Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 19 Sep 2024

This question relates to an expressed intention of the Minister in her statement that RTÉ should be brought under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General. If that is the intention, would she support the passage of the Broadcasting (Oversight of RTÉ Accounts) (Amendment) Bill 2024, which I published and which has gone through First Stage in this House, and will she make a statement on the matter?

On 7 May this year, the Government accepted in principle 116 recommendations made by the expert advisory committees appointed to carry out reviews of RTÉ relating to governance and culture, contractor fees, HR and other matters. The re-assignment of the Comptroller and Auditor General as auditor of RTÉ was a key recommendation of the expert advisory committee on governance and culture, which was chaired by Professor Niamh Brennan, and it is a recommendation that I have strongly welcomed. It has also been recommended by the Public Accounts Committee.

On 25 June, I published an implementation plan setting out how my Department would give effect to the 15 recommendations made by the expert advisory committees, which fall to my Department to implement. The plan identified eight recommendations that require amendments to the Broadcasting Act 2009. In accordance with the implementation plan, my Department is currently finalising the general scheme of a broadcasting (amendment) Bill to reassign the Comptroller and Auditor General as auditor of RTÉ and to reform the legislative basis for the corporate governance of both RTE and TG4. This will include provisions to strengthen the authority, role and functions of their boards and enhance the accountability of the directors general to the boards.

While I agree with the broad principle of the Deputy's Private Member’s Bill, it does not address the range of corporate governance matters made by the expert advisory committees. Importantly, the Deputy's Bill does not contain a provision to make the director general of RTÉ accountable to the public accounts committee for RTÉ’s financial statements or value-for-money matters. Without such a provision, the committee cannot hold the director general to account for these matters.

My Department has been consulting with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the reassignment of the Comptroller and Auditor General. My Department has also been engaging with the Office of the Attorney General.

My objective is to bring forward a general scheme of broadcasting (amendment) Bill this autumn as a single, comprehensive Bill. As I have said, this will provide not only for the reassignment of the Comptroller and Auditor General as auditor, but also for a range of corporate governance reforms to drive further accountability, transparency and value for money in our public service media providers.

I welcome what the Minister said to a degree, although I do not believe that my Bill could not hold RTÉ accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts. This is because all the Bill intends to do is add RTÉ to the provision that is already there and hold our other national broadcaster to account through the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Committee of Public Accounts. There are no additional provisions within the Bill about TG4 that expand on that. That was the vehicle. It is one of the recommendations that could be passed quite quickly and would address some of the problems with RTÉ, such as its feeling that it was aloof from the rest of society and that it was not accountable for its spending. It needs to happen quickly, and that is why I am asking if the Government can support my Bill and pass it, rather than waiting and waiting, as we have done with other legislation.

The suggestion here seems to be that it will be a number of months, if not years, before the other eight recommendations are implemented in full.

The Deputy will not be waiting and waiting. The general scheme of the Bill will be introduced this autumn as a single, comprehensive Bill. The Bill must address a number of key recommendations as well as the assignment of the C and AG, and that is my intention. We are at the final stages of the drafting of the general scheme. A core measure in the Bill is the assignment of the C and AG as auditor of RTÉ, but other key corporate governance matters must be addressed through the Broadcasting Act 2009. For example, I intend to strengthen the role, functions and duties of the boards of other public service media providers. This will involve setting out the functions of the boards in detail, including the role of the bodies responsible for setting the strategic direction. The duties of board members will also be expanded. Importantly, the directors general will be made directly accountable in legislation to their respective boards for operational matters.

It is not a case of waiting and waiting. My objective, which will happen, is to introduce the general scheme this autumn as a single, comprehensive Bill.

I welcome the timetable, but there is only a month left in autumn. Hopefully, addressing all of the complexities involved will not delay the Bill’s passage. Among the public and in this House, there has been a demand over the years, not just because of the most recent scandals in RTÉ, for the station to be held to account for how it spends public moneys. For years, it has been one of those organisations that was involved in bogus self-employment and other issues. I hope the general scheme will address matters and that there will be no delay. I appeal to the Minister to consider, if possible, asking for pre-legislative scrutiny of her Bill to be waived so that we can ensure its passage before the Government’s term concludes.

It is my intention to introduce the general scheme in the autumn. I am fully aware of what months are in autumn, so the Deputy will understand what I am saying. Importantly, these reforms will drive accountability, transparency and value for money in our public service media providers. There is a provision in the Broadcasting Act to hold TG4’s director general accountable to the PAC.

My intention with the Bill is to address all of the recommendations on the roles of the DGs and boards as well as the assignment of the C and AG as outlined in the implementation plan.

I compliment the Minister on the initiatives she has taken to try to improve online safety. Practically every casual conversation today ends up discussing social media and the damage it is doing, particularly to children. When engaging with teachers, they express serious concerns about the prevalence and proliferation of the use of social media and its harmful effects.

We also need to address the issue of online anonymity. I understand that, when the Minister established Coimisiún na Meán, she asked it to research this complex matter.

What is being done to strengthen further our regulatory framework and rules as regards these important issues?

This afternoon, I will participate in the online safety summit, chaired by An Taoiseach, with other Ministers and digital regulators. The summer will focus on effective implementation and delivery of online safety for the Irish public. This will build on the significant body of legislation providing the foundations for Ireland's online safety framework that this Government put in place.

