Results 9,561-9,580 of 9,844 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Control of Dogs (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: I want to thank the Deputies for raising this serious matter on the upcoming regulation on what are called the XL bully-type dogs, which I think are recognised in some countries as a breed, and in others may not be. That will come into effect on 1 October. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, announced a ban on the XL bully dogs in the interest of public safety and human safety following...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Control of Dogs (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: The Government recognises that some people may not agree with the decision, and I also note that the Deputies are coming at this from different perspectives. Both of them have raised reasonable issues and I have no doubt about that. To reply to Deputy Andrews, the reality is that these dogs have only been bred in the last number of decades. They are not as ancient as the Irish...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Control of Dogs (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: I am not sure we-----

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Control of Dogs (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: I am not sure we should compare an XL bully to the ancient Irish wolfhound, which has been a breed of dog in this country for centuries.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Control of Dogs (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: There are public safety issues here, and we need to be aligned with our nearest neighbours. We have little choice but to address this with regulation. On the reasonable point that Deputy Hourigan raised, the Department of Rural and Community Development is in discussions with the Department of agriculture in relation to the proposed transfer of the local authority veterinary service to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Control of Dogs (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: -----and have led to deaths in a number of instances.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Transport (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the Ardmore-Dungarvan route. For the sake of the written record, I will leave out the first number of paragraphs of the script, as they describe the school bus scheme in some detail and may not be of major relevance. I will discuss the school transport 2030 report, which was published this year and is the largest review of the school transport...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Transport (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: There has been an increase in the number of tickets issued this year, with more than 140,000 issued. The numbers travelling on our bus services have increased significantly over the past number of years, at 38% over a five-year period. As the Deputy and I have both highlighted, Bus Éireann is currently assessing the route and will continue to ensure the safety, and must ensure the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sport and Recreational Development (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme is the main channel of Government support for developing sports facilities and purchasing sports equipment throughout the country. I am pleased to confirm at least €250 million in allocations is to be made available under the current round of the Programme. This will facilitate the largest-ever investment in sports facilities across...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: The performance of Team Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer in Paris is to be strongly commended. All our athletes have made us proud and, with the support of their coaches, families and sporting bodies, they have brought joy and pride to the nation. The Government is investing heavily in sport facilities to ensure that our athletes can prepare for these prestigious...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sport and Recreational Development (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 24 and 34 together. The National Sports Policy 2018-2027 contains a specific commitment to develop a National Swimming Strategy. Last month, I was proud to launch Ireland’s first-ever National Swimming Strategy, which sets out a vision to provide everyone in our country with an opportunity to swim. The public consultation process that informed the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: An ambitious vision for the development of a national sports centre of excellence is set out under the National Sports Campus Masterplan and the Government will continue to support Sport Ireland in bringing this vision to fruition. A National Velodrome and Badminton Centre and a National Cricket Stadium are important elements of the Campus Masterplan and I recently granted approval for...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Capital funding for sport facilities is provided by the Department though the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). I am conscious of the growing demand for such funding and of the specific impact of population increases. The 2020 round of the SCEP attracted a record 3,106 applications with a total of €166.6 million...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Údarás na Gaeltachta (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Tuigtear dom ó Údarás na Gaeltachta go bhfuil siad ag cur béim mhór ar fhorbairt agus ar chur chun cinn Gaeltacht Mhúscraí, go háirithe anois agus an seachbhóthar N22 oscailte. Tá roinnt tionscadal agus tionscnamh á maoiniú agus á dtacú acu chun brandáil agus aitheantas na Gaeltachta a neartú agus chun...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Irish Language (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: The decision by Coláiste Eoghain Uí Chomhraidhe not to run courses in the last number of years was a business decision made by a private course provider operating in the Irish summer colleges' sector. My Department had no input into the college’s decision. Colleges wishing to obtain recognition for Irish language courses under my Department's Scéim na...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Swimming Pools (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: The Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). Capital support for new swimming pools is currently being provided through the LSSIF. Earlier this year, Minister Martin and I announced funding of up to €120 million under the new 2024 round of the LSSIF,...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Irish Language (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: At the start of my term in office I set out that the full and successful implementation of the Official Languages Acts 2003 and 2021 would be a top priority for me, including the achievement of the recruitment target referenced in the Deputy’s question. Central to these efforts will be the first ever National Plan for Irish Language Public Services which was submitted to me by the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (19 Sep 2024)

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. On 9 May 2024, Minister Martin and I announced over €26 million in equipment grants under the latest round (2023) of the Sports Capital and Equipment...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: An Ghaeltacht (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Tá mé an eolach faoi na dúshláin atá ann i gceantair Ghaeltachta títhíocht a chur ar fáil ar phraghas réasúntá do dhaoine áitíula. Seo dúshlán atá níos leithne ná an Ghaeltacht féin ar ndóigh agus tá an Rialtas seo an-ghníomhach sa réimse seo mar is léir ó líon na...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (19 Sep 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards. This includes the allocation of current funding to sporting organisations across its various programmes, and to the Local Sports Partnerships. On 21 March, Minister Martin and I were delighted to announce a...