Results 4,501-4,520 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

Written Answers — National Stadium: National Stadium (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The issue of whether the National Sports Campus Development project comes within the scope of the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006 does not arise as this Act encompasses energy, transport and waste management related environmental projects only. In relation to the Campus project and in terms of the Planning procedures, a Planning Study for the Abbotstown site,...

Written Answers — National Stadium: National Stadium (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 34, 90 and 93 together. The Government has provided an amount of €149m in the National Development Plan 2007 to 2013 for the development of a National Sports Campus at Abbotstown. Prior to that, in January, 2004, the Government agreed to proceed, as financial resources permit, with the development of a Campus of Sports facilities at Abbotstown. The...

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 92, 99 and 100 together. My Department provides funding for the provision of Sporting, Arts and Culture facilities at local level. The criteria used for the allocation of such funds includes the likely level of demand for the facilities in question. Under the sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, grants are allocated to...

Written Answers — Sports Funding: Sports Funding (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Following extensive negotiations in recent weeks between my Department, the Irish Sports Council, the GAA and the GPA, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that an agreement has been reached on this issue. While player welfare is a separate issue for which the GAA has responsibility, I intend to make provision for the introduction of a scheme through the Irish Sports Council, which will...

Written Answers — Child Protection: Child Protection (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: According to "Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children" (September 1999) the two agencies with statutory responsibility for child protection are the Health Service Executive (HSE) and An Garda Síochána. Notwithstanding this, I appreciate and share the Deputy's concerns with regard to this issue. I am assured by the Irish Sports Council, the statutory...

Written Answers — Tourism Industry: Tourism Industry (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The latest figures published by the Central Statistics Office show that there was an increase of over 4% in the number of overseas visitors to Ireland in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2006. While it will be challenging to maintain the record-breaking performance of 2006, these latest CSO figures confirm that Ireland's tourism sector continues to perform at a...

Written Answers — North-South Ministerial Council: North-South Ministerial Council (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I can inform the Deputy that I have had no such discussions with the North-South Ministerial Council.

Written Answers — Sport and Recreational Development: Sport and Recreational Development (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Under the sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, grants are allocated to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. In this regard, the 2007 sports capital programme was advertised in the national press in October 2006. The closing date for receipt of completed applications was 24th November 2006. Over 1,530...

Written Answers — Tourism Industry: Tourism Industry (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: In considering the competitiveness of any industry, a key measure is the extent to which it can maintain and increase market share. For the first three-quarters of 2007, reports from the CSO show that visitor numbers are up by over 4% on the corresponding period in 2006. The revenue associated with overseas visitors for the first half of the year is up by nearly 8%. This performance is...

Written Answers — Departmental Publications: Departmental Publications (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: My Department's Annual Report for 2006 was presented to the Government on 6 June 2007. The Report is available on my Department's website http://www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie.

Written Answers — Sports Capital Programme: Sports Capital Programme (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. The date of the next round of the Programme has not yet been decided. As in previous years, advertisements announcing the next round of the Programme will be placed in the national press and application...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 355, 357 and 358 together. The work of my core Department is such that there are a limited number of personal callers and therefore no demand for a dedicated public office at the Department's premises in Dublin or Fossa, Killarney. To meet the needs of members of the public who do wish to contact my Department a Customer Charter has been agreed to deal with...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Insofar as is currently practicable, official forms from my Department are available either for download or to complete on-line on my Department's website: www.arts-sport-tourism.gov.ie. However any relevant supporting documents are required to be submitted in hard copy. The application form for the Sports Capital Programme 2007 was available on the website as either a download or to be...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: My Department provides direct grant support to local and community developments under three schemes: the Sports Capital Programme, which allocates funding for the construction or improvement of sports facilities and the purchase of sports equipment, and which is part funded by proceeds of the National Lottery; the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme which provides Exchequer funding to...

Written Answers — Departmental Records: Departmental Records (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: My Department's policy prior to disposing of redundant IT equipment, and specifically personal and laptop computers, is to format the hard disks of such computers, which removes all existing files and data from the computer. In addition, I would point out that, in the case of the personal computers, all of which would have been operational on my Department's network, information relating to...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Currently there is one Press Advisor at Principal Officer Higher level employed in my Department. In addition, the Press Office in my Department is staffed by a Higher Executive Officer and 2 staff at Executive Officer level, one of whom is employed on a worksharing basis. In 2002, the Press Office in my Department was staffed by one Higher Executive Officer and one Clerical Officer. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Podcasts are not available for download from those websites maintained by my Department, the details of which were given to the Deputy in my reply to Question No. 373 of 27 November 2007. There are no immediate plans to introduce a podcast facility, in the case of my Department's own website, a temporary website which my Department hosts for the Sea Stallion Viking Longship project and the...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: There are currently three buildings occupied by my Department, two of which are located in Dublin at Kildare Street and South Frederick Street where my Department is not the main tenant in either building. This limits to some extent the action that can be taken directly by my Department to make them environmentally friendly. The third is at Fossa in County Kerry, which accommodates an...

Written Answers — Arts Funding: Arts Funding (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 364 and 365 together. I note from the correspondence referred to in Question No. 364 that Cork City Council has provided rent-free accommodation to the Munster Literature Centre and I compliment the City Council on its initiative in this regard. The only literary centre project that is currently under consideration in my Department is the establishment of a...

Written Answers — Sports Funding: Sports Funding (4 Dec 2007)

Séamus Brennan: As I have previously informed the House, the nationwide audit of sports facilities has commenced and is being carried out in stages to help speed up the availability of information. Phase One, which focuses on national and regional sports facilities, has now been completed within my Department. A database of sports facilities of national or regional significance has been compiled including...