Coimisiún na Meán is at the heart of that new online safety framework. It comprises three elements: the digital services co-ordinator in Ireland under the EU Digital Services Act, DSA; supervising platforms in respect of the terrorist content online regulation; and implementing the provisions of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, OSMR. As provided for under the OSMR, an coimisiún will bring a new online safety code into effect for video-sharing platforms such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. The code will set out what they must do to protect users from certain forms of harmful online content, including incitement to hatred and serious cyberbullying material.

As digital services co-ordinator, an coimisiún works with the European Commission to ensure platforms put in place the systems and processes required to minimise the availability of illegal content, for example, online abuse such as hate speech. This includes content related to existing criminal offences in Ireland like abusive, threatening or offensive communications detailed in the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. A failure to comply with any of these measures can lead to significant financial sanctions and, under the OSMR, continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior management.

The DSA also requires platforms to assess and mitigate risks regarding the availability of illegal online content and to prevent their services being manipulated, including to spread disinformation. Platforms have signed the EU code of practice on disinformation, which is envisaged to become a code of conduct under the DSA. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is engaging with the European Commission on updating legislation to enable An Coimisiún Toghcháin to address electoral process disinformation. As recommended by the Future of Media Commission, an independently chaired multistakeholder working group is developing a national counter disinformation strategy that will include non-legislative measures. This will complement the DSA and is expected to be finalised shortly.

As can be seen by this afternoon's summit, this issue continues to be a priority for the Government and regulators and I will be happy to keep the House informed of ongoing developments.

I thank the Minister for her reply. I hope that she, along with other members of the Government, will give a strong and clear message to the various companies today that they have serious obligations to address as strongly as possible cyberbullying and to eliminate hate and harmful content on their social media platforms.

My understanding is that Coimisiún na Meán is responsible for drafting an online safety code. This code will be crucial for reducing user exposure to harmful online content. The consultation and recently published draft online code are to be welcomed, but they come 18 months after the commission’s establishment and the code is yet to be finalised. The Minister might update the House, or check for us if the information is not readily available, on when an coimisiún expects to finalise the code and have it operational.

Following the passing of the OSMR Bill, we had to set up Coimisiún na Meán and fund its operation. I visited the commission recently and it is a strong working regulator with a large team.

In May, an coimisiún published a revised draft online safety code. At the end of August, it completed its consultation process with the European Commission. Coimisiún na Meán intends to finalise and adopt the code shortly. The draft code is a milestone that sets out the actions that the video-sharing platforms I mentioned must take to protect users, particularly young ones. For example, it contains obligations around age verification and requirements to operate user-friendly reporting and complaints mechanisms. Many of these obligations stem from the EU’s revised audiovisual media services directive and, as such, apply across the EU. Failure to comply with the code can lead to the imposition of significant financial sanctions of up to €20 million or 10% of the company’s turnover. Continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior managers.

I understand from people who are much more familiar with and have much greater knowledge of social media than me that, as part of the online safety code, a ban on recommender system algorithms should be considered. These systems collect and analyse sensitive data of social media users. This data is then used to determine what content those users see. Recommender system algorithms are spreading misinformation and disinformation and, in some cases, inciting hatred and violence, as the Minister mentioned. Due to these algorithms, harmful content is flooding social media users’ feeds, creating echo chambers of disinformation. It is worrying that recommender system algorithms are spreading harmful material, including that which promotes eating disorders, self-harm or suicide to vulnerable young people.

I will ask something of the Minister, although I am sure she has done so many times.

When the Minister has the opportunity at the meeting with social media platforms, I ask her to ask them to address those particular issues. It is a blight on society if our regulatory systems continue to allow such behaviour and use of social media platforms to do so much harm to so many people, and not just to individuals but to families, communities and society in general.

We all welcome the creation of Coimisiún na Meán and the necessity of an online safety code. We all want the Digital Services and Digital Marketing Acts in operation. We know that not only individual states like ourselves have to take action; we also need to see the European Commission take action.

Let us be clear. Whether we are talking about X, Meta or TikTok, as Deputy Smith mentioned, they involve algorithms that are optimised to make money for these companies. They make money by keeping people online. What keeps people online is not necessarily healthy, whether that relates to eating disorders, in particular in young women, or some of the hate that is out there. Companies are happy enough to take money and leave threats online for ages. They seem to have no difficulty with throwing out stuff that is nutcase conspiracy stuff such as the great replacement theory. People might say that there are issues in respect of how this State and others manage migration, but somebody might think a worldwide conspiracy is being organised on a huge level. Unfortunately, what has happened with algorithms and confirmation bias means that social media is a really unhealthy place for an awful lot of people. This is being facilitated by these companies. Until such point in time that they are held to account at a senior level and have to pay big money, none of this is going to change. We need a timeline on that. It is not good enough and it is impacting on democracy across the board.

Coimisiún na Meán obviously recognises that recommender systems can have significant harmful impacts on users, especially children. Under its online safety framework, an coimisiún will be best able to tackle the potential dangers of recommender systems through the implementation of the Digital Services Act. Under this EU regulation, very large online platforms and search engines must complete risk assessments in respect of the exposure of children and young people to illegal and harmful online content, including through algorithms or recommender systems. These services must address the risk of exposure, including by means of age verification or through the adjustment of the design of the recommender systems.

