I wish to raise an issue on which the Minister of State has engaged with me regarding Raheny Shamrocks Athletics Club and a development that the board of the club has been working really hard on. I welcome the fact the Minister of State has been speaking to the board. I ask him to comment on the fact that the northside needs more investment in this club and in running tracks across the board.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and I know that Raheny Shamrocks is a club to which he is very committed. His question today relates to the potential for a visit from me to the clubhouse, which is something that both Deputies Heneghan and Brabazon have raised with me. I received an invitation from Deputy Brabazon previously and I responded to the effect that I will be visiting the club on 20 May. I look forward to seeing both Deputies then and to meeting club members.

The club has a wonderful history and a great tradition. Raheny Shamrocks is an iconic athletics club, not just in Dublin but across the country. It is one of the oldest athletics clubs in the country, with former members, including Olympians Dick Hooper, Pat Hooper, Paddy McGrath, Mick Clohisey and most recently, Sophie Becker. The club is also very well known nationally for hosting the Raheny five mile road race which raises very significant funds for the local hospice and is one of the most anticipated five mile runs in the racing calendar.

As the Deputy knows, the Department runs two capital funding programmes for sport, namely, the community sports facilities fund, CSFF, formerly the sports capital and equipment fund, and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. Over a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to over 3,000 community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 from the 2023 round of the CSFF. That represented the largest ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland. Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club previously received funding under CSFF in 2018 and again in 2020. In 2024, the second round of the LSSIF was launched and received an unprecedented demand for funding of €665 million. Out of the 96 clubs that applied, 35 were successful, with €173 million allocated. Raheny Shamrocks submitted an application to that fund which was not successful. Should additional funding become available, we are assessing how that can be dealt with in terms of a reserve list.

I very much look forward to meeting Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club during my visit, seeing the proposals and meeting Deputies Heneghan and Brabazon and committee members on 20 May.

It is great to hear that the Minister of State will be coming to the club. Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club has a significant history of producing Olympians not just for the northside but for all of Ireland, such as Dick Hooper, Mick Clohisey and Sophie Becker as well as paralympians Orla Comerford and David McNally, and Brian Fay, who I went to school with. With over 850 members, the club still has a waiting list for juveniles. There are way more running tracks on the southside. I believe the estimate is six or seven public tracks compared with two public tracks on the northside of Dublin. I do not know if this is because previous northside politicians did not raise it enough with the Department. Will the Minister of State commit to possibly looking into Dublin City Council adding a 400 m running track to St. Anne's Park to be used by future Olympians? More than 90,000 people live with 4 km of St. Anne's Park. Is there any chance that the Department would investigate that?

I know the club has done wonderful work there historically but also in terms of seeking to develop the club in recent years. It was supported in 2018 and 2020 through sports capital grants. I know it purchased a new building in Raheny and is considering how it can develop it having purchased the old Catholic church in Raheny village. I look forward to seeing how we can work with it in the time ahead. We will open sports capital grants next year. The large scale sports infrastructure grants first opened in 2019, with the second round in 2024. We will look at how that evolves over the next period. Of the €297 million allocated in the past year for sports generally, €79 million was allocated to athletics initiatives on a national scale. Under the large scale sports infrastructure fund, six projects were backed by Athletics Ireland and were awarded €25 million.

I welcome the fact that the Minister of State said that. Regarding the lack of running tracks and the number of Olympians, maybe northsiders are just better runners. I ask that the capital plan that, please God, will go to Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club not be a one-time investment. If Dublin City Council could do this, it could charge people, which would build revenue for the council. We would also prevent further use of hospital services because people would be fitter. Like the significant fines we are facing from the EU, a stitch in time saves nine. We need to invest in youth and our clubs. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State has engaged with me and I thank him from the bottom of my heart on behalf on all the parents whose doors I knocked on who are looking for this. St. Anne's Park needs the investment. Children still have to go into bushes to get changed or to use the bathrooms. Significant things need to be done. I thank the Minister for State for his engagement with this so far.

I thank Deputy Heneghan, who is a former teacher, for raising this matter. This club has really deep roots in Raheny and Clontarf and further afield. It is well known throughout the country for its excellence but at its core, it has very strong community roots and really deserves our support. We look forward to seeing the Minister of State visit it. I hope we can work together to progress the club's case.

