Results 1-20 of 171 for speaker:Alison Comyn

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Thank you, Minister, for coming in to answer those Commencement matters. I would like to welcome some of our groups here. I feel like I am in the ballroom of romance; we have the ladies on one side and the gentlemen on the other. We have guests of Senator Chris Andrews, the Ringsend and Irishtown golden girls group. You are all golden girls and fabulous blondes. We do have more fun, do...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Community Safety Partnerships (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I welcome to the Seanad the Minister, Jim O'Callaghan.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Council (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I thank Members for their attention and attendance here today. With that final Commencement matter, the House stands suspended until 11.30 a.m.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Would there be an opportunity to expand it though? Would the scheme be taking in more? Could some still be retained or are we going to revert to the 2,000 with some falling aside? This would make for a very uncertain future for them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Okay, we will stick with the funding then, because we all know what the large-scale sports infrastructure fund has done for sport. It has been absolutely transformational for many sectors. I am proposing the establishment of a large-scale cultural infrastructural fund. This would support large-scale culture projects with grants perhaps ranging from €1 million to €30 million....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Given it is in the programme for Government, I hope there is a timeline for that and not just a possibility of it happening in the lifetime of the Government.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: The Minister did mention the local authorities shouldering much of the burden. Louth County Council is still shouldering a debt of €1.3 million from the very successful fleadh we had in 2028-2029. It brought 750,000 people and a great deal of revenue. We are unlikely to get the fleadh again because of that debt, so should-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I am sorry; it was 2018-2019.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Yes, exactly. We are unlikely to get an opportunity again because of this debt. Is this something the local authorities should be shouldering?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I will address this question to the Minister of State. My colleague Deputy Byrne and I are pursuing compulsory swimming lessons for primary school children in light of too many drowning tragedies. We have approached the Department of Education and Youth. Can this be put through the national swimming strategy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Excellent. I am far too quick asking questions but I got my answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I appreciate that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I thank everyone for coming in here again. I am pretty certain I have seen more of them than I have of my family in recent weeks, but it is extremely important we talk about the funding of the arts. Many artists really appreciate the effort that has been put in, the widespread funding and especially the basic income. It is good news the pilot funding for that has been extended. I have a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Update on Departmental Priorities and Legislation: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (2 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Safety online is not only for young children; it is also for adults. We have a defamation law coming down the line. How can we make sure people are not hiding behind anonymity and you are guilty until proven innocent, basically?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I add my words of support to my Fianna Fáil colleagues here on the matter of the student contribution. We are in coalition and in government together. It is beholden to both of us to address this issue and come to an agreement. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, made it perfectly clear what is happening with the student contribution and did not promise an increase. We are looking at a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: I thank the witnesses for coming to answer our queries and for providing a detailed report and review. I appreciate that. It was lengthy, but I focused, as recommended, on chapter 7. One phrase that kept coming up in the early stages was that the BTP was progressing well. Will Mr. Ó Coigligh define "progressing well" for me? In other words, does the Department have formal testing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Okay. Fast forward - it was not even that fast - to December of that year, when the first progress report that said it was tracking red was given, what was the Department's response? Was there a suggestion that the system could be abandoned at that stage? Why was the decision made to continue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: At the time, was the Department's approach to how to assess a process or business case flawed overall? Has that process changed on foot of this review?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Arts Council Grant Management IT System: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Alison Comyn: Who ultimately owned the decision to write off the €5.3 million? What disciplinary or performance actions were considered or taken at the time?