The European Commission enforces the Digital Services Act in respect of these larger services, with the support of an EU network of digital service co-ordinators. It has already opened a number of investigations, including into TikTok and Meta, regarding their recommender systems and impact on children and young people. An coimisiún is supporting the work of the European Commission in its investigations as the digital services co-ordinator in Ireland.

A significant milestone in online safety and how we deal with this, as Deputy Smith mentioned in his original question, is the adoption of online safety codes. I expect Coimisiún na Meán to adopt those codes by the end of next month.

The Government’s housing policy, Housing for All, commits to the development of new regulatory controls requiring all short term lettings to register with Fáilte Ireland, with a view to ensuring that housing is used to best effect in areas of housing need. The proposed short-term letting and tourism Bill will provide the statutory basis for the establishment of a short-term lets register, including bed and breakfasts, in Ireland and for the implementation of the EU short-term rental regulation, which was adopted by the EU on 11 April 2024. I hope to bring the revised general scheme for the Bill to Government shortly for approval.

Fáilte Ireland currently maintains tourist accommodation registers, as provided for under the Tourist Traffic Acts, for accommodation types such as hotels and guest houses, but provision is not made for a number of other accommodation types, including bed and breakfasts. At present, registration of bed and breakfast accommodation with Fáilte Ireland is on a voluntary basis only. Bed and breakfasts have played a key role in welcoming visitors from around the world to Ireland for more than 50 years and this accommodation type is a unique part of the Irish tourism offering and an important part of the overall tourism accommodation ecosystem.

Of course, the tourism sector must coexist and develop in a way that recognises and is complementary to the wider needs of local communities, economically and socially. As such, the long-term sustainable growth of tourism requires an appropriate balance between the short and long term rental sectors. The Bill will provide greater transparency around short-term rentals and support the promotion of sustainable tourism. It will provide a framework within which planning authorities can identify such properties that are operating without the appropriate planning permission. Planning authorities will then able to adjudicate, in the context of local housing need, how applications for change of use planning permission might be dealt with.

My Department’s statement of strategy includes the goal of supporting the recovery and economic growth of a competitive tourism sector that is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. Balancing local housing and tourism needs is a critical challenge and planning guidelines that are under development by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will be important in this regard. My colleague, the Minister for housing, intends to publish these guidelines in alignment with the publication of the Bill. I know that is the key area of interest and concern for the stakeholders to whom the Deputy referred.

The purpose of the question is to get clarity on the traditional bed and breakfasts that we have all stayed in and that have been the backbone of the tourism sector for decades. They are planning compliant and pay commercial water bills and rates. These family-run businesses have been doing everything right for decades. There is a fear out there that they will get caught up in the legislation and the requirement to register.

In her answer, the Minister alluded to the fact that bed and breakfast providers register with Fáilte Ireland on a voluntary basis. Will there be a compulsory requirement for providers to register under the new legislation? If so, will they be inspected in terms of planning requirements and regulations? Bed and breakfasts are usually within the curtailment of an existing dwelling. I am trying to provide owners with assurance and clarity that they will not be impacted in any way by the proposed legislation.

As I said, the self-catering and wider short-term letting sector is an important element of the tourism ecosystem. The tourism sector must coexist and develop in a way that recognises and is complementary to the wider needs of local communities. The long-term sustainable growth of tourism requires that appropriate balance is achieved between the short- and long-term rental sectors.

The Department of housing is the Department responsible for the planning system and is examining how best the planning system requirements can be implemented in those areas where housing demand pressure is not high but where rural tourism, in particular, is a strong feature of the local economy. Registration on the proposed short-term letting register will be a requirement for all self-catering and bed and breakfasts. For full compliance in registration, it is a requirement of all property owners to ensure that they have the correct planning permission for their accommodation offering. This requirement will also apply to self-catering and bed and breakfast properties.

Self-catering and bed and breakfasts are an incredibly important part of the overall tourism accommodation ecosystem and it is vital that, wherever possible, this is recognised in a sensitive and sensible way by the planning authorities. As I said, Minister O'Brien and his Department are working on the planning guidelines. It has been conveyed to me by the stakeholders the Deputy mentioned that this is their main concern. That is why we intend to publish the guidelines along with the publication of the Bill.

I understand the self-catering element of this and the reference to self-catering bed and breakfasts, Airbnbs etc., but the bed and breakfasts to which I referred in my initial question are not self-catering but rather accommodation where people are welcomed into a family home. Further clarity is needed on that.

On the overall legislation, it is a fine balancing act that the Minister's Department and the Department of housing are faced with in terms of getting this right. We are all fully aware of challenges in some of our larger towns, in particular. I refer to Kinsale, where ten terraced houses in a row are all Airbnb or self-catering accommodation. That needs to stop because young people are scrambling for rental accommodation and cannot find it. We need to do something about that. We also need to acknowledge the fact that outside of the traditional bed and breakfasts I spoke about, there are some incredible family-run hospitality businesses that provide self-catering accommodation of the highest quality in a professional manner.

We cannot afford to let them fall by the wayside. We need to ensure a fine balance is struck between the two.