I thank Deputy Ó Muirí for his representations and support for the club. The challenge at a national level is the number of asks. If we look at the large scale infrastructure fund most recently, we can see that there were 96 applications nationally and, of these, 35 projects were successful. This meant that €173 million in total was allocated out of an ask in terms of the numbers that came in of €665 million. This is always the challenge but we have seen significant progress in backing the wonderful clubs across all our sports nationally. They all want to do more, we want to back them in doing more and we will be considering how we can do that in terms of additional funding. I look forward to seeing Deputies Heneghan, Ó Muirí and Brabazon with the club when I visit in the coming days.

What specific measures is the Department taking to support and grow the tourism sector in County Offaly, including investment in local attractions such as Lough Boora, the Slieve Bloom Mountains and the Grand Canal greenway?

I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 120 together.

The Deputy will appreciate that tourism is now the policy responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Burke. Following the making of a Government order yesterday, statutory responsibility for the sector will transfer to the Minister, Deputy Burke, from 1 June. However, I can say that the Government recognises the central importance of the tourism sector to Ireland's economy and communities.

County Offaly is included in Fáilte Ireland's Ireland's Hidden Heartlands regional tourism development strategy 2023-27. This roadmap sets out a strategic approach to unlock the commercial potential of the region while ensuring development is sustainable and benefits accrue to local communities and protect our natural environment. Since its inception in 2018, Ireland's Hidden Heartlands has made a significant impact on the promotion of tourism while showcasing natural assets and local heritage and giving support to the surrounding communities.

Fáilte Ireland is also actively working on the ground in Offaly in 2025, meeting with communities across the county to help them understand the opportunities tourism can offer and also to guide them towards relevant Fáilte Ireland supports. Fáilte Ireland is working in alignment with other stakeholders in the county, including Offaly County Council, Offaly Tourism and Offaly Local Development Company.

The Slieve Bloom mountain biking trail was officially opened in April 2023 and is part of the international mountain biking project, which received an investment of approximately €13 million through the rural regeneration and development fund. The trail is the most extensive one built to date in Ireland, with more than 80 km of trail riding. It positions Ireland as one of the best international destinations for trail riding. A project is also under way to replace and upgrade pedestrian-cycle signs for Slieve Bloom trailheads in towns. This project has now moved to installation phase, which is due to be completed in 2025.

Under the just transition fund, Bord na Móna has been awarded €3.6 million towards the creation of up to 79 km of new walking and cycling trails across suitable parts of the Bord na Móna land bank, including the following areas of Offaly: Offaly east between the Grand Canal greenway and Mount Lucas; and Offaly west between Clonmacnoise, Ballynahown and Lough Boora. The Grand Canal greenway, a 70 km cycle and walkway connecting west to east Offaly, was officially launched in October 2024. This greenway offers an opportunity for tourism businesses to optimise their potential and improve the visitor experience and commercial performance in the area. As the Deputy is aware, greenways are under the remit of the Department of Transport, but I am advised that Offaly County Council is working in partnership with Waterways Ireland and Bord na Móna to support industry and communities to develop amenities and maximise the potential of the assets within the county.

While investment in Clonmacnoise and progress on Birr's telescope are welcome, Offaly remains one of the most underpromoted yet richly endowed counties for tourism in Ireland. We have an incredibly varied and beautiful landscape, including the Slieve Bloom Mountains, lush farmlands, boglands, greenways, rivers and lakes. Our heritage is world class - Clonmacnoise, Birr Castle, Croghanhill and Durrow Abbey, which is the original home of the Book of Durrow, one of Ireland's most treasured manuscripts. We are also home to Tullamore Dew, which is a globally recognised whiskey brand, and vibrant waterways with towns like Banagher and Shannon Harbour. When I hosted New Zealand's ambassador to Ireland recently, he was taken aback by Offaly's natural beauty and untapped tourism potential. While I welcome all we have done, we need to concentrate more on smaller counties like Offaly to promote tourism in the country.

I will pass on the Deputy's remarks to the Minister, Deputy Burke, who is a neighbour of Deputy McCormack. I do not disagree with much of what the Deputy said. I was previously a Minister of State at the old Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and I also had responsibility for the OPW. I know one of the principal national sites of the OPW is Clonmacnoise. I met Offaly County Council when I had responsibility for the OPW to see what it wanted to do around the strategic use in a sustainable way of Clonmacnoise and how it could be of benefit to the surrounding towns and villages. I would encourage the collaboration between the OPW and Offaly County Council.

