Results 381-400 of 4,893 for speaker:Séamus Brennan

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...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Culture Ireland was established in 2005 as the new national agency for the promotion of Irish arts and culture worldwide, including music, theatre, dance, film, literature, visual arts, traditional arts, architecture, opera and circus. Culture Ireland's Strategy recognises that arts and culture are among Ireland's strongest national achievements, which play a key role in creating global...

Written Answers — Film Industry Development: Film Industry Development (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The Section 481 scheme was unique in Europe when first introduced and was thus very successful in attracting foreign producers to make films here. In the intervening period other countries have copied it and, in some instances, offer incentives that are ahead of our approach. The UK, in particular, has strengthened funding for film and has a number of tax relief options available for film...

Written Answers — Heritage Fund: Heritage Fund (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: In the 1990s, the State's National Cultural Institutions, which are charged with enhancing and expanding the National Collections of cultural artefacts, had been experiencing increasing difficulties in acquiring privately owned artefacts, and collections of heritage importance, due to the high prices that such items were obtaining at sales and public auctions. In order to surmount these...

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

Séamus Brennan: I understand that the judicial review, which was sought by a local GAA club of the decision of South Dublin County Council to develop a stadium in Tallaght as a soccer facility, was heard in the High Court last month and that final judgement in the case is awaited. As this matter is still before the courts it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment.

Written Answers — Sports Capital Programme: Sports Capital Programme (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: The Sports Capital Programme is the primary means of providing Government funding to sport and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. It has operated on an annual basis and is part funded from National Lottery funds. A total of €568m has been allocated in sports capital funding since 1998 to 6,716 sports projects across the country. An...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 96 to 98, inclusive, together. Government Policy on the Arts is set out in the Programme for Government and will be elaborated further in my Department's Statement of Strategy 2008 – 2010 which is currently being developed. The objective is to encourage and support the strategic development of the arts in local communities, both geographic and...

Written Answers — State Airports: State Airports (29 Nov 2007)

Séamus Brennan: Issues in relation to airports policy generally are a matter for consideration by my colleague the Minister for Transport, Mr. Noel Dempsey. In relation to aviation and tourism policy, I would draw the Deputy's attention to the report of the Tourism Policy Review Group, "New Horizons for Irish Tourism: An Agenda for Action", which highlighted the fact that one of the principal drivers of...

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

Séamus Brennan: Responsibility for tourism marketing is a matter for the tourism agencies and not one that my Department engages directly in. I am aware however, of the ever increasing importance of e-marketing in the tourism sector. In fact, recent research has shown that 70% of overseas holidaymakers book at least one element of their Irish holiday on the internet. With this in mind, I note that Tourism...

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

Séamus Brennan: I am not specifically aware of the privatisation of public leisure facilities that the Deputy's question seems to suggest. However, I am aware that some local authorities, in planning the operation and management of their municipal leisure facilities, engage the services of private sector sports facility operators on a contract basis. This has been the case in the operation and management...

Written Answers — Sport and Recreational Development: Sport and Recreational Development (29 Nov 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...

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

Séamus Brennan: I am very pleased that domestic tourism continues to grow as is evidenced by the latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office. These figures, which are available on the CSO website (www.cso.ie), show that in the first six months of this year the number of domestic holiday trips was up by more than 22% on the corresponding period of 2006, while expenditure on domestic holidays...

Written Answers — Sports Capital Programme: Sports Capital Programme (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. The funding allocated to sporting projects promoted by disability and special needs groups under the Sports Capital Programme in the years in question is contained in the table below: ...

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

Séamus Brennan: The promotion of tourism to the Regions is a day-to-day function of the Tourism Agencies and I have no official responsibility in this regard. The Programme for Government provides a commitment to help the region concerned to "Seize the opportunities presented by the Open Skies arrangement with the US to substantially grow the number of US visitors". Subject to Government approval, I would...

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

Séamus Brennan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 40 together. As I advised the Deputy on 25 October last, under the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003, the individual actions and measures relating to tourism promotion or development at regional level are day-to-day functions of the State tourism agencies, as is the promotion of individual product segments such as rural tourism. The...

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

Séamus Brennan: I am aware that the Irish Sports Council, under its research remit, is striving to develop a profound understanding of sport in Ireland that can inform policy and investment over the coming years. It commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute to undertake studies on its behalf. Four major reports have already been published, each one adding to our knowledge of sport in this...

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,...