The registration on the proposed short-term letting register will be a requirement for all self-catering and bed and breakfast accommodation. For full compliance with the registration, it is a requirement for all property owners to ensure they have the correct planning permission for the accommodation they are offering. I mentioned, as did Deputy O'Sullivan, the balance that needs to be struck. The critical piece in balancing local housing and the needs of the tourism economy will be the planning guidelines. They are the absolutely critical piece that all stakeholders are waiting to see. They are still under development by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The guidelines aim to provide the necessary clarity to the sector on how planning authorities will implement the planning requirements around short-term let properties. The Minister for housing intends to publish these guidelines in alignment with and on the publication of the short-term letting Bill. I remember that Deputy O'Sullivan requested that on behalf of the stakeholders at a committee hearing last year.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. Baineann mo cheist le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta agus go háirid leis an tionscnamh tithíochta a cheadaigh an t-údarás ag deireadh na bliana seo caite chun samhail le haghaidh tithíocht inacmhainne a fhorbairt ar thalamh atá i seilbh an údaráis. Ba mhaith liom an t-eolas is déanaí a fháil ar an tionscnamh sin.

Pléitear ceist na tithíochta ag cruinnithe rialta idir feidhmeannaigh an údaráis agus feidhmeannaigh na Roinne agus tuigtear dom go bhfuil obair leanúnach ar siúl ag foireann an údaráis leis na geallsealbhóirí ábhartha eile. Mar a thuigim ón údarás, cheadaigh bord an údaráis €250,000 d'obair chomhairleoireachta agus taighde ag a chruinniú i mí na Nollag 2023. Ag eascairt as sin, choimisiúnaigh an t-údarás taighde neamhspleách maidir le soláthar agus éileamh ar thithíocht sa Ghaeltacht. Tá an taighde sin déanta anois agus foilsíodh na torthaí le gairid.

Léiríonn an taighde na torthaí seo a leanas: tá an ráta áitíochta níos ísle sa Ghaeltacht, ag 71% ardaithe ó 69% in 2011, ná an ráta náisiúnta de 87%. Ag féachaint ar an ráta áitíochta sna Gaeltachtaí, is i nGaeltacht na Mí atá ag 92%, i nGaeltacht na Gaillimhe atá ag 83%, agus i nGaeltacht Phort Láirge atá ag 80%, atá na leibhéil is airde. Tá an céatadán de thithe folmha sa Ghaeltacht, ag 11%, níos airde ná an sciar náisiúnta atá ag 8%.

Tá níos mó na cúig oiread de thithe saoire sa Ghaeltacht ná sa tír i gcoitinne mar sciar den stoc tithíochta iomlán. Tá an sciar is airde de thithe saoire le fáil i nGaeltachtaí Chiarraí agus Dhún na nGall. Tá níos mó ná 40% de na tithe i gCiarraí theas, ar Thoraigh agus i dtuaisceart Dhún na nGall ina dtithe saoire agus muid ag féachaint ar na limistéir pleanála teanga.

Tá obair chomhairleoireachta ar siúl chomh maith ar an trí shuíomh atá aitheanta sa chéim seo den togra sa Rinn i gContae Phort Láirge; ar An gCeathrú Rua i gContae na Gaillimhe; agus ag tithe i gCarraig a tSeiscin, i nGaoth Dobhair i gContae Dhún na nGall. Beidh an taighde agus an obair chomhairleoireachta ar an trí shuíomh ag teacht chun críche sa bhfómhar agus beidh bord an údaráis in ann measúnú a dhéanamh ar mhúnlaí agus ar an gcéad chéim eile, agus cinntí a dhéanamh bunaithe ar aiseolas na ngeallsealbhóirí ábhartha ag an tráth sin.

Tá an freagra sin faighte agam faoi thrí anois. Nílim ag cur an locht air an Aire ach tá a fhios aige go bhfuil géarchéim uafásach ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta sna Gaeltachtaí. Is é sin an fáth gur chuir muid brú ar Údarás na Gaeltachta trí ceisteanna a chur anseo go leanúnach le rud éigin a dhéanamh ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta. Tá dualgas tromchúiseach ar an údarás rudaí a dhéanamh ó thaobh cúrsaí teanga, cúrsa pobail agus cúrsaí fostaíochta. Is é sin an fáth i ndeireadh na dála go ndearna an t-údarás cinneadh ag deireadh na bliana seo caite. Mo cheist ionraic ná an féidir an nuacht is déanaí a fháil ó thaobh cén dul chun cinn atá déanta ar na forbartha sin? Tá na figiúirí ar fad ar eolas agam. Tá an taighde léite agam. Ach tá eagraíochta cosúil le BÁNÚ agus eagraíochtaí eile ar an talamh ag cur brú ollmhór orainn rud éigin a dhéanamh – agus an ceart acu.

Maidir le tithíocht go ginearálta, tá fadhb tithíochta ar fud na tíre agus tá fadhb tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht. Caithfimid an fhadhb ghinearálta a réiteach agus tá a lán oibre ar siúl ag an Rialtas chun é sin a dhéanamh. Tá spriocanna sáraithe againn chun tithe a thógáil; ina measc sin tá tithe inacmhainne do dhaoine le hioncaim níos lú freisin. Tá sé sin an-tábhachtach. Chuir an Teachta ceist maidir leis an taighde atá déanta. Tá an freagra tugtha agam di. Beidh níos mó eolais ag teacht maidir leis an obair chomhairleoireachta atá ar siúl sa trí suíomh áirithe atá luaite agam. Beidh sé seo ag teacht sa bhfómhar agus beidh bord an údaráis in ann níos mó oibre a dhéanamh ina dhiaidh sin.

