Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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147. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she continues to have contact with the various sporting organisations with a view to enabling them continue while adapting protection against Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37662/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Minister Martin and I have ongoing engagement with stakeholders in the sports sector, as do the officials in my Department. The engagement has taken many forms from virtual one to one meetings with National Governing Bodies of sport to larger group meetings, also conducted virtually. There are two main groups which engage with the sector, they are the “Expert Group on Return to Sport” and the “Covid-19 Sport Monitoring Group".

To facilitate the safe return of sporting activity, an Expert Group was established to provide advice and guidance to sporting bodies and to review protocols to ensure they are in compliance with public health advice. The Expert Group has had 24 meetings (up to and including Thursday 12 November) and has approved over 55 protocols from sporting bodies and other relevant organisations. In addition, the Expert Group has developed extensive guidance for the sport sector on assessing and mitigating the risk of infection at sports training and competitive events. I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all members of the Group for their efforts which have facilitated a safe return to sport for children and adults.

The other main group which interacts with the sports sector is the Covid-19 Sports Monitoring Group. This group has met 8 times, most recently on Friday 6 November. I chair this group which comprises Department Officials, Sport Ireland and a broad range of stakeholders in sport such as National Governing Bodies, Local Sports Partnerships as well as other partners including the Federation of Irish Sport, the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Paralympics Ireland and Ireland Active. The group serves as a forum for the stakeholders to engage directly with the Minister on issues of concern for their members, such as the impacts of public health regulations, the challenges facing sports clubs and the economic impact of the pandemic on Ireland’s sport and leisure sector.

Recognising that the challenges of COVID-19 will continue into 2021, I can assure the Deputy that Minister Martin and I will continue our engagement with and support the sporting bodies.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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148. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent of her plans to reinvigorate the tourism sector in 2021 with particular reference to addressing the damage caused by Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37663/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Budget 2021 included a number of substantial measures to support and strengthen the tourism sector and are supplemented by the economy-wide business supports and social welfare measures.

As part of the Budget package of measures, €55 million has been provided for Business Continuity Schemes for strategic tourism businesses to help them survive through the pandemic and be there to help drive the recovery.  This funding will be administered by Fáilte Ireland and focused on those strategic businesses.  In addition, the Budget provided for an additional €5m investment in training and support to businesses to improve their web and digital presence.  Combined with the COVID Resilience Support Scheme (CRSS), the VAT cut and the rates waiver, the Government is helping to sustain businesses that have been most severely affected by the necessary public health restrictions.

The Tourism Recovery Taskforce, which reported to me in October, undertook a comprehensive analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the sector and drew up a Recovery Plan containing over 30 recommendations across a number of areas designed to help the sector to survive and recover from the crisis out to 2023. Its short-term recommendations informed the sector-specific measures adopted in the Budget. To help inform the ongoing response to the pandemic, I will shortly appoint an Oversight Group which will monitor the implementation of the Recovery Plan as well as the recovery of the tourism sector in general.