If it continues, there are probably opportunities through the schemes I have already referred to, such as rural regeneration and development funding, which falls under the remit of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Calleary. There are opportunities for State agencies to be the lead agency with responsibility for making applications for that type of funding. I am sure from what I heard when I met representatives of Offaly County Council in the OPW, that it is their intention to use the strategic assets they have around the county, particularly those that are under the auspices of the OPW, to benefit the towns and villages in County Offaly.

I thank the Minister. While his continued support is appreciated, it is crucial that we move from potential to progress. The Offaly tourism plan is a strong foundation but it needs national-level commitment to truly deliver. The Book of Durrow, one of Europe's oldest illuminated manuscripts, deserves to be celebrated in its original home, yet Durrow Abbey remains closed. Sites such as Lough Boora and the Slieve Bloom trails are ideal for ecotourism but lack the investment and infrastructure to thrive. The EU just transition tourism regenerative fund sparked remarkable engagement from local businesses and community enterprises but its tight deadlines were a barrier for many. The appetite is there; we just need the tools.

Will the Minister explore a longer-term funding programme to focus on community-led regenerative tourism in just transition counties? Can we look forward to Offaly being prioritised for future pilot projects in sustainable rural tourism, given its diversity in assets and the strong local momentum?

The Deputy has made some positive suggestions about areas in his county that he knows intimately. One of the best things to do would be to have direct engagement with the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, perhaps with some of the other Oireachtas Members from County Offaly. The county council has already done much of the preliminary work. As a man from the neighbouring county of Westmeath, I am sure that the Minister, Deputy Burke, is acutely aware of the potential of the Hidden Heartlands brand of Fáilte Ireland. That all came from the successes of the Wild Atlantic Way and the need for a similar brand in the midlands. It has proven to be positive.

The Shannon is one of the best assets the county has, and not just because it flows to Limerick. It is an amazing amenity. I have used the boats on the river during holidays. There is a lot going for the county. The best thing to do would be for the Deputy and the other Government representatives from the county to sit down with the Minister, Deputy Burke, and Offaly County Council to see what is the best way forward in terms of engagement with State agencies.

What initiatives are being implemented by the Minister to promote tourism in Kelly, County Meath, to enhance the town's appeal as a destination for visitors?

I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 111 together.

This is the third time I have said the following but I will repeat it for the record. Tourism is now the policy responsibility of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke. Following the making of a Government order on Tuesday, statutory responsibility for the sector will transfer to the Minister, Deputy Burke, from 1 June. He has already had a number of engagements with key tourism stakeholders across a range of priority areas and the Government recognises the central importance of the tourism sector to Ireland's economy.

In addition, I note that the programme for Government provides that the Government will work with Fáilte Ireland to develop a balanced regional spread of tourism throughout the country, promoting and enhancing the Hidden Heartlands, Ireland's Ancient East, the Wild Atlantic Way and Dublin. County Meath is included in Fáilte Ireland’s Ancient East regional tourism development strategy 2023-27. Ireland's Ancient East is not only internationally renowned for its rich heritage but also for the variety of tracks and trails by which the region can be explored and discovered. Its diverse landscape provides the visitor with a rich tapestry from which to unlock the living culture unique to the place and underpinned by 5,000 years of heritage and tradition evidenced by its many historical sites.

Under the strategy, the ancient destination experience development plan, DEDP, which includes Meath, provides a destination-wide tourism development focus, harnessing existing plans and examining new projects to create a world-class destination with "ancient" as the core development theme. A key project in the ancient DEDP for delivery in 2025 is the development of a place-making plan for Kells that will link the various cultural assets within the town as a collective visitor proposition. Examples include the Spire of Lloyd experience, the Kells Type Trail, the round tower and crosses, St. Colmcille’s house and interpretative experiences.

The reimagined Boyne Valley drive has the objective of moving the existing Boyne Valley drive up the tourism value chain from a point-to-point journey between some of Ireland's most important and compelling heritage sites to a wider immersive visitor proposition that becomes a 5,000-year journey through time and is a key element of the ancient DEDP.