Anuas air sin, tá an Bille maidir le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta ag dul tríd an Oireachtas agus tá sé sin an-tábhachtach freisin. Tá cumhacht sa Bhille sin maidir le soláthar talaimh chun tithíocht a chur ar fáil. Tá brú á chur ar an údarás gan dabht agus beidh mise agus m’oifigigh ag plé na ceiste sin le baill an údaráis nuair a thagaim le chéile leo freisin. Tá súil agam go dtabharfaidh sé sin freagraí do mhuintir na Gaeltachta. Tá fadhb tithíochta na Gaeltachta mar chuid den fhadhb ghinearálta sa tír ach go deimhin tá tréithe faoi leith go háirithe maidir le teanga agus le cúrsaí tithe saoire sa Ghaeltacht freisin. Is fadhb ollmhór í sin sa Ghaeltacht.

Ag tosnú leis sin, is fadhb ollmhór iad na tithe saoire sna Gaeltachtaí. Tá líon na dtithe thar a bheith ard. Is íorónach an scéal é go bhfuil an méid sin tithe saoire ann agus go bhfuil tithe folmha sna Gaeltachta fhad is atá géarchéim tithíochta ann. An dtabharfaidh an tAire Stáit dáta dom maidir le cén uair a bhéas an taighde críochnaithe? An bhfuil sé i mbun oibre ó thaobh tuilleadh acmhainní a thabhairt d’Údarás na Gaeltachta? Bhí, agus tá sé i gcónaí, ar an ngannchuid i gcomparáid leis an IDA agus Enterprise Ireland. Mar a dúirt mé, agus tá sé tábhachtach é a athrá, tá trí dualgas ar an údarás. Tríonóid na ndualgas atá air: pobal, teanga agus fostaíocht. Dhírigh sé isteach ar chúrsaí fostaíochta ach tá gá le díriú ar chúrsaí tithíochta ionas go mbeadh daoine in ann maireachtáil sa Ghaeltacht, an teanga a chur chun cinn agus slí beatha a bhaint amach.

Maidir le hacmhainní don údarás, táimid i gcónaí ag plé na gceisteanna seo leis an Roinn caiteachais phoiblí agus go háirithe in aimsir na cáinaisnéise tá na cainteanna sin ar siúl. Táimid ag iarraidh níos mó airgid a fháil do chúrsaí Gaeilge agus do chúrsaí Gaeltachta. Táimid, an dá Aire agus oifigigh na Roinne san áireamh, ag obair go dian air sin. Freisin, ó thaobh tithíochta de, tá athrú meoin ag teacht agus tá aitheantas ansin go bhfuil ról ag Údarás na Gaeltachta maidir le tithíocht. Tá sé sin ag tosnú, tá brú ar an údarás agus tá muid ag cur an brú sin freisin. Measaim gur féidir linn a rá go mbeidh níos mó ar siúl ag Údarás na Gaeltachta amach anseo go háirithe i ndiaidh an jab seo atá déanta aige ach freisin leis an gcumhacht bhreise atá i mBille an údaráis. B’fhéidir go dtarlóidh níos mó rudaí ina dhiaidh sin. Tá mé ag iarraidh an Bille seo a chur tríd an Dáil roimh an olltoghchán ach b’fhéidir go mbeidh níos mó spáis ina dhiaidh sin freisin chun níos mó dul chun cinn a dhéanamh. Is tús é seo. Caithfimid leanúint ar aghaidh agus dul chun cinn a dhéanamh maidir leis sin.

I am sure the Department is aware as it has been doing work on it, that we struggle to maintain the participation of women and girls in sport. Despite improvements, there is a still a significant drop-off rate, especially of younger women in sport. What measures has the Department taken and will it take to increase the participation of women and girls in sport?

I thank Deputy Hourigan for raising this issue. It is an important question. The women in sport funding was first established in 2005. Since then, more than €30 million has been invested through the national governing bodies of sport and local sports partnerships. In June this year, Deputy Hourigan's colleague, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and I announced record funding of €4 million for the women in sport programme this year.

This funding represents an increase on the €2.7 million allocated in 2023 and a doubling of the amount allocated in 2021 and 2022, respectively. In addition, in July 2023, the Minister, Deputy Martin, and I announced extra programme funding of €500,000 to support women's and girls' football. This funding was provided to the FAI through Sport Ireland and will be invested primarily in the areas of coaching, grassroots and female leadership. This significant investment will help to ensure the further development of women's football in Ireland.

As outlined in the national sports policy, narrowing the gender participation gap is a priority for the Department, the Minister and me. As noted in the Irish Sports Monitor report for 2023, sports participation among women has reached an all-time high of 46%, while the gender participation gap is now at its lowest level, at just under 3%. The Department will continue to work with Sport Ireland to close that gap and improve women's access and opportunity to actively participate in sport.

