Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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719.To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will report on the implementation of the programme for Government commitments under the remit of her Department.[34018/24]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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My Department has made, and continues to make, significant progress on implementing the relevant commitments under the Programme for Government. My Department’s Statement of Strategy reflects these national priorities. The following summarises our key achievements in respect of the Programme for Government:

Tourism:

• We strongly supported the recovery and rebuilding of Ireland’s crucial international tourism market.
• A key commitment was to develop a new sustainable tourism policy and I expect to publish this before the end of the year.
• Work is progressing on the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill which will provide the statutory basis for the regulation of the Short Term Letting sector in Ireland and the establishment of a register, managed by Fáilte Ireland, for all Short Term Lets in Ireland.
• I have also significantly increased investment in the tourism agencies which support the sector, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. Overall funding for tourism has grown from €184 million in 2020 to €219 million in 2024.
• A number of product and promotional initiatives have been undertaken to further support the development of the industry and deliver on the latest priorities of the tourism sector, such as the new brand collaboration project linking the Causeway Coastal Route and the Wild Atlantic Way under the Shared Island programme.
• In addition, Fáilte Ireland has developed four new Regional Tourism Development Strategies 2023–2027 covering the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, the Hidden Heartlands and Dublin.

• Substantial funding for the arts, artists and cultural enterprises impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, including government supports for the first time for the live entertainment sector.
• Funding for the Arts Council has increased significantly year-on-year to €134 million in 2024.
• Introduction of the Basic Income for the Arts – a three-year pilot scheme to support artists and creative arts which incorporates a research programme to inform future Government policy.
• Significant progress has been made across the 36 actions in the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce with many actions now completed.
• Strong support for the successful Irish film industry through increased funding for Screen Ireland.
• The development of a Culture, Creativity and Climate Policy Framework which will bring strategic direction to climate action in the creative and cultural fields.
• The extension of the Creative Ireland programme to 2027.

• Údarás na Gaeltachta has received significant additional funding which assisted in protecting client- companies from Brexit and Covid- 19, as well as progressing investments in ‘greening’ enterprise infrastructure.
• Enactment of the Official Languages Act 2021, is encouraging more people to learn and embrace the language and ensure the delivery of public services through Irish. A National Plan for Irish Language Public Services has been developed and will go to Government shortly.
• Implementation of the language planning process across Gaeltacht regions, Gaeltacht Service Towns and Irish Language Networks continued to be advanced as a key measure in the overarching implementation of the Government’s 5-Year Action for the Irish Language (Plean Gníomhaíochta 2018-2022).
• The Department is providing support for the development of Irish language centres outside the Gaeltacht, including a commitment to a flagship Centre in Dublin City Conradh na Gaeilge’s headquarters in Harcourt St.
• The promotion of the Irish language in workplaces and social settings, through funding initiatives by organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge, Oireachtas na Gaeilge and Glór na nGael.

• Record levels of funding for Sport, with an allocation of €209m in 2024. This has facilitated unprecedented investment in the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme, with at least €250 million to be made available for the 2023 round. A second round of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund was also launched this year.
• Increased core funding has been allocated to sporting organisations in recent years, including a record investment of €17.3m for 2024.
• Sport Ireland policy on High Performance published in 2021 and policy on Diversity and Inclusion in Sport launched in May 2023.
• The Masterplan for the development of the National Sports Campus was approved by Government in 2022.
• Government support for the Football Association of Ireland’s successful bid, with the UK, to host EURO 2028. In addition, a Major International Sports Events Policy and Strategy Framework has been completed and will be published in the coming weeks.
• The first National Swimming Strategy was published in August 2024.

• The Online Safety and Media Regulation Act was enacted in 2022. Subsequently, Coimisiún na Meán was established in 2023.
• The Future of Media Commission Report was published in July of 2022. An Implementation Strategy and Action Plan was published in January of 2023. Implementation of the accepted recommendations is ongoing.
• Following the publication of the two independent reviews into RTÉ, in 2024, the Government agreed multi-annual public funding for RTÉ and public service media.
• Significant support of Irish language programming though increased investment in TG4 and through the Broadcasting Fund.