Results 3,561-3,580 of 5,767 for speaker:Olivia Mitchell
- Tourism Industry. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: I would be grateful if the Minister of State would convey my good wishes to the Minister, Deputy Cullen. I hope he will make a speedy recovery. I appreciate the Minister of State's comments. My concern is focused on the five survival actions recommended in the report. The first of these is maintaining spending on overseas marketing. I support this because if a product is not on the shelf,...
- Tourism Industry. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: I hope it will be more than taken into account because it would be a case of an own-goal to disincentivise the people who one wants to attract into the country. It is important to note that visitors to our country are effectively taxpayers for the period they are here and we should not disincentivise them from coming. On the other recommendation of prioritising spending, the Minister of...
- Tourism Industry. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: On a point of order, in stating that the cultural institutions have been starved of investment, I was quoting from the submission from the Minister's Department to the Department of Finance.
- Tourism Industry. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: That will be a first.
- Programme for Government. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: Question 98: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the suggestions he made on the arts, sport and tourism commitments in the revised programme for Government which are priority for implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37794/09]
- Programme for Government. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: A number of measures in the new programme for Government relate to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. I wish to inquire about two of these, both of which the Minister of State mentioned. One was the wording of the commitment to the film industry generally. This is an area of interest to the Green Party because it is noted as a contributor to the smart economy. The programme...
- Programme for Government. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: Is the Minister committed to maintaining the Irish Film Board, as opposed to merely the supports for the film board? My second question concerns the development of Dublin as a business tourism centre. I recently read reports in the papers that the Convention Centre Dublin is in financial trouble. Apparently Spencer Dock Development Company is having difficulty in accessing finance to finish...
- Programme for Government. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: I am not sure whether I got a "Yes" or a "No" answer with regard to the Irish Film Board. I think the Minister of State is saying we should wait for the budget. The Minister should inquire into the issue of the convention centre because I am sure the reports in the newspapers are not inaccurate when they say there are financial problems.
- Programme for Government. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: I appreciate that, but if I had a contract going on for several years - 25 years, I believe - with a body that was in financial trouble, I would be asking questions.
- National Sports Facility Strategy. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: The rest of the country does not agree.
- Sports Capital Programme. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: The budget this year for the National Sports Campus is â¬4 million or thereabouts, I understand. The McCarthy report wants it abolished altogether. I do not agree with that as I believe we need a national sports facility, to supplement the moneys we have spent on local sports facilities. As the Minister of State says, it now has planning permission and there is a budget of â¬4 million....
- Sports Capital Programme. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: Does the Minister of State believe it would ever be acceptable for a Department or Government agency to withdraw from a contract pleading inability to pay? Is that feasible? Has it ever happened in history that a Government agency has been forced to withdraw from a contract claiming that it cannot pay for it? This is the position in which the sports campus finds itself.
- Sports Capital Programme. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: I have submitted a question. I appreciate that the Minister of State is at a disadvantage.
- Sports Capital Programme. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: It is inability to pay.
- Sports Capital Programme. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: Very few.
- Sports Funding. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: This year's budget for the horse and greyhound racing fund is â¬68 million of which I believe it is estimated â¬31 would come from the betting tax. That was the forecast at the beginning of the year and I suspect that the outturn is considerably less. One way or another, the Exchequer was going to invest considerable money into the industry. All sides of the House would accept that this...
- Sports Funding. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: I wish to confirm that the Minister gave a commitment to bring the matter to the Dáil to give us the opportunity to discuss it. As the Minister of State is a Tipperary man, I know this important industry is close to his heart. It is an export service industry and a regional industry that provides jobs in areas where there are very few other jobs. It is of great value to the economy. I...
- National Library and Archives of Ireland. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: That is fascinating, although I hope the Minister of State has not eaten into my speaking time. I appreciate that some further consideration along the lines of a federal arrangement between the Irish Manuscripts Commission, the National Library and the National Archives is taking place. However, the keeping of an archive is a State function and I do not believe it should be in a...
- National Library and Archives of Ireland. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: I am not questioning the quality of the work being done, which I agree is incredible given the conditions in which staff are working. I accept that the Minister of State is not responsible for bringing forward legislation in the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, but will he convey to the Minister the degree of urgency attaching to this issue?
- National Library and Archives of Ireland. (21 Oct 2009)
Olivia Mitchell: There is a statutory requirement for the National Archives to have a fully appointed board, but that requirement has not been met for some years. It is a rudderless organisation.