I welcome some of the statistics the Minister of State gave. I certainly welcome the improvements he outlined. The issue, which he might address, is the complexity as to why girls drop out of sport and the barriers they face, including that provision for them is sometimes peripheral when it comes to the provision of pitches and other infrastructure. Some research has shown that issues like safety, transport and feeling safe travelling to sports facilities can act as a barrier to participation. The research also finds that there is a social stigma to remaining involved in sports. That is why I am particularly glad to hear the Minister of State talk about grassroots leadership. I like to see that leadership coming from women who have gone down this road themselves, know the issues and can provide leadership to younger girls, who need to know that sport is a very good use of their time. Added to that is the reality of the capital funding of sports facilities. It must be the case that as girls go up the line through the cycle and become more senior, the facilities they access are the same as those their male counterparts enjoy.

Last year, I launched the Her Moves campaign to support, motivate and encourage teenage girls to be active. The Her Moves branding, including certain criteria around programme design, is now being used by organisations when rolling out physical activity programmes that target teenage girls.

We have also taken a number of other initiatives. Under the community sports facilities fund, which is the new name for the sports capital programme, we asked clubs and grassroots associations to come forward with projects that will help women to participate in sports, the provision of dressing rooms being a particular example. To be fair, a lot of the club representatives I meet know they have to upgrade their facilities and are looking for funding to do so.

We also insisted that there be gender balance on boards. We have moved from a situation where some of our national governing bodies had no women on their boards to one in which they now must have a minimum of 40% female membership. Quite a few of them have achieved 50% and more. That is important because it gives women a voice at the top table. The initiative has brought in a lot of new people. Some of the new directors have told me they really feel it is filtering down through the organisations.

In the case of the community sports facilities fund and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, there will be no funding whatsoever unless women have similar access to facilities to what is available to men. The day is over of women playing a soccer match at 7 p.m. on a Sunday while the men get the 3 p.m. game. The Government will not fund that. Women must have similar access. It is a matter for the organisations to put their policies in place. To get national or regional funding, they must show their policies to us and put them on their website. We have a template sample policy on the Department's website from which they can get inspiration.

I really welcome some of those initiatives. As somebody who represents an area with a number of communities in which a lot of households are on low incomes and there are areas of deprivation, we look to sports facilities and sports clubs to help achieve social cohesion. Increasingly, we are seeing the benefits of sports participation for mental health and in creating a sense of belonging. That is just as real for women and girls as it is for boys and men. I particularly like to see championing of women who have been successful in sport. I recommend to the Department that it continue to champion the very successful women we saw in the Olympic Games and in other sporting events. They have done so well and can act as positive role models for women and girls in communities like mine by helping them to see sport as something they can do their whole life and as a real profession.

The Minister informs me that on the arts side of the Department, a safety programme is being established along the lines of what the Deputy spoke about in terms of ensuring women and girls feel safe in sports settings. That will be rolled out in a number of venues, including sports clubs.

On the sports side, the sports organisations, in fairness, have come a long way. There is still a bit of way to go. They are very conscious of this issue. It took the threat of a 50% cut in funding to get some of them over the line to achieve 40% female representation on their boards. Now, however, everyone not just accepts but welcomes this. There are no regrets about it and no one is looking back. The resistance that was there looks a bit ludicrous at this point. It is done now and it will have a cascading effect. I have absolutely no doubt about that. I come from a household in which my other half is the top sportsperson. I know some of the issues she has faced over the years. As Minister of State with responsibility for sport, I have been working to see how we can address those issues at a national level.

I mí an Mheithimh anuraidh, d'fhógair an Roinn go raibh conradh bronnta ar an gcomhlacht Barr Feabhais Teoranta chun athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an gcéad deich bplean teanga a ceadaíodh faoi réir Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012.

Cinnteoidh an tionscnamh seo, a bhfuil buiséad suas le €92,500 a chur ar fáil ina leith, go ndéanfar athbhreithniú neamhspleách ar fheidhmiú na bpleananna teanga seo. Cuirfear aiseolas maidir le feidhmiú na bpleananna ar fáil agus, bunaithe ar an méid a aithnítear san athbhreithniú, beifear in ann céimeanna a ghlacadh d'fhonn cur i bhfeidhm an phróisis phleanála teanga a fheabhsú.

Is iad seo a leanas na deich limistéar pleanála teanga atá i gceist: Cloich Chionnaola, Gort an Choirce, An Fál Carrach agus Machaire Rabhartaigh; na Déise; Ciarraí theas; Gaoth Dobhair, Rann na Feirste, Anagaire agus Loch an Iúir; Ciarraí thiar; Conamara láir; An Cheathrú Rua; Maigh Eo thuaidh; Ráth Chairn agus Baile Ghib; agus Árainn Mhór.

Tá an obair ar an tuarascáil fós ag dul ar aghaidh agus táim ag súil go mbeidh sé réidh le foilsiú go gairid. Tuigtear dom go bhfuil bailchríoch á chur air i láthair na huaire.

Bhí obair an-éasca ag an duine a scríobh an freagra sin because tá sé focal ar fhocal mar an gcéanna leis an bhfreagra a fuarthas cheana. Níl mé ag magadh. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach. Tá an t-athbhreithniú seo ar siúl. Bhí an t-airgead le fáil ach níl tásc ná tuairisc ar an tuarascáil. Tá éiginnteacht i gceist ó thaobh na n-oifigeach ar an talamh agus an dualgas orthu agus ar na hoibrithe deonacha an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Is é an rud atá i gceist anseo ná deich bplean. Tá i bhfad níos mó pleananna i gceist agus mise ag fáil an freagra ceannann céanna. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil croí agus anam an Aire Stáit laistigh den Ghaeilge ach tá cúrsaí pleanáil teanga, cúrsaí tithíochta agus cúrsaí fostaíochta fite fuaite le chéile. Má táimid i ndáiríre faoin Ghaeltacht a choinneáil beo, bríomhar agus beomhar agus daoine ag maireachtáil inti, tá gá le freagraí atá i bhfad níos cruinne ná sin.

Tá athbhreithniú neamhspleách ar siúl maidir leis seo. Tá an t-athbhreithniú fós ar siúl. Níl aon tionchar polaitiúil ar an bpróiseas sin. Táimid ag iarraidh go mbeidh sé neamhspleách agus go mbeidh an scéal iomláin inste dúinn. Caithfimid fanacht ar an obair sin. Táim ag súil leis an athbhreithniú. Táim ag súil leis na scéalta maithe a thiocfaidh amach as agus leis na drochscéalta gur féidir a thiocfaidh amach as. Níl a fhios agam mar níl aon tionchar agam ar an tuarascáil seo. Táim ag fanacht air. Tá sé beagnach críochnaithe. Táimid ag iarraidh féachaint ar cad atá ag tarlú.

Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil fadhbanna ansin ach tá a fhios agam go bhfuil rudaí maithe ag teacht freisin. In áiteanna áirithe tá na pleananna seo ag obair. Fanfaidh mé ar an athbhreithniú seo. Fanfaidh mé go dtí go dtagann an t-eolas neamhspleách amach agus tá súil agam go dtarlóidh sé sin go gairid.

Níl fadhb ar bith agam maidir le taighde neamhspleách agus tá gá leis, ach bronnadh an conradh bliain is trí mhí ó shin. Tá an freagra ceannann céanna, focal ar fhocal. Ba chóir go mbeadh níos mó eolais againn ag an bpointe seo. Bhí téarmaí tagartha i gceist. Bhí téarma i gceist. Cén uair a bheidh an taighde críochnaithe agus cén uair a bheidh sé foilsithe?

Tá súil agam go mbeidh sé seo foilsithe go gairid agus tá mé ag súil leis. Caithfidh mé a rá arís nach bhfuil aon tionchar polaitiúil air seo. Tá sé go hiomlán neamhspleách. Caithfidh muid fanacht air. Tógann na rudaí seo píosa ama. Ní féidir iad a dhéanamh faoi dheifir, agus tá mise ag iarraidh go mbeadh an obair déanta i gceart ionas gur féidir linn leanúint ar aghaidh agus an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus na fadhbanna a aimsiú agus na dea-phointí a aimsiú freisin. Teastaíonn uaim a shoiléiriú conas gur féidir linn na cleachtaí maithe a chur i gcríoch, b'fhéidir in áiteanna eile, agus conas gur féidir linn stad a chur le rudaí nach bhfuil ag obair. Tá mé ag súil leis an tuarascáil seo agus tá súil agam go mbeidh sí againn go gairid.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 30 and 37 together.

The Department operates two capital programmes for sport, namely, the community sports facilities fund, which is the new name for the sports capital and equipment programme, and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund.

The National Sports Policy 2018-2027, published by the Government, provided for the establishment of a new large-scale sport infrastructure fund to support bigger projects than would normally have qualified for the community sports facilities fund. The first allocations under the LSSIF were announced in January 2020, with €86.5 million awarded around the country. We gave top-ups last year to bring the total to €124 million. The large-scale infrastructure fund will deliver a number of exciting facilities in the coming months and years. Some of the applications are being assessed at the moment.

We commit to continuing the community sports facilities fund and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas and groups that are underrepresented in terms of participation. We have 3,210 applications at the moment and we announced, as part of that, €26 million in equipment-only grants in May. There are 102 clubs in Cork benefiting from that.

Subsequently, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and I announced €250 million to be made available for capital projects under the 2023 round of the community sports facilities fund, following our engagement with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe. This is a 50% increase on the previous round. The assessment of funding is at an advanced stage, including a total of 262 applications from County Cork, and we expect to announce allocations very soon.

Gabh mo leithscéal. That is my time on the clock, is it?

A total of €250 million is a phenomenal amount of money, and many clubs across Cork city and county eagerly await it. As the Minister of State mentioned, there have been 262 applications from County Cork. I know he is familiar with a number of them. His predecessor visited a number as well. To mention just a few, there is Leeside AFC, Rockmount, Riverstown, Castleview, Ballincollig Basketball Club, which other Deputies here might have an interest in as well, and Ballincollig Rugby Club.

Will the Minister of State take us through this? Ultimately, with any process and programme, particularly with funding like this, there may be a few disappointed clubs whenever the announcement is made. Could the Minister of State talk us through any appeal mechanism that would be afforded to those that might not get the news they expect in the coming weeks?

I might come back in on the LSSIF in a further supplementary question.

