshees of Inisherin", as well as Irish-based television series that travel well, from "The Young Offenders" to "Hidden Assets", to name but a few. These achievements are grounded in talent but also in the strategic support Screen Ireland provides. The agency pursues a dual strategy: backing indigenous Irish stories and attracting incoming, internationally mobile productions. Both matter. Irish stories preserve and amplify our cultural voice. International productions bring investment, skills development and global visibility. Ireland can compete successfully for these productions due to the consistent quality of our crews, our location and our policy environment.

Skills development is central to this. Screen Ireland's training and talent initiatives have expanded significantly in recent years. The National Talent Academies network, covering film and television drama, animation and visual effects, VFX, ensures that emerging talent across the regions can access structured development pathways. The Minister of State referred to the regional crew academies in Galway, Limerick and Wicklow. These are helping to deepen the skills base outside Dublin and ensure the growth is genuinely nationwide. This whole-of-pipeline approach is essential if we want a sustainable industry in the long term.

The Bill sits alongside the substantial Government support delivered through recent budgets. Through budget 2026, for example, funding for Screen Ireland will rise to €42.96 million, an increase of over 5%. This is a clear signal of the Government's commitment to building a competitive, future-focused screen sector.

On the taxation side, there have been important enhancements to section 481. The 8% Scéal uplift, introduced in 2025, strengthens the economics of live-action and animated features with budgets under €20 million, a zone where Irish and European co-productions thrive. A further 8% uplift for VFX in budget 2026 recognises the importance of post-production and visual effects to competitiveness and to high-value employment, especially as international demand for VFX capacity continues to rise.

The Government has improved the digital games tax credit, which is helping to develop a connected creative-tech ecosystem alongside film and television. We have increased the overall cap for section 481 productions to €125 million, and work is under way to introduce a new 20% unscripted programmes tax credit. This will support high-end factual and documentary formats, representing an area where Irish producers are well placed to excel.

All of this forms part of a coherent audiovisual strategy. This entails backing local talent, attracting global productions, expanding skills and ensuring Ireland remains competitive in a fast-moving international environment. The benefits are broad. A strong screen industry enhances our reputation, supports tourism and showcases Ireland's culture and landscapes to global audiences. It creates high-quality jobs across rural and urban areas. It sustains Irish-language production, children's programming and diverse storytelling that reflects modern Ireland. It also supports regional development, particularly where studio facilities and crew bases are emerging outside Dublin.

However, we should be honest about the challenges, some of which have been alluded to. Other countries are constantly reshaping their incentive regimes. The economics of streaming and distribution are shifting rapidly. Smaller companies and freelancers can be vulnerable to international disruption, as we saw during recent global strikes. If we want to keep our talent here, and avoid a drain to London, Budapest or Vancouver, we need to plan ahead and provide stability. That is exactly what this Bill does. By increasing the capital ceiling to €840 million, we are giving Screen Ireland the certainty it needs to deliver on its strategy for 2025 to 2029 to support both indigenous creativity and internationally mobile projects, and also to maintain a strong skills pipeline across the regions. We are also sending a clear message, which is that Ireland is open to investment and collaboration and committed to supporting our creative industries.

I welcome the Bill and commend the Minister of State and the officials on introducing it. This necessary and practical step will allow Screen Ireland to keep backing Irish stories, Irish talent and Irish jobs. I welcome the Minister of State's commitment to expanding the funding, particularly for digital gaming. I want to be associated with the remarks of colleagues on the need to support workers' pay and conditions. Everyone must have fair, decent working arrangements. I am happy to support the Bill. I look forward to the next chapter of Irish film and screen production.

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