The key achievements in County Meath to date include the continued growth of the world-class Púca festival, which has contributed greatly to an emerging tourism destination. The Púca festival, developed by Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Meath County Council, plays a key role in attracting visitors who support revenue generation and job creation in local communities. The original Irish Hallowe'en was a time for feasting, gathering and storytelling as darkness turned to light and the shape-shifting spirits roamed the night. The Púca festival is a vibrant and contemporary three-day festival strongly rooted in tradition with a programme of events centred around spectacle, music and food. The festival received national funding of €1 million from Fáilte Ireland in 2024 to deliver a high-quality cultural festival, contemporary and distinct from Hallowe'en events in other cities, all set against the backdrop of an historically authentic setting. With over 49,000 attendees, the Púca festival has played a significant role in establishing this event as a must-see for tourists from local areas and abroad.

I am sure the Deputy is also aware of the work that has been carried out at the Knowth and Brú na Bóinne sites. Knowth is a culturally significant site and a partnership between Fáilte Ireland, the National Monuments Service and the Office of Public Works has enhanced the experience for visitors in Knowth, encouraging more people to visit the site and wider County Meath.

Fáilte Ireland continues to work with the Slane estate to develop its visitor proposition. The strategy centres around the development of a master plan aligning the estate's key assets, namely, the castle and distillery, and other places in the wider estate property linked to the emerging greenway. The current focus is on developing a three-year business plan with specific short-term actions aligned to the master plan. Fáilte Ireland will continue to work with the representatives of Slane Castle, which is a key driver of tourism in County Meath, to oversee the implementation of the business plan.

Meath is also included in the Keep Discovering campaign 2025, with both TV and print adverts to raise the profile of the county and attract both national and international visitors. The campaign reminds Irish and Northern Irish consumers that while they think they know Ireland, there is always something new to discover and encourages everyone to keep discovering.

I thank the Minister for the response. I acknowledge the changeover of portfolios between Departments. I say to the Minister and his colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, that there is a real overlap between tourism product in Kells, for example, and arts, culture and sport. For example, the Hinterland Festival of Literature and Arts happens at the end of June and includes contributions from the Kells Type Trail. I encourage the Minister to come to the festival; he would be more than welcome. We also have the Samhain Festival of Food and Culture. Our preseason soccer tournament for kids is among the biggest in Ireland. It plays a significant role in encouraging people into the town. We also have a 36-hole golf course, which is an attraction. We also have the River Blackwater. The anglers in Kells do a fantastic job of maintaining and protecting that natural resource. We also have the likes of Girley Bog, which is just outside the town, as a natural amenity.

I appreciate the Minister's answer but the frustration among the community is that the town is working hard to put itself on the radar when the plans are not there to connect and draw people into the town of Kells. We must tap into the Book of Kells and the name of the town. Considerable numbers of people come to the Dublin area, for example, and there is potential to bring them on day trips to Kells. Is that immense potential being considered?

I entirely agree with the Deputy that the overlap between arts, culture, sport and tourism is enormous. I refer to the impact of Listowel Writers' Week in County Kerry, for example. All festivals, especially the larger ones, have an impact by bringing people to particular areas. The same is true for sporting events. Money is generated in Limerick by Munster Rugby, as it is in Dublin by Leinster Rugby. There is obvious synergy there and we are acutely aware of that and want it to grow. This year, for instance, we have a committed set of international sporting engagements, including an NFL American football game.

Government is also supporting the Ryder Cup in Adare in 2027 and there is a number of others that will generate not only people coming in for the weekend of the event but also legacy. Such an event generates a huge spin-off for the place it is on, like Adare in County Limerick, for its hinterland and for the entire country. I said to Deputy McCormack that local authorities are the best placed people to know a locality and get people into an area.

The advantage County Meath has that counties in the west and south of Ireland do not have is it has an airport on its doorstep through which millions of people transit per year. The marketing plans for that will have to be geared around, in many cases, short-term stays and - the Deputy is right - getting people out of Dublin. Other counties have done it quite successfully. Look at Wicklow and the impact Glendalough has. It is hugely successful. Kildare has the Japanese Gardens in Newbridge. There is a lot of potential for counties around Dublin to use Dublin as a staging post. That is probably the old Pale. Newbridge, Kildare Village, the Japanese Gardens and Glendalough have done it very successfully.

The heritage that is in County Meath is nowhere else in the world. There are places in the county older than the pyramids, which are all, thankfully, in the charge of the State under the Office of Public Works. We made significant investments there in my time. There is also the advent of a national park. The potential is enormous; it is just about bringing it together. In fairness to Meath County Council, it is doing very positive work in that space.

