Results 8,761-8,780 of 9,844 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (18 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: My Department's capital support for any significant new stadium projects is now being provided through the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The first call for proposals under the LSSIF closed in 2019 with applications confined to local authorities and National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of Sport. All applications were assessed in accordance with the published Evaluation Procedures...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (18 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: The development of strategic plans for individual sports is a matter for the relevant National Governing Bodies of Sport. Strategic plans relating to participation in tennis is a matter for Tennis Ireland. I will ask Sport Ireland to bring the Deputy's question to the attention of Tennis Ireland and request that they communicate directly with the Deputy regarding their plans for increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (18 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion. The Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (20 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Work on the first National Swimming Strategy continues apace, with the working group tasked with its development holding its seventh meeting on 18April 2023. Whilst it is difficult to be precise about the exact timeframe for its completion, I hope to be in a position to publish the Strategy by the middle of 2023. My Department continues to provide capital support for swimming pool projects....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Programmes (26 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na Seanadóirí. I thank the Senators for raising this matter. As they have outlined, the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreational facilities and the also very important purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Programmes (26 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Senators. The Taoiseach said in the Dáil last week that this is among the best money the Government can spend through all its range of functions. I agree with him on that and I am certain the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is also in agreement. I am confident that when our engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Enrolments (26 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir. For school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a geographical information system to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including child benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity, is used for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Enrolments (26 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: To be absolutely fair, the response to me has been a misrepresentation of what I said. I would not like it to go back that someone has said there is no school for the area. That is not what I said. What has been said is that matters have been kept under review. That is what the Department has said. That is always the case. Usually in these cases, it is not a question of whether a school...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Enrolments (26 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: -----with the Department in recent years.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (26 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I thank Deputy Dillon for raising this issue. He is dead right to do so. I agree with enabling pupils with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs. This is an ongoing priority for the Government. Another priority for the Government is to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (26 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: The Deputy is absolutely correct to raise these issues. Every child has a constitutional right to primary education and to the right to education in a public setting. The Department is working very hard to make sure that is the case. The Deputy is absolutely right to raise these issues. I will certainly bring them back directly to the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, who could not be...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: EU Funding (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I thank Senator Warfield for raising the matter of the Creative Europe programme and for highlighting this important EU funding stream which is available to the Irish creative and cultural sectors. The Minister, Deputy Martin gives her apologies. She was not available to come at short notice. Creative Europe is the European Union's funding programme to support the culture and audiovisual...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: EU Funding (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I am not disappointed; I am actually delighted. This is the first time in the Oireachtas I have ever heard positive words about the EU from Sinn Féin. I am really glad to hear that and I mean it. The money the Senator is talking about is from the EU budget. At the time the EU budget was agreed in July 2020, there was significant criticism from Sinn Féin about increased...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: EU Funding (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: ----to fund these and to get money from the European Union. That is a really strong priority of this Government and we are supporting them to do that. That funding is highly significant.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Sports Funding (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as an ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú. Ba mhaith liom a dheimhniú leis an Teach go dtuigim go rímhaith an tábhacht a bhaineann le breis maoinithe agus tacaíochta a chur ar fáil don spórt agus do na heagraíochtaí spóirt a thugann deis do dhaoine páirt a ghlacadh ag an leibhéal...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Sports Funding (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Paralympics is important for us. It is an important target for the country, as well as the Olympics. Indeed, a number of sporting organisations that I have met recently have been talking about Paralympics. I attended a qualifications process for the Olympics and the Paralympics together in a particular sport as well. I can see a lot of work happening. Where there are gaps, I certainly...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: In terms of my Department's responsibilities, the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Organisations (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Addressing women’s participation at all levels in sport is an important element of the National Sports Policy and a core priority for me and Minister Catherine Martin. That includes women in leadership positions such as board members of National Governing Bodies (NGBs). The Sports Action Plan sets a target for all NGBs to achieve 40% gender representation on their boards by the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: With regard to all grants under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP), in order for a payment to issue, the grantee must first make a payment request on the Department's online grant management portal (OSCAR). I am informed that the club in question has not yet submitted a payment request. I am further informed that an official from SCEP Division has been in contact with the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (27 Apr 2023)

Thomas Byrne: As Minister with responsibility for sport, my priority is to increase participation in sport and boost physical activity throughout the population. The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects...