Results 8,901-8,920 of 9,844 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sports Funding (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I know my own local League of Ireland team will be playing in Sligo the weekend after next. Who knows, maybe we will catch up there. I do not know just yet but I certainly have interest in that. We want to see another large-scale sports infrastructure fund go forward but we also want to see projects built. One of the flaws with the previous programme was that many of these projects...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sports Funding (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I did not mention the Connacht Rugby project, which is one of the most significant ones. The thinking in the Department about any new round should be borne in mind by anyone considering it because there is considerable work to do. Any facilities that we will be funding in the future, including the top-ups, will need to have published policies on similar access to facilities for men and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 63 together. The Minister and I were very pleased to be able to announce an increase of €2 million in funding for the Women in Sport programme for 2024. This is a very important funding scheme for sporting bodies and it will continue to support those bodies in putting programmes in place to increase women’s participation in their...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I will give as an example the Her Moves campaign, which is part the programme. This is designed to support, motivate and encourage more teenage girls to be active. Her Moves is being used by organisations at all levels, national and local, when rolling out physical activity programmes that target teenage girls using certain criteria. So far this year, 35 organisations have engaged with the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Regarding the points raised by Deputies Aindrias Moynihan and Costello, the Her Moves programme is specifically designed to keep teenage girls in sport. That is only one of the programmes. It is based on research, the Adolescent Girls Get Active report, done only two years ago. It was important research done by Sport Ireland that informs us about what the Deputies spoke about. We have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Facilities (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 26 together. I thank Deputy Smith for asking these questions and Deputies Pádraig O'Sullivan and McAuliffe for submitting them. The large-scale sports infrastructure fund, which I have outlined already, was a significant fund that awarded approximately €86.4 million to 33 different projects. Details, including the project cap, are on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Facilities (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Deputy. I am hopeful the Cavan project will be able to start and be completed. There have been active discussions between the Department and the promoters of the Cavan regional sports campus that Deputy Brendan Smith has been in touch with me a lot about. He is very committed to that project. We are very committed to that project as well. We did offer further funding during...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Facilities (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Of course I will continue to work with Deputy Brendan Smith on the project in Cavan. I hope to be announcing extra funding for successful applicants for LSSIF in due course. I agree with Deputy Alan Farrell on the Euros. Deputy Ó Murchú talked about Drogheda United. I am very grateful that the board briefed me on developments there. I am very conscious that it is a matter for...

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Fáiltím roimh an deis an t-eolas is déanaí a thabhairt don Teach faoinár bpleananna forbartha um chaipiteal spóirt agus táim ag tnúth le tuairimí na dTeachtaí a chloisteáil. Ba mhaith liom a rá ar dtús gur mhór an onóir dom gur ceapadh mé i m'Aire Stáit le freagracht as an spórt agus as an...

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I will.

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: It is.

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: It will be here before Christmas. I guarantee that.

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I made it happen.

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: The chairperson of the club is well known in County Meath.

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: That never happens here.

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: They were on to me as well.

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Are you talking about Kildare or Louth?

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I thank everybody who took part in the debate. The programme generates enormous interest and the Government is doing a lot for sport, as has generally been acknowledged in the Chamber. As people are wishing their local teams well, I have to mention some of my own because there are a number of Leinster games this weekend. Interestingly, Kilbride is playing Amsterdam in the junior Leinster...

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: It has been really good. We have worked with it to make sure that happens. I pay tribute to it. That was not always the case with the FAI. I am not saying it is all its fault, but it is not all the fault of the Government either. I do not know how many football clubs applied for the LSSIF scheme. Finn Harps FC was granted €3.99 million. I want to give that money to it and for...

Capital Support for Sports Facilities: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Of the 33 LSSIF grants that were awarded in January 2020, two or three of them are open at this stage. It is a few. We looked at the issues there. The pandemic and construction inflation were the issues. We opened up a top-up process to those already been awarded grants.