The Minister is absolutely right. We look to the monastic settlements, the round tower, the high crosses, St. Columcille's House and the Spire of Lloyd. The Minister mentioned those. There are incredible sites of historic significance. The Minister will know, and I suppose it is the point he is making, that local individuals and communities through their effort and initiative have made so much happen, including GAA, soccer and other sports clubs. We have the best handball club in Ireland, I would say. It is a sport that is often under-recognised.

I draw the Minister's attention to a project supported by various Departments which taps into the type trail the Minister mentioned and the association of the Book of Kells with the creative art around type, lettering and font. It is the establishment of a printworks bringing old printers back. It would essentially be a print museum and it is hoped it will be launched and opened in the coming weeks or months. I particularly commend Mark Smith, who is a local community activist and working artist, including with the local authority and mental health organisations, on his role in that. I encourage the type of support provided so far by various Departments to continue, as well as the work with the local community in Kells, the same as in other areas, to ensure the potential that is there is realised. I invite the Minister - and will also invite the Minister, Deputy Burke - to come to Kells to see the huge potential that is there related to his role in the arts and culture and that of his colleague, the Minister of State, in sport.

No doubt I will get an opportunity. The Deputy might send me the details on that and I will have a look at it. I have had many dealings with Louth and Meath tourism. I know they will set aside their collegiality for the Leinster final but it is great to see the Deputy sitting beside a Louth person. Hopefully, Louth will undo the wrong done to them.

No, no, no.

I could not agree with the Minister more.

I am just offering an opinion but I wish Louth the best of luck. I wish Meath the best of luck as well but I hope Louth make the breakthrough this year. Louth and Meath County Councils are cheek by jowl with each other and work effectively together. The River Boyne provides an obvious link between the two counties that both are adept at exploiting. There are an awful lot of State assets there. Oldbridge is in County Meath but is essentially a resource for the people of Drogheda and is a massive State resource owned and operated by the Office of Public Works. All the monuments in the Boyne Valley attract tens of thousands of visitors. The most important thing is to get them to spend money. You do not want to put them back onto a bus. It is one thing to get visitors when they are all straight onto a bus to the next place. You have to wonder what value that kind of tourism is to the locality. Getting people to stop and spend is the most important thing.

I had a fair bit of dealing with this in my previous role with responsibility for tourism and OPW and I know Louth and Meath tourism are working hard to get people to stay. In some cases, their proximity to Dublin is a disadvantage. They are within an hour's striking distance on the bus and visitors are back again to have dinner, a few drinks or whatever in Dublin that night. To reverse that is a big challenge. The road improvements made into Louth and Meath mean they become closer which is, in some ways, a disadvantage. They are fortunate to have two good councils working well in the space and I wish them both the best of luck on Sunday.

Will the Minister outline the amount spent by his Department in supporting sports clubs and organisations in Cork in 2024?

I propose to take Questions Nos. 100, 105, 108 and 137 together.

I thank the Deputies for their questions. The programme for Government commits to supporting the sporting community across the country to ensure more people participate, reap the benefits of sport and fulfil their potential from grassroots right up to high-performance level. We are achieving this and will continue to achieve it through a number of measures, including maintaining sports funding to get more people participating at all levels of sport, particularly targeting cohorts in society where there are lower than average participation levels. This includes people with disabilities and older people.

The community sport facilities fund is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities. We had a round of that last year with significant investment and more than 3,000 community sports clubs and facilities received record funding under that. Under the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, significant funding of €173 million was announced in November last year, supporting 35 projects.

Cork is the particular focus of Deputy Burke's question. We saw €7.3 million paid to 130 sporting organisations, and allocations of €32.5 million were made to 367 Cork sporting organisations across the large-scale sport infrastructure fund and community sport facilities fund. That is €32 million in total for Cork. Since 2018, that figure is €77 million.

One of the largest projects funded to date under the first large-scale sport infrastructure fund was the Athletics Ireland and Munster Technological University, formerly CIT, community sport project on the Bishopstown campus of the university. The project was awarded large-scale sport infrastructure fund funding of €9.2 million in January 2020 and additional funding in December 2023 of just over €5 million, bringing the total for the project to €14.3 million for all three phases. To date, we have seen €4.1 million of that drawn down. That is significant support for Cork, as well as across the country. We look forward to continuing to support clubs to develop their sporting facilities through future rounds.

