Results 821-840 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: In these circumstances, it is a pleasure to be left out.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Some in the football world have confused this matter but, to be clear, the requirement for 40% gender balance on the board applies to every national governing body. We have been putting pressure on those which have not achieved this yet to do so. This has been Government policy since 2018. It is a condition of funding and I have said that this year is the time to make it a reality. The...

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: It must be satisfied by the end of year but the organisations have been on notice about this for five years.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: To be fair, the number of women on boards overall, which we will publish, has increased substantially and more and more sports organisations are coming into compliance with this Government policy. By the way, it is government policy in many other countries as well. We are not the only ones. It also applies to political parties as regards candidate selection. It is a pretty similar...

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I am just trying to explain that it applies to other sports as well. There are other supports as well.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: We do not want to penalise anyone. I want to be clear about that.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: To be honest, the general grassroots of every sport support this.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: On swimming pool allocation, no sports capital grant went to the Merrion Hotel. I am absolutely sure of that.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: It was a Covid grant, possibly. I do not know about that particular one but money was given out to private swimming facilities for energy as well this year. There are certain conditions attached. A private hotel would not qualify for a sports capital grant. This funding is an old fund from many years ago. We awarded money to three projects, I think. That money was awarded when Deputy...

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I would be very confident that it will. Nobody disagrees with this and heads nod whenever I mention it. I am not a gambling man but I think it is a virtual certainty that this will happen. However, it is not the intention to take away 50% of grants forever; it is merely while this is not in place. For example, if the board of some sports organisation changed next year and it did not have...

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Yes, absolutely. There are organisations-----

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Exactly. I want to be clear about that. It is withheld. There are organisations which will have it done and for definite have already decided to have it done, but it may not be in place by one January. This will still apply to them as well. However, it will be rectified by the time they do it.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: No, there will not be.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Let me be clear on this. The IABA is an autonomous organisation and we do not tell it what to do.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: No. Let me set out the position exactly. I and like-minded Ministers internationally have been very clear on our view on the exclusion of athletes representing Russia and Belarus. We, as Ministers, have made a number a very clear statements in this regard. This has certainly placed athletes and the IABA in a difficult position. I welcome and applaud that it has stuck to this principle as...

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: As I have said, I want to support the IABA in what it does. However, it is not under a directive from us. It would go against all principles of separation between sports and Government if we were to instruct it what to do in individual circumstances. I do not envy the position boxers are in. It is really difficult for them. As Ministers we have set out our views on it. A lot of that is...

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: We will make the announcement in the coming weeks as to what that is exactly. That is not fully determined. I am very confident that what we announce will be sufficient, by and large, to get those projects off the ground.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: The prices have just shot up.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I do not yet. We have capital negotiations in the early part of next year but the ask is significantly higher than the last sports capital grant.

Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 33 - Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I would certainly appreciate any support in that regard from the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and from the party leaders.