Results 1-20 of 11,328 for speaker:Patrick O'Donovan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Arts Funding (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: That is exactly what we are doing. We are starting with a small amount because we want to test the water and get an understanding of how the scheme will work. When sports capital was introduced fadó, fadó, it started at a very small level. When I was Minister of State in the Department the last time, in 2016, the amount available for sports capital was paltry compared to what is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Arts Funding (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I agree with both Deputies. Whether it is arts or sport, we will prioritise areas with growing and burgeoning populations but without facilities. I am going to be very critical of local authorities again. Local authorities have in many cases allowed houses to be built all over the place and done very well out of development levy contribution schemes. Where has the money gone? We have to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Film Industry (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I had thought we were nearly finished but I thank the Deputy. A range of supports are provided for screen productions in Ireland, including regional productions. These are kept under ongoing review to ensure we remain an attractive location for inward investment and continue to develop our domestic industry. In 2024, Screen Ireland invested more than €6.5 million in productions,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Film Industry (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank all of the Deputies for raising this really important question. I have done a number of trade missions to north America with Screen Ireland and the film sector. It is my intention to do another one to Canada and the United States of America early in the spring because there is substantial potential here. That potential is driven by talent, infrastructure, our climate and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Arts Funding (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: As I have previously outlined to other Deputies, the programme for Government contains this commitment because we believe culture and arts are essential to a well-rounded society and provide opportunities for education, expression and community engagement. A network of cultural infrastructure exists throughout the country, the majority of which is in the ownership of local authorities. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Arts Funding (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: As I said a while ago, I understand Dunamaise Arts Centre is due to bring forward an application. It was to bring this forward in September, I think, but it has been delayed for some reason. Once that application is brought forward, it can be assessed. The important thing in the wider scheme for these centres is we will have an arts capital scheme that is the first of its kind, as soon as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Arts Funding (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The last point the Deputy made is the most important. All these arts centres will only be as good as the local community that supports them. No amount of schemes, interventions and grants will ever supplement what the local community can do by attending and supporting artists, whether touring or local. That is the most important issue. Whether they are in parish halls, purpose-built...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: There is a Dublin-specific issue we have to address. Fadó fadó when cable television came into people's houses - we did not have that luxury in the country, I do not know whether An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach did and Deputy Ó Snodaigh probably did - they had to break footpaths when they brought in cables and in many cases, left no ducting so there is a significant problem...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Cultural Institutions (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: As outlined in the programme for Government, the Government believes that culture and the arts are essential to a well-rounded society providing opportunities for education, expression and community engagement. My Department is taking a number of steps to improve, increase and widen access to the arts. A network of cultural infrastructure exists throughout the country with the majority...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Cultural Institutions (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Deputy is right. It is 2025. We should not have a situation where in some of our national cultural institutions, people with disabilities cannot go in the front door. That is the reality because of delays. Deputy Ó Snodaigh and I spoke about this a while ago regarding the rehabilitation of sensitive buildings and architecturally conserved areas. There are people with mobility...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Cultural Institutions (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I will be bringing forward proposals to Government shortly regarding the new arts capital scheme. It will be along the same lines as the sports capital grant scheme. It is a small amount of money to start with. We are testing the waters in year one but I hope to grow it exponentially over the next couple of years. It will be local authority-dependent. They own most of the properties...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Arts Funding (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: As outlined in the programme for Government, the Government believes that culture and the arts are essential to a well-rounded society providing opportunities for education, expression and community engagement. My Department is taking a number of steps to improve, increase and widen access to the arts. A network of cultural infrastructure exists throughout the country with the majority...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artists' Remuneration (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: That is not the case.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artists' Remuneration (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I have not worked out that detail yet. As soon as I do, I will take it to the Government. With regard to journalists, we have journalistic schemes that are operated from my Department, including the court reporting scheme and the supporting democracy schemes. The Deputy might not be aware of them but we support them. I have not dismissed other Departments using basic income, but I am...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artists' Remuneration (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: With regard to the Bill that was debated last week, Deputy Ó Snodaigh knows quite well my view with regard to comedy. That pertains to the Arts Council and Arts Council grants, which are a totally different thing. I have made my views clear with regard to the Arts Council and the funding of things like country music, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, comedy and other genres...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: The Government is committed to the rollout of high-speed broadband right across the country. The national broadband plan, NBP, is the Government's initiative to deliver high-speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland where the commercial telecom operators' reach will not extend. In addition to the work being progress by National Broadband Ireland right across the NBP intervention...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I thank the Deputy. She is right in relation to the blue area in general. We continue to receive very high volumes of queries with regard to blue areas for high-speed broadband and poor speeds and services and things like that. Notwithstanding the fact that there are issues - if the Deputy wants to give me the particular details with regard to specific parts of Skerries and Balbriggan, I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artists' Remuneration (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I welcome that people are so supportive of the scheme. There is a complication with regard to how the scheme runs forward because the pilot was due to end on 31 December, but out of savings in our Department's resources we are able to extend it to February to give an extra two months. At the same time, I mentioned the level of consultation we are doing in the Department. It is probably the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: National Cultural Institutions (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: Nobody wants to go out of his or her way to look stupid. The reality, as the Deputy knows as well as I do, is that when one goes under the bonnet of buildings like Leinster House, for example, one finds in the detailed design and in the final planning, as I saw in previous Departments I was in, that sometimes the depth of the problems associated with heritage buildings, in particular, is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Artists' Remuneration (20 Nov 2025)

Patrick O'Donovan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6, 7, 23, 32 and 56 together. I was delighted to have secured an allocation for a successor scheme to the basic income for the arts pilot as part of budget 2026. While the detail of the future scheme will need to be agreed by the Government, this is a major milestone for the arts in Ireland. I am particularly pleased that the research my Department...