I thank the Minister and fully agree with him there was a huge amount of funding provided last year and over the past ten years. It is a huge initiative for sports organisations. I find that for every euro the sports organisations get in grants, they raise another €5 through voluntary effort. The facilities provided have been superb.

An issue I want to focus on is large-scale housing development and forward planning. We do not appear to be doing enough work in that area. I ask that the Department would look at that. There is an area in my constituency, Glanmire, which has insufficient areas available for young people.

In fact, the local GAA clubs are coming to the point where they will have to make a choice as to whether to admit everyone who wants to come in or put a limit on that because of access issues. Some 30 acres have been lying idle for the last ten years. I know the FAI had it and is leasing it back to the local soccer club, but that is a project that could come under the large-scale projects scheme. There were two very good projects in Cork in 2024, one at Castleview soccer club and the other where Cork County Council has been working with the athletic club in Mallow. There was €3 million in funding between those two projects, which are very significant. However, Cork only got €3 million out of the €173 million total for the entire country.

Glanmire is an area where large-scale funding needs to be put in place to develop the facilities that are required for the very young population in that area. There are very good sports organisations there, working hard to cater for the increased population. Throughout the country, the Department needs to focus on making sure that sports facilities are put in place and that it is not just housing.

It has been wonderful in recent years to see the strong increase in participation across many sports and how that has been driven forward and facilitated by the wonderful volunteer ethos at local level in terms of organising and facilitating so much sports activity through clubs on an ongoing basis. There is also great work in terms of leveraging sports capital grants and developing those facilities. That is something we want to continue to back, as a Government, and I know it is something the Deputy wants to see continue in Cork. We will be reviewing the criteria for how we do future sports capital funding grant applications to make sure we are leveraging those funds as much as possible. We also want to make sure different clubs are coming together as much as possible at municipal facilities, for example, so we make the maximum use of the facilities that are being built to benefit as many people as possible in the local community. We have seen significant progress in Cork, and the Deputy mentioned Glanmire as somewhere he would like to see further funding go in. We will be looking at all of those and offering future opportunities to see how we can continue the work that is under way and the significant progress that has been made to date.

If the Minister of State is in Cork at any stage, he might come to my home parish of Inniscarra, which has 50 acres of sports grounds. The rugby club, the soccer club, the GAA club and the camogie club all have their own individual pitches, all of which were developed over the past 25 to 30 years. They are very well planned facilities and are all together in one area. We need to do that where there are large urban developments, rather than taking a piecemeal approach where this is done literally when many of the younger population have grown up and moved out of the area. It is an issue we need to address.

I thank the Minister of State and the Department for the work they are doing and the way they have delivered, in particular in the last eight to ten years. On Monday of this week, I was at a sports club which is undertaking a €200,000 development. While I was there, the club was doing a walk to raise the remaining money it needs. It has the sports grant but it needs to raise the additional money. It is a huge community effort. The Department is also doing a very good job. It is important to plan for major, large-scale urban development.

I would certainly be delighted to visit because it sounds like one of the prime examples of what is possible and how, by collaborating, we can maximise the impact of this investment. That is something we want to see more of across the country and, anywhere there is an opportunity to do that, to back it. We are also looking at how we can work in as strong a way as possible through integrating and working with schools and school settings so those facilities that might not otherwise be used often during the day, where possible, can be available close to the schools. It is about taking a strategic approach, continuing to back the wonderful work that clubs are doing and making sure the investment they are making, and the State is making to support them, is delivering the best possible return on participation in local communities and giving opportunities for people across all ages and capabilities to participate in sporting activity.

The question relates to the second research report on the basic income for the arts pilot scheme. When will it be completed and when will a decision be made on the continuation or otherwise of the scheme?

The programme for Government commits to assessing the basic income for the arts pilot research scheme to maximise its impact. The basic income for the arts pilot research scheme began with the first baseline survey in October 2022 and will conclude in August 2025. The data from the pilot will feed into Government consideration of the next steps. The Department is currently working on a report examining the first 24 months of the scheme and this report will be available before the end of the pilot. A further qualitative research paper, written by an independent researcher, will be published in the coming weeks. This paper collects the experiences of 50 recipients who have been interviewed by a sociologist. A cost-benefit analysis is also being undertaken at present.

