Results 10,501-10,520 of 12,487 for speaker:John O'Donoghue
- Written Answers — Tourism Industry: Tourism Industry (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: According to the data available to me, Ireland has been outperforming the European average in terms of attracting increased numbers of visitors. International arrivals to Europe, as reported by the UN World Tourism Organisation grew at a rate of 4.0% in 2005, and 3.1% in the first 8 months of 2006. This compares with growth rates for Ireland, as recorded by the CSO, of 6.1% in 2005, and...
- Arts Funding. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: Since becoming Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism in 2002, I have consistently and effectively made the case, in the context of annual Estimates discussions, for increased funding for the arts, and the results are clearly in evidence. Since 2002 funding for the Arts Council has increased by over 67% from â¬47.67 million in 2002 to â¬80 million in 2007. This clearly demonstrates the...
- Arts Funding. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: On my watch, the budget for the Arts Council has increased by 67% which, by any standard, is a substantial increase over a four year period. This has been recognised and acknowledged by those involved in the arts throughout the country. As with all budgets and Estimates, everybody will not get everything they want. International comparisons are far less simple than originally appears to be...
- Arts Funding. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: If, in the course of 2007, further funding becomes available to assist the arts community, the Arts Council and arts organisations, the Deputy can be assured I will do all I can to assist. That has been my record and that of Government.
- Arts Funding. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: Arts Council spending has increased by 67% under my watch.
- Arts Funding. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: There was a cut in 2002-03 because of the budgetary circumstances.
- Arts Funding. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: There were cutbacks at that time, or at least adjustments in the Estimates across several Departments.
- Arts Funding. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: If those adjustments had not been made, the economy would not have weathered the storm which many other economies failed to weather during that period. Those adjustments have proven to be the correct course of action. Time has proven the Government was right. While there were slight cutbacks in terms of the budget for the Arts Council at that time, these have been more than made up for....
- Sport and Recreational Development. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: 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 of the audit will establish a record of national and regional sports facilities and is being carried out within my Department. The work currently being undertaken is a data gathering exercise in conjunction with the main sporting bodies and...
- Sport and Recreational Development. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: At the request of the 2012 London task force, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism is undertaking a separate and limited audit of sporting infrastructure in advance of the 2012 Olympic Games. A list of facilities which are likely to attract Olympic and Paralympic training camps, prior to the London games in 2012, will be drawn up over the next three months. The audit will focus on...
- Sport and Recreational Development. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: A number of potential sites for visiting teams have been identified in the initial discussions. It is important to recognise that we have a number of quite decent facilities, such as the rowing centre at Inniscarra, the equestrian centre at Punchestown, the aquatic centre in Blanchardstown, the tennis centre in Glasnevin, the boxing stadium in Dublin 8, the training facilities in the...
- Departmental Expenditure. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 2, which I answered a short time ago. In that reply, I outlined in considerable detail the 2007 Estimates allocations and priorities of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. I will illustrate the significant financial support the Government has given the arts, sport and tourism sectors. In 2003, which was the first full year of operation...
- Departmental Expenditure. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: Gross expenditure in arts and culture in 2007 rose from â¬198.7 million to â¬216.56 million. There has been an 11% increase in the Arts Council budget to â¬80 million, which was the amount sought. The Minister for Education and Science and I have set up a committee to look at the question of the arts in education. This committee is examining how we can influence the school curriculum to...
- Departmental Expenditure. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: There is no denying that there is a paucity of facilities in many parts of the country and that this gap needs to be addressed, not least in County Kildare. I sincerely hope that we receive applications from County Kildare under ACCESS II which will be worthy of support. There is no doubt that further facilities are required. We made a start under ACCESS I and in addition to that, almost...
- Sport and Recreational Development. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 5 on this topic.
- Sport and Recreational Development. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: Deputy Gogarty has raised this issue on a number of occasions. A working group has been established to oversee the detailed work of the audit. The group held a number of meetings.
- Sport and Recreational Development. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: The sub-group has decided that the audit will be undertaken in a number of places to speed up the availability of information. The experience in the North was that an audit of this nature could take up to two and a half years. Work is under way and we want a long-term strategic plan for the provision of sports facilities throughout the country. As part of that process, a national audit of...
- Sport and Recreational Development. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: I agree with the Deputy that facilities are still required in many parishes across the country. That is why we are continuing with the sports capital programme as aggressively as possible. The reason the audit is taking such a time is the amount of work involved. All the facilities across the country have to be included in the audit. They include not just key national facilities but, for...
- Sport and Recreational Development. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: We have only so many staff to carry out a function such as this. Naturally, if we had a plethora of people, it could be done more quickly. We have to operate within our resources, using the staff that are available to us. We are doing this as quickly as we can.
- Lansdowne Road Stadium. (30 Nov 2006)
John O'Donoghue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 16 and 23 together. As the House is aware, in January 2004, the Government agreed to provide funding of â¬191 million, phased over five years, to the joint IRFU-FAI project for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road as a 50,000-seat stadium. The estimated total cost of the project is â¬365 million and the IRFU and FAI will provide the balance of â¬174...