Results 1,261-1,280 of 9,894 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sport and Recreational Development (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Cuirim fáilte roimh na páistí atá anseo ó Scoil Mobhí i nGlas Naíon. Tá fáilte rompu isteach sa Dáil inniu. I was talking about my wife playing sport. Coincidentally, she used to play Gaelic in Na Fianna, next door to our visitors. That is a complete coincidence. The Deputy raised important questions. I, the Minister and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I do not reject a sports facility strategy; I rejected Deputy Andrews's proposal to move away from a sports capital programme.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: What he said about the Minister of State's constituency is not true. Every constituency did better in the last sports capital allocation.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: The Government is committed to doing that with priority for inclusion and disadvantage and we will continue with that. Regarding Deputy Carey's point, discussions are ongoing. Massive ambition has been shown by voluntary clubs throughout the country. These are not professional clubs, as Sinn Féin has alleged. Voluntary clubs in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of cities and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sport and Recreational Development (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Deputy for this highly relevant question. This is a very exciting time for women's football in Ireland. I recently attended the soccer writers' awards night at which Vera Pauw spoke. The sense of sheer excitement and pride, which came from her and was shared around the room, will be reflected throughout the country as we build up to the World Cup and our women take part in it....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sport and Recreational Development (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: There is no doubt but that there will be a massive increase. Apart from the great pride and everybody cheering our women on, it will lead to more people getting involved and more pressure on facilities. As part of the sports capital programme, funding will be geared to ensuring we have inclusion and increased participation at all levels, including among women and girls. As I mentioned in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 31, 39, 51, 54, 73 and 75 together. As the Deputies are aware, 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 benefited from sports capital funding...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I completely reject the Sinn Féin proposal to move away from the sports capital programme. We will not do that. We will stick with it and we will be prioritising disadvantaged areas. That is what we are doing and that is what the sports capital programme has always done. Areas of disadvantage are awarded higher marks under the scheme. There will be a transparent marking scheme and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: They are also in Kildare. I am addressing the areas where Deputies spoke on this particular question but it is important in every county. We want to help the national governing bodies to help the sporting bodies in the areas and that includes all of them. I have had discussions with some of the national governing bodies on that as well.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Gender Balance (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Addressing women's participation at all levels in sport is an important element of the national sports policy and a core priority for me, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and the Government as a whole. That includes women in leadership positions such as board members of national governing bodies, NGBs. The sports action plan sets a target for all NGBs to achieve 40% gender...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Gender Balance (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: The Deputy is absolutely correct. I want to be clear to all the national governing bodies, including the big national governing bodies that, to be fair, are doing a lot for sport and women in sport. To be clear, the grant funding to those organisations is now closely aligned to our key policies, one of which is the achievement of 40% gender balance with female representation on the boards...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Gender Balance (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I know the Deputy will be fighting for sports funding for Carlow.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Gender Balance (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: It would be no harm to remind the national governing bodies that the funding will be dependent on having representation at board level. We must fight for more facilities. Frankly, this summer is going to be like Italia 90, in some respects, with our women's soccer team in the World Cup. Any level of inequality would simply not be tolerated. We have to work to get more facilities because I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Gender Balance (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: That would go against the whole point of it. We have yet to make decisions on that.

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Facilities (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: As the stadium referred to by the Deputy is owned by Dublin City Council, any decision on the future redevelopment of the ground is a matter for the Council in the first instance. In terms of my role regarding the development of largescale sporting infrastructure, my Department provides grant assistance for sporting facilities through the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) and the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Swimming Pools (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: I am aware of the campaign to have a permanent pool in the Blessington area. In relation to my Department's responsibilities, capital funding for new swimming pools or the refurbishment of existing pools was previously provided through the Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme (LASPP). A total of 52 pools has been completed under the LASPP and three swimming pool projects (Lucan,...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Sport Ireland operates two key athlete funding supports, an International Carding Scheme for individual athletes and High Performance Programme funding to relevant National Governing Bodies of sport. The Sport Ireland International Carding Scheme has been in operation since 1999. The Scheme provides direct funding to individual athletes to support their training and competition costs. It...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: The Dormant Accounts Fund (DAF) sports programme, operated by Sport Ireland on behalf of my Department, is the primary funding stream deployed exclusively to promote increased sports participation amongst disadvantaged communities and people with a disability. This programme provides financial supports to a wide range of locally inspired community projects undertaken by local sports clubs,...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

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: Sport and Recreational Development (26 Jan 2023)

Thomas Byrne: Promoting and encouraging integration and unity in the context of sports participation is an inherent part of the Sport for All approach that is central to the ongoing implementation of our National Sports Policy. In this context, the overriding aim is to ensure that all persons have the opportunity to partake equally in sport and physical activity, regardless of age, social-economic status,...