While the research phase of the pilot scheme is still ongoing, it is clear from evidence collected to date under the scheme that it is having a positive impact on participants. Two impact papers have been published to date and are available on the basic income for the arts website on gov.ie . This data shows that the basic income for the arts payment is having a consistent, positive impact across almost all indicators, affecting practice development, sectoral retention, well-being and deprivation. Artists in receipt of the support are typically able to devote more time to their art, produce more pieces of work and experience a boost to their well-being through greater life satisfaction and reduced anxiety, and are protected from the precariousness of incomes in the sector to a greater degree than those who are not receiving the support.

I assure Deputy Ó Snodaigh and the sector that I fully appreciate the importance of basic income support for artists. I know there is broad-based support for the basic income for the arts research project in the House. I will be meeting shortly with the National Campaign for the Arts to hear its views on the scheme in detail. My officials met with the campaign on 25 April. I am acutely aware that the pilot is due to conclude in August and it is my intention to make an announcement on the next steps in the coming weeks.

It would be welcome that there is some type of confirmation of where next for the basic income for artists. It is to end in August, which is strange because it is a month earlier than the full three years, given it did not start until October 2022. The real question is the timeline. These reports are needed before an assessment can be fully made as to whether to continue this or extend it. While these reports are due at some stage between now and, I presume, budget day, can we be assured there will not be a cliff edge where the scheme ends and the funding finishes altogether? If that happens, those on the basic income scheme will see it end within the three years and there will be no additionality for them or income for those who are expecting to go on another scheme.

I am conscious of the concerns that people in the scheme have. I pay tribute to my predecessor in this area, Catherine Martin, who did a huge amount of work to initiate the whole concept. It was born out of a time when the country was bedraggled, with Covid and everything else, but it has proven its worth in terms of the qualitative and quantitative amount of work that can be produced by people who, as I said in the earlier part of the response, are protected from worry about the precarious nature of their finances.

There are a number of steps that we have to take. First, there are a number of hurdles that I have to jump. As I said in my earlier response, I will hopefully be in a position shortly to make an announcement with regard to the scheme's future. I know the month of August is not that far away and people want to see certainty. It is my commitment to try to make sure we get the best possible outcome for the scheme going forward. It was a pilot but, as the Deputy will appreciate given he is the Chairman of an Oireachtas committee, we have the upcoming budget negotiations with regard to the 26 expenditure ceilings. This is a priority for me and for the Department, and I want to use the opportunity in the Dáil today to make that clear.

There is concern out there and the Minister will probably get that when he meets the National Campaign for the Arts. Both his own party's manifesto and that of Fianna Fáil promised to continue it, yet the programme for Government looks to assess it. That assessment is to be done between now and budget day, which is a very tight timeframe. If it falls, potentially at the end of August, that means there will be no basic income for artists until the budget gives effect to a new one or to something else.

The concern is this very tight timeframe. In the initial roll-out of the basic income for artists scheme it took many months for new participants to be assessed. If it were to be rolled out again it would create a lacuna at the end of August rather than a continuation, a new round of another 2,000 artists or an extension of it.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh is right that a number of different things have to be considered. As Deputy Ó Snodaigh has said, these include whether it is the same group, a new group, a wider group, or a smaller group. All of this has to be assessed. The engagement I hope to have with the campaign will also help to inform me on this. Deputy Ó Snodaigh is also right that as two distinct political parties in advance of the election we made commitments on this. I am sure Deputy Ó Snodaigh will acknowledge that this was a very good scheme. It was introduced at a time when people did not expect it or fully understand what it would do but now can see what it has done and the value of it. My basic premise is to get the scheme, a scheme, or a version of the scheme continued. It would be very regressive if we did not have it. It will have to form part of budgetary discussions in the Department. I have five distinct areas of responsibility - arts, culture, communications, media and sports - and this is a priority for me with regard to the arts element of our budgetary discussions. I look forward to hearing the suggestions of the Opposition and I will engage with spokespersons, including Deputy Ó Snodaigh, off-line and outside of the House on their views on this and how the scheme could be changed, altered and improved.

Before I call on Deputy Malcolm Byrne to speak on Question No. 101, on behalf of Deputy Keira Keogh I welcome the students from Sancta Maria College in County Mayo and their teachers Mr. Connaughton and Ms Keane. They are very welcome to Dáil Eireann and we hope they enjoy their day.

