Results 3,221-3,240 of 7,556 for speaker:Catherine Martin

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: The media in different jurisdictions may be different. Section 46I of the Broadcasting Act 2009 as inserted by section 9 of the Bill provides for a definition of "relevant media service provider". This is important as some of the duties and aspects of the media service code set out in section 9 of the Bill, such as those related to objectivity and impartiality, apply to this category of...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: Amendments Nos. 92 and 93 would have the effect of changing a requirement for broadcast and video on-demand services not to broadcast or make available, "anything which may reasonably be regarded as causing harm or offence", to a requirement not to broadcast or make available"anything that may reasonably be regarded as causing harm to a group of persons, or a member of a group, based on any...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: This is the value of debate in the House. I can see the point the Senator is raising. While the Senator's definition is too wide, I can see the issues she is raising and recognise there is an issue in the language. I propose not to accept amendment No. 93 but to ask my officials to look at the language of what is there, given the concerns that have been flagged in the House today.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: I thank the Senator for her amendment and contribution. She knows the exact background to this in respect of amendments Nos. 94 and 95. I agree on first examination that some of the wording in the Bill does look old-fashioned, particularly the language in section 46J(1) which requires: “A broadcaster [or] an audiovisual on-demand media service [not to broadcast or] make available ......

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: I did say the court has set that high bar. This is a tried and tested provision which reflects the safeguards contained in the Constitution. It has been operated in a balanced way in the years since it has been on the Statute Book. As a result, I will not be accepting amendments No. 94 and 95.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: The ability of the media to freely and independently express opinion is both a core value and a cornerstone of democracy. Without free and independent media, a well-informed citizenry cannot exist and democracy cannot function in any meaningful sense of the word. That is what the Constitution provides for and what this Bill reflects. Within that framework, investigative journalism plays an...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: The functions of the commission safeguard liberty of expression and explicitly safeguard the democratic values in the Constitution. The text that is proposed to be deleted and-or replaced has been carried forward from the Broadcasting Act 2009. It has been on the Statute Book for more than a decade. To date, we are not aware of any adverse impact on public discourse or investigative...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: As Senators will be aware, an coimisiún will be responsible for issuing permanent and temporary sound broadcasting contracts following enactment of the Bill and dissolution of the BAI. The amendment requires an coimisiún to receive the approval of an Oireachtas joint committee before authorising a derogation from the requirement that a sound broadcasting service shall devote not...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: I thank the Acting Chairperson. I am not accepting the amendment for two reasons. There is the political interference and difficulties with the Oireachtas committee, which Senator Higgins accepted, but also the fact that the BAI already grants such derogations. That will be carried over by an coimisiún and licences are for a finite period, which has not caused an issue to this point.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: I welcome the intent of amendments Nos. 102, 106, 127 and 148. I agree with the Senators that gambling addiction poses a major challenge to our society, particularly when it involves children and young people. This is why the establishment of a gambling regulator focused on public safety and well-being with the powers to regulate advertising gambling websites and apps was a commitment in...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Wildlife Conservation (11 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of office accommodation for my Department, and for many of those bodies under the remit of the Department such as the national cultural institutions, falls within the remit of the Office of Public Works. A number of these buildings are protected structures. Within that context I am pleased to advise that my Department's office at New Road Killarney...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Tourism Policy (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: Action 20.4 of Housing for All, the Government's housing plan to 2030, commits to the development of "new regulatory controls requiring short-term and holiday lets to register with Fáilte Ireland with a view to ensuring that houses are used to best effect in areas of housing need”.  Funding was allocated in Budget 2022 to Fáilte Ireland which has been...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: As I have previously informed the House in my reply to Parliamentary Question No 164 of 4 May 2022, this year's National Famine Commemoration will be held at the National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park, County Roscommon on Sunday, 15 May.  The museum will reopen shortly following major refurbishment supported by Fáilte Ireland’s Grants Scheme for Large...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Policy (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: My Department's priorities are set out in its published Statement of Strategy 2021—2023.  The overarching  goal is to ensure the “sectors recover and grow in a manner that underpins social cohesion and supports strong, sustainable economic growth, with a focus on a number  of cross cutting goals of equality, diversity, social inclusion,...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Tourism Policy (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 305 and 306 together. In Budget 2022, I secured €67.6 million in additional funding for tourism, thereby bringing the overall tourism services budget for 2022 to €288 million. This included €50 million funding for Tourism Business Continuity schemes.  The Tourism Business Continuity Schemes for 2022 are managed by Fáilte Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Culture Policy (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) has responsibility for heritage  which includes historic properties and recently published Heritage Ireland 2030  which  is Ireland’s national heritage plan and available at this link www.gov.ie/en/publication/778b8-heritage-ireland-2 030/.  I understand that Heritage Ireland 2030 is a...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Policies (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: I recognise the essential role that local print media and the local and regional radio sector plays in sharing reliable and relevant local news and bringing communities together. The media sector in Ireland, which is a vital element of our democracy and society as a whole, is undergoing fundamental change. The local media sector has faced a fall in revenue arising from COVID-19, but also...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Tourism Policy (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: With regard to the sectors covered by my Department, there is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a huge challenge to the survival and recovery of many businesses and enterprises. In the tourism, arts, culture and sports sectors, in particular, many businesses and organisations were not able to operate, or could only operate in a limited way, for large parts of the past two...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Culture Policy (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: The Creative Youth Plan was published by the government in 2017 as one of the five pillars of the Creative Ireland Programme. Underlying the Plan is the conviction that creativity and culture should be at the heart of education for all our young people. The Creative Youth Plan sets out measures designed to enable the creative potential of every young person, both within the formal education...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (10 May 2022)

Catherine Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 312 and 319 together. 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 benefitted from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total...