Results 501-520 of 9,810 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: I am aware of the campaign referred to in the question. My Department operates two capital funding programmes to support the development of sport facilities, namely the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (the “SCEP”) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (the “LSSIF”). The SCEP is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: The National Sports Policy prioritises accessibility in the design, build and management of facilities and it acknowledges that for certain groups, particularly people with disabilities, physical access is one of the potential barriers to be addressed. The policy states that delivering a sporting environment that can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Olympic Games (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Preparations for Paris 2024 are progressing positively. Team Ireland is now entering the final period of qualification for several sports and Ireland is tracking towards a team size exceeding 120 athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games and 30 athletes in the 2024 Paralympic Games. The qualification of three teams in men’s and women’s rugby sevens and also in men’s hockey for...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: údarás na Gaeltachta (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Tuigim ó údarás na Gaeltachta go bhfuil sé mar sprioc ag an eagraíocht, bunaithe ar na hacmhainní atá ar fáil di faoi láthair, go mbeidh tús curtha le feidhmiú an Scéim Tacaíochta Forbartha Gaeilge i 2024 le suas le 10 gcliant páirteach inti faoi dheireadh na bliana. Tuigim go bhfuil obair ar siúl ag an...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: On 3 April 2024 Minister Martin and I published the ‘Review of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF)’ and the new ‘Similar Access Requirement’. The review outlines the issues faced by LSSIF projects to date and provides recommendations in relation to a new round of LSSIF. The five recommendations include population and sustainability criteria,...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Foras na Gaeilge (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Foras na Gaeilge is one of the agencies of the North South Language Body the budgets for which are approved by the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC). As the Deputy will be aware, in the absence of the North South Ministerial Council over the past number of years, all North South Bodies faced many challenges, including those of a budgetary nature. My Department along with the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Funding (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: My Department engaged extensively with representatives of the organisation referred to by the Deputy in 2022 and 2023 in an effort to assist the organisation in putting proper governance and financial management structures in place within the organisation to allow the continuation of state funding to support its operations. Emergency funding was also approved at that time by the Department in...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Capital funding for sport is provided though the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). The Government recently agreed revised capital allocations under the National Development Plan totalling €2.25 billion out to 2026. The additional allocations of capital funding to 2026 will support key projects and programmes under...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Coláistí Samhraidh (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Tá Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge (SFG) á riar ag mo Roinn ar mhaithe le tacú leis na deiseanna sealbhaithe agus saibhrithe teanga sna réigiúin Ghaeltachta do scoláirí dara leibhéal agus do mhic léinn tríú leibhéal ó áiteanna ar fud na tíre. Tagann an scéim le cuspóirí an Rialtais i leith na...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: I note that the organisation referred to by the Deputy is enquiring regarding support to compensate for lost income due to poor weather conditions. My Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (the “SCEP”) and the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (the “LSSIF”). The SCEP is the primary...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Events (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Before the Department and Government commits public monies to supporting the hosting of a major sports event in Ireland, a significant range of factors needs to be taken into account. These factors include the projected cost to the State, the expected economic benefits accruing to the State, and the proposed event’s capacity to contribute to wider policy objectives, such as increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (18 Apr 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. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998 bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion. The Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (18 Apr 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. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998 bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion. The Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: In March, Minister Catherine Martin and I announced a record investment of almost €30 million in core funding support to sporting organisations, through Sport Ireland, for 2024. This funding will ensure that sporting organisations can continue to provide valuable opportunities for everyone to participate in sport. Investment in the network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) has...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Gaeltacht Policy (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: In the context of my Department’s role in coordinating the implementation of the Government’s Action Plan for the Irish Language (Plean Gníomhaíochta 2018-2022), the fourth annual progress report on its ongoing implementation on behalf of Government was published in December 2023. The plan itself was first published in 2018 in order to accelerate and better...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Irish Language (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: My Department is committed to promoting and supporting the Irish language outside of the Gaeltacht. In this context, a fund known as ‘Scéimeanna Tacaíochta Gaeilge’ (‘Irish Language Support Schemes’) is in place for many years now with the aim of fostering and promoting the Irish language outside the Gaeltacht. The projects for which funding has been...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: Deputy Cian O’Callaghan's amendment proposes to delete the requirement in section 258(2)(c) that environmental NGOs, who enjoy privileged status and rights of appeal within the Irish system, must have at least ten members. This criteria and others in section 258, such as the requirement to have existed for at least one year prior to the taking of judicial review, guard the system from...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: I will have to leave it at what has been said already in that regard.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2024)

Thomas Byrne: The threshold was set at ten, which we believe is an appropriate level. In fact, the Aarhus Convention allows a country to set a threshold and we are doing that. There are thresholds in other EU countries and at EU level that are higher. There is precedent for this. We are allowed to do it and we think it is a reasonable number and at an appropriate level.