Results 401-420 of 10,964 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Arts Policy (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I join the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in welcoming the students from County Mayo to see the Dáil and their people's house in live action. They are very welcome. With regard to Deputy Byrne's questions I covered most of them when answering Deputy Ó Snodaigh but I can go back over them again. It is a priority of ours and it is in the programme for Government to do an evaluation. It was...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Arts Policy (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: This is why I am doing what I am doing. I am going to try to do this as quickly as possible. All Deputies in all parties on both sides of the House would say it would be foolish in the extreme for me not to at least evaluate all of the reports that are available and will be available to the Department before I make a decision. As soon as I can do so I will do it and I will be back to the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Arts Policy (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The programme for Government commits to assessing the basic income for the arts pilot research scheme to maximise its impact. The basic income for the arts pilot research scheme began with the first baseline survey in October 2022 and will conclude in August 2025. The data from the pilot will feed into Government consideration of the next steps. The Department is currently working on a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Arts Policy (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am conscious of the concerns that people in the scheme have. I pay tribute to my predecessor in this area, Catherine Martin, who did a huge amount of work to initiate the whole concept. It was born out of a time when the country was bedraggled, with Covid and everything else, but it has proven its worth in terms of the qualitative and quantitative amount of work that can be produced by...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Promotion (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: No doubt I will get an opportunity. The Deputy might send me the details on that and I will have a look at it. I have had many dealings with Louth and Meath tourism. I know they will set aside their collegiality for the Leinster final but it is great to see the Deputy sitting beside a Louth person. Hopefully, Louth will undo the wrong done to them.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Promotion (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I am just offering an opinion but I wish Louth the best of luck. I wish Meath the best of luck as well but I hope Louth make the breakthrough this year. Louth and Meath County Councils are cheek by jowl with each other and work effectively together. The River Boyne provides an obvious link between the two counties that both are adept at exploiting. There are an awful lot of State assets...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Promotion (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy has made some positive suggestions about areas in his county that he knows intimately. One of the best things to do would be to have direct engagement with the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, perhaps with some of the other Oireachtas Members from County Offaly. The county council has already done much of the preliminary work. As a man from the neighbouring county of Westmeath, I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Promotion (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 111 together. This is the third time I have said the following but I will repeat it for the record. Tourism is now the policy responsibility of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke. Following the making of a Government order on Tuesday, statutory responsibility for the sector will transfer to the Minister, Deputy Burke, from 1 June. He...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Promotion (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I entirely agree with the Deputy that the overlap between arts, culture, sport and tourism is enormous. I refer to the impact of Listowel Writers' Week in County Kerry, for example. All festivals, especially the larger ones, have an impact by bringing people to particular areas. The same is true for sporting events. Money is generated in Limerick by Munster Rugby, as it is in Dublin by...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Promotion (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 120 together. The Deputy will appreciate that tourism is now the policy responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Burke. Following the making of a Government order yesterday, statutory responsibility for the sector will transfer to the Minister, Deputy Burke, from 1 June. However, I can say that the Government recognises the central importance of the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Promotion (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will pass on the Deputy's remarks to the Minister, Deputy Burke, who is a neighbour of Deputy McCormack. I do not disagree with much of what the Deputy said. I was previously a Minister of State at the old Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and I also had responsibility for the OPW. I know one of the principal national sites of the OPW is Clonmacnoise. I met with Offaly County...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Industry (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. As I said to Deputy Connolly earlier, this is an issue that is on the way out of our Department. Last Tuesday it was finalised that my colleague, Deputy Peter Burke, will be answerable on tourism. Following the making of a Government order on Tuesday, statutory responsibility for the sector will transfer to the Minister, Deputy Burke,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Industry (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: There is a lot there. I thank the Deputy for his kind remarks as Gaeilge at the outset. The Deputy will be glad to know that in regard to the tourist tax, I have no role in that. That is a matter for the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and the Department of Finance. I have personal views on a tourism tax. I do not think that levying a tax on people who are trying to get into the country is a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Industry (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I do not think it does deter people but one of the things that local authority members should look at first is their capacity to raise revenue from existing streams rather than levying a new tax on people. Often there is a rush, for instance, to reduce the local property tax, LPT. Some people are totally opposed to the LPT and have a fundamental objection to it but at the same time, they...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tourism Industry (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I think we will leave that matter to the Minister, Deputy Donohoe.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Economic Policy (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy for his positive remarks. Any suggestions that will be made on this will be welcome. As I said a while ago, once I have had a chance to meet all the relevant stakeholders and also had the chance to review the documentation that is going to be submitted to the Department when it is done, I will have no problem in engaging with Opposition spokespersons on their suggestions....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Ghaeltacht (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Mar is eol don Teachta, tá cúraimí na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge ag aistriú chuig an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, faoi láthair. Bhí sé le bheith anseo inniu ach ní raibh sé in ann teacht go dtí an Teach inniu mar gheall ar chúrsaí pearsanta. Rinne an Rialtas ordú Dé Máirt chun na...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Ghaeltacht (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Tuigim go soiléir cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an cheist seo. Nuair a bhí me i Roinn na Gaeltachta, bhí an-suim agam san ábhar seo. Tuigim cé chomh tábhachtach is atá sé ní hamháin do na ceantair Ghaeltachta ach freisin do dhaoine lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht a bhfuil suim acu sna hábhair a bhaineann leis na Gaeltachtaí...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: An Ghaeltacht (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Aontaím leis an Teachta. Tuigim cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an t-ábhar seo. Tuigim cé chomh fada is atá muid sa Teach seo ag caint ar an ábhar seo. Maidir leis na ceantair Ghaeltachta, is é sin an polasaí is tábhachtaí do na daoine a bhfuil cónaí orthu sa Ghaeltacht. B’fhéidir go mbeidh an tAire, an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Bodies (8 May 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I do not know if there is a question there. There is certainly a big statement, and I have addressed that statement previously with regard to the OPW. The Deputy will appreciate the Accounting Officer for the OPW came before the finance committee and the public accounts committee and laid out in real terms what happened with regard to the Office of Public Works. No more than I did not know...