I mentioned earlier the tremendous success of Jack Marley in the Olympic Games and, previously, in winning gold and silver at European level. I should also mention Robin O'Reilly, who is 14, also from Monkstown Boxing Club. She started boxing when she was ten and has just won a bronze medal at European level. The important thing about that is that success is down to a club that was built in a very disadvantaged area and had to fight a very long time - more than two decades - for decent facilities. Finally, it will have a new clubhouse. However, clubs should not have to fight that much to unlock that talent, the tremendous talent and pride that Jack, Robin and many of the other boxers are now giving to the local area. Contrast that with, for example, Ballybrack, another disadvantaged area boxing club, which is having to do GoFundMe appeals online for boxing gloves, basic equipment, when it is trying to emulate that success, or many clubs that might not be at that very high level - I mentioned Sallynoggin Pearse earlier - or that serve older footballers and that want to do more of a community-type operation but are struggling to get support from the council. There needs to be, as I said earlier to the Minister of State, a more proactive approach to help those in disadvantaged areas, who often will not even know about the schemes that are out there or will find it difficult to deal with the bureaucracy but need help and support.

I will follow up on Deputy Boyd Barrett's contribution because that is pretty much exactly what I want to say. Although we have Croke Park in my area, we do not actually have a great many GAA clubs. That is why areas like Cabra, for example, have Naomh Fionnbarra, which is literally the centre of our community. It runs festivals. It is the place where the community gathers and it is so important to us. It might be useful to speak to how impactful that is when making some of these decisions. We also have a number of very important boxing clubs and football clubs, which have an outsized importance in our community. I refer to the like of Bohemians, Sheriff Youth Club and Dingle United, which really struggle, do not necessarily have community-based supports and resources and really need the backup of the Department.

As regards Deputy O'Sullivan's point on the appeals, there is an appeals process for disappointed clubs. Every valid application will get a grant. There may be some which are marked invalid, and they will have the chance to appeal that. That will be announced at the time we make the launch.

As regards Deputy Boyd Barrett's point, disadvantaged areas are prioritised in this programme. We did reach out to the Football Association of Ireland and the Irish Athletic Boxing Association to encourage them to get their clubs to apply because it is possible for clubs to apply for equipment. The local club to me, the East Meath Boxing Club, applied for a new ring and got 100% funding for it. I therefore certainly encourage clubs to do that. There are people within the associations who help clubs but also in the local sports partnerships. We try to simplify the form as much as possible to make it possible for everybody to apply. We are, in response to Deputy Hourigan, encouraging the local authorities to make a more proactive approach to providing sports facilities. I did detect a difference in attitude in Dublin City Council in that regard. I have had a couple of meetings now with the new city manager, and he is very proactive.

I will be brief. I have just three short supplementary questions for the Minister of State. The first is about the LSSIF, which he spoke about in his statement. Could he give us the detail of the number of applications for the LSSIF in Cork city and county, now if he has the figures with him or later? Could he give us the number of drawdowns to date since the 2020 allocation, just so we can see what is outstanding?

My third question - again, the response to this can be provided in writing afterwards - is to ask the number of applications for regional funding under the sports capital grant, again in Cork city and county. The Minister of State may not have the detail and might not be able to declare it today, but maybe after the announcement of the next round of the sports capital grants, he might supply the number of those regional applications that were put back into the general pot for the grant and demoted to it.

Dick Shakespeare was my manager in UCD when we won the Collingwood Cup in soccer. He has an interest in soccer and I am glad to hear that positive response in Dublin city. That needs to be generalised everywhere. There has also got to be a focus on clubs which have a particular community remit. It is not just about the high performance stuff, although that can be important, as we have seen with Monkstown Boxing Club, but also the community remit. Sometimes, it is about thinking outside the box in terms of supporting clubs in which sport is just one part of what they are trying to do at a community level. They are looking for both community and sport facilities, while trying to encompass women and men and so on in them. Sallynoggin Pearse is a particular example. I hope I have said that enough times for the Minister of State to hear it and for it to be passed up the line that it is looking for a particular type of facility.

The question of the control of facilities is often a point of argument between local authorities and clubs.

I thank the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne for the work they have done. It is great to see €250 million in this capital grant. I remember the first time my local club got its first sports capital grant back in the late 1980s. We got £20,000 and we were absolutely delighted. That £20,000 made a difference in the area. This is happening in every town and village around the country. It is very welcome.

There are a lot of clubs in my constituency of Sligo, Leitrim, north Roscommon and south Donegal that are anxiously waiting for this news next week. I hope and believe it will be good news. Under the LSSIF, my local club, Sligo Rovers, is very anxious to get funding as well. The Carrick regional sports campus is also looking for a lesser allocation. Hopefully this will be good news. I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for their great work for ensuring we got extra funding to be able to satisfy all the clubs that will apply.

I thank everyone who has been in touch. Most Deputies have been in touch about particular clubs in their areas. We will satisfy the demand under the community sports facilities fund, which is what we are now calling the sports capital programme. Most clubs will be very satisfied with that.

As for large-scale projects – and I will get the figures at some point for Deputy O’Sullivan - there is a mismatch between the demand and the funding available. The demand is €660 million. The funding available is approximately €120 million. We are going to have to examine that carefully. They are being assessed at the moment.

In relation to regional projects, some entities have applied for regional funding, which deals with larger grants. Some will not qualify for that under the independent assessment process in the Department. While the appeals mechanism is open to them, we cannot open up regional funding to every single club and association because that would take away the point of it being for larger facilities to serve bigger areas.