Results 1,121-1,140 of 10,035 for speaker:Martin Cullen

Written Answers — Arts Funding: Arts Funding (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 185 together. Government Policy on the Arts is set out in the Programme for Government and is elaborated further in my Department's Statement of Strategy. My policy on the arts is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, increase access to and participation in the arts, and make the arts an integral and valued part of our national life....

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: The Government and I continue to be acutely conscious of the specific needs of young people in the development of positive, healthy and pro-social attitudes and behaviours, as evidenced, inter alia, by the Department's provision of unprecedented sums in grants for a range of arts and sports facilities over the last number of years. In the arts sector, the Arts Capital Programme has...

Sports Funding. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: While I would like to be in a position to provide the maximum amount of resources to every player or athlete in every sport, the resources available to me are finite. Taxpayers have invested vast resources in the three largest sports organisations, the Gaelic Athletic Association, Football Association of Ireland and Irish Rugby Football Union. While there is nothing wrong with this, I am...

Sports Funding. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: Processes are in place to resolve the issue in the public domain to which the Deputy refers. I do not propose to get involved in the matter as it has no bearing on or connection to the GPA players grant system. We have had a reasonable discussion. A fundamental question arises as to whether the taxpayer should fund individuals who belong to strong and relatively wealthy organisations. The...

Sports Funding. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: If the overall view is that we will not support minority sports, which is a term I strongly dislike, and decide that 25 sports are unimportant and all our resources must be invested in one area, that is fine. I do not believe, however, that this is what everybody wants. If, on the other hand, we decide we want to fund all sports, limited resources available for this purpose. We must decide...

Sports Funding. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: Yes. People believe the Government has its own money when this is not the case. The amount of taxpayers' money allocated to the GAA, FAI and IRFU has been vast by international standards.

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 76, 77 and 84 together. For the information of Deputies, it is worthwhile to set out the rationale behind the decision to combine the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Crawford Art Gallery and National Gallery of Ireland while retaining their separate brand identities, and the decision to merge the National Archives, Irish Manuscripts Commission and National...

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: I was disappointed with the first remarks made by the Deputy, and then quite happy with the second half, because she began to touch on the reality of the position. This is not for me, I can assure the Deputy, a simple issue of looking at figures on a page, drawing lines through them and achieving an outcome. That would not work and it would be foolish to approach it simply on cost-saving...

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: This is not about savings at all — and that is why I am putting the question to the Deputy. I have said I do not know whether there will be any savings at the end of it. The Deputy has raised a whole range of issues that I will be scrutinising in terms of whether they should be based in one location, amalgamated, what the board structure will be, the role of the chief executive, the HR...

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: This was actually going on long before I arrived in this Department.

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: There is a serious plan of engagement, but the Deputy is presenting this as black and white. One of the greatest institutions in the world with which we are all familiar is the Smithsonian Institute. It has everything embraced within one structure; are the Deputies telling me it does not work? Scotland is——

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: Just hang on a minute. Scotland is an example where all the galleries and museums are under one structure, the National Galleries of Scotland. There is one national organisation there although we seem to believe there must be a board of directors to run everything in this country. A body must be independent, stand-alone, with its own managing director and ten other directors, HR and...

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: If the Deputy had listened to the answer I gave Deputy Mitchell — and she expanded on what I said — the answer to all these issues is that we need to look at whether there will be any savings. I am being quite open. There may not be any savings. Even if there are not, the question is whether those cultural institutions are getting the most out of the money being invested in them. For...

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: ——-have hundreds of thousands of people visiting them. They run major public programmes in a variety of areas. I should like to see our National Archives institute being put in a position to do that. If it is a fault of the structure or the funding that it cannot do that at the moment, let that fact emerge. That body contains an extraordinary store of this nation's archives and has...

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: I thank the Deputy.

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: I am glad the Deputy agrees fully with what I have said, as it is quite clear that she does. I appreciate that and feel like saying, "I rest my case". I and my Department are engaged with the National Archives. I fully accept the Deputy's point that the space for the type of storage necessary is utterly inadequate and I believe the OPW has sourced a facility that will meet the requirements...

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: I do not have the details in front of me because they are under negotiation at the moment.

Departmental Agencies. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: I believe it will meet all the requirements. Part of the brief was that the property would have to meet all the standards required for the storage of national archive material. However, I do not have the details at this stage and cannot say whether anything is finalised.

National Sports Campus. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78, 89, 92, 95 and 101 together. Following the opening of the National Aquatic Centre in 2003 and a subsequent Government decision in January 2004 to proceed with a phased delivery of the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown lands, capital expenditure of €1.05 million was made in the preparation of the development control plan for the campus and €7.3...

National Sports Campus. (19 Nov 2008)

Martin Cullen: Question Nos. 78, 89, 92, 95 and 101. There are four from Deputy Mitchell and one from Deputy Upton.