Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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232. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide the additional costs and revenue required on a matter (details supplied). [27983/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The information sought by the Deputy is set out hereunder.

TG4 Funding

TG4’s Post-Covid Vision Document sought annual funding of €78.6m by 2025. TG4 was allocated €60m in Budget 2025. The additional expenditure would therefore be €18.6m. However it should be noted that the last Government substantially increased TG4’s funding from €37.2m in 2020, an increase of over 60%. This is evidence of the Government’s commitment to ensuring stable, sufficient funding for public service broadcasters to maintain quality programming and public trust.

TG4 was allocated €60m for Budget 2025. The following table sets out the estimated cost of increasing TG4 funding by the requested percentages.

Feasibility Study of a European Works Levy in Ireland

Coimisiún na Meán appointed consultants Nordicity & Saffrey LLP to undertake research and make recommendations in relation to the feasibility of an audiovisual content levy and fund. Stakeholders were consulted throughout the feasibility report process. The report was received by my Department on 29th January 2025 and was published in full by Coimisiún na Meán on 8th May 2025 and can be accessed at the following link: www.cnam.ie/read-the-feasibility-study-on-the-audiovisual-content-levy/.

The report contains information regarding the potential revenue accrued from a number of levy options, including the option of adopting the levy rates outlined in recommendation 2.

The levy provided for under section 159E of the Broadcasting Act 2009 (as amended) would only apply to audiovisual media services. On-demand sound steaming services would not be subject a levy under the aforementioned statutory provision. Accordingly, the report did not estimate the potential yield from the advertising or subscription revenue of sound streaming services.

Screen Ireland Funding

According to the Central Statistics Office website, inflation – as measured by the Consumer Price Index – increased by 2.2% from the date of Budget 2025 on 1 October 2024 to April 2025.

In 2025, the current funding to Screen Ireland, as published in the 2025 Revised Estimates Volume, is €5.758m. The following table sets out the estimated cost of increasing Screen Ireland current funding by the requested percentages.

In 2025, the capital funding to Screen Ireland, as published in the 2025 Revised Estimates Volume, is €35.1m. The following table sets out the estimated cost of increasing Screen Ireland capital funding by the requested percentages.

*CSO Published April 2025 rate of inflation of 2.2%

Údarás na Gaeltachta Funding

The estimated cost of increasing Údarás na Gaeltachta funding by 5%, by 10%, by 15%, by 20%, and by the cost of inflation since Budget 2025, is set out in the table below.

The estimated cost of increasing the current funding for community and language under Údarás na Gaeltachta (subhead C7) by 25%, by 33% and by 50% is set out in the table below.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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233. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide the costs of posts and projects (details supplied). [27991/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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My Department in its current configuration was established in September 2020. The information sought by the Deputy is set out hereunder.

Commemorations Expenditure

The Commemorations Unit in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media had responsibility for the cross-governmental response to the significant centenaries that arose between 2012-2023, the Decade of Centenaries.

Following the conclusion of the programme, the Unit continues to support key stakeholders and projects partners in the delivery of commemorative events.

The costs of posts associated with Commemorations are set out in the column above. The information supplied in the table is taken from the Department’s Corepay and is gross earnings. It should be noted that some officers assigned to posts within commemorations were also responsible for wider divisional outputs across the Culture Division. All officers are paid in line with Civil Service payscales.

Details of expenditure associated with delivering the National Famine Commemoration are detailed in the table below.

The Arts Council was allocated €134.097m in Budget 2024. A 50% increase would be €68.049m.

Culture Ireland Funding

According to the Central Statistics Office website inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, increased by 2.2% from the date of Budget 2025 on 1 October 2024 to April 2025 was 2.2%.

In 2025, the current funding to Culture Ireland as published in the 2025 Revised Estimates Volume is €8m. The following table sets out the estimated cost of increasing Screen Ireland current funding by the requested percentages.

Total spend on the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme for the years 2020 to 2023 are disclosed in the annual Appropriation Account for my Department as published by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and are available at the following link: www.audit.gov.ie/en/publications/appropriation%20accounts/

The provisional spend for subhead D.3 Sports Capital and Equipment Programme for 2024 is €48.575m. Please note that this figure is provisional and is currently subject to audit by the C&AG. The finalised 2024 Appropriation Account is due to be published in September 2025.

The provisional spend for the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme for 2025, as of 30 April 2025, is €17.520m. This figure is provisional and will be subject to audit by the C&AG in due course.

Arts or Culture Spaces and Venues Capital Expenditure

A full list of all capital payments for arts or culture spaces and venues can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-tourism-culture-arts-gaeltacht-sport-and-media/publications/creative-arts-grants-and-funding-previous-schemes/#cultural-development-expenditure

Irish Language Centres/Cultúrlanna and Language Planning Officer Recruitment

The annual capital expenditure on Irish Language Centres/Cultúrlanna for the period since my Department’s formation is as follows:

A specific pay scale is in place for Language Planning Officers, as outlined below:

€36,450, €39,000, €41,550, €44,100, €46,650, €49,200, €51,750.

It should be noted that Language Planning Officers can start on any point between 1 and 4 on the scale depending on experience and qualifications. Five Language Planning areas are approved to employ 2 Language Planning Officers to further support the implementation of the plan. Those are:

• Gaoth Dobhair, Rann na Feirste, Anagaire & Loch an Iúir
• Cois Fharraige
• Conamara Láir
• Ciarraí Thiar
• Maigh Eo Thuaidh