Specifically on Question No. 101, I welcome the fact the Minister has stated clearly it is a priority to continue with the basic income for artists scheme. I agree with Deputy Ó Snodaigh that we are coming very quickly towards August. As a first priority for the 2,000 recipients of the basic income for artists scheme there needs to be an indication as to whether it will be continued for the same 2,000 people. We also need to have certainty on whether the current scheme will be extended or will it be opened to many more artists. I acknowledge the Minister's praise for the former Minister Catherine Martin on this. I welcome the Government's commitment on it but there is an urgency for the Government to make clear what will happen with the scheme.

I join the Leas-Cheann Comhairle in welcoming the students from County Mayo to see the Dáil and their people's house in live action. They are very welcome. With regard to Deputy Byrne's questions I covered most of them when answering Deputy Ó Snodaigh but I can go back over them again. It is a priority of ours and it is in the programme for Government to do an evaluation. It was in the manifestoes that we would proceed with it. Obviously we will have budgetary discussions from the summer onwards, in which I will engage with the Ministers, Deputies Chambers and Donohoe, on expenditure and taxation measures in the Department. On top of this we have an evaluation we must conclude. Both Deputies would agree that the basic thing the Dáil would expect would be to evaluate the existing scheme before I give any commitment one way or the other on a new scheme, a modified scheme or a continuation of a scheme. This work is under way and as soon as I have formulated all of this and gone through all of it, it is my intention to make an announcement fairly soon on the future of the scheme. I hope to be in a position to do this in a matter of weeks.

I appreciate the answers the Minister has given and I appreciate that he will make an announcement. I understand he is awaiting the second report but in the first report, as the Minister acknowledged, quantitatively and qualitatively the basic income scheme for artists was viewed as a significant success. It is important for those in receipt of it that some indication is given to them as to whether after August they will be in a position to be able to continue with the basic income for artists scheme or whether the Minister plans to broaden it or restrict it. We are speaking about a couple of months and primarily for those on the scheme it is important to at least let them know what will happen.

This is why I am doing what I am doing. I am going to try to do this as quickly as possible. All Deputies in all parties on both sides of the House would say it would be foolish in the extreme for me not to at least evaluate all of the reports that are available and will be available to the Department before I make a decision. As soon as I can do so I will do it and I will be back to the House. I am sure both Deputies will be forthright in their views once I have made a decision.

This has been a really great time for Louth football. We had the Leinster final win by the under 20s against Meath, the minors won last night against Dublin and are now through to their Leinster final and, hopefully, an historic injustice will be righted on Sunday against Meath. I would say there is much support around the House on this. It is vital that the GAA stadium in Dundalk is delivered upon. While there has been good news from Croke Park, it is about ensuring the Government is playing its part in it.

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú. I know of the great excitement in the county this week in the run-up to the Leinster final this weekend. It has been added to by the under-age success, which has been wonderful to see and is a great reflection on the great work done by Louth GAA at all levels. I look forward to seeing the game this weekend. If it is half as dramatic as the previous one, I am sure it will grip the entire country.

With regard to Deputy Ó Murchú's query on the large-scale sports infrastructure fund application made by Louth GAA last year for a new stadium in Dundalk, he knows the background to this with regard to the fact there was no funding in this particular round. I welcome and note the recent announcement by Louth GAA that it has agreed a funding package to commence development of a new stadium in Dundalk. The large-scale sports infrastructure fund application was for the second part, or phase 2, of the stadium, with phase 1 commencing with the potential for a 4,000-seater stand. We had approximately €680 million of applications to the large-scale infrastructure fund last year, with €167 million awarded to 37 projects throughout the country. We are now assessing whether additional funding can become available and how a reserve list could potentially operate for those who were not successful in getting funding last year, and Louth GAA will be considered in this context. It is certainly welcome to see the recent announcement on Louth GAA being able to commence and having the finances to develop the new stadium, which I know will be of great benefit to it. I wish Louth GAA well with it and I look forward to engaging further with it on its plans and its future potential.

The Minister of State might have an interest in a particular game at the weekend, I would imagine. We will all be glued on Saturday to the match between Armagh and Donegal. It should make for a very good weekend of football. I commend the work done by Louth GAA and the teams under Fergal Reel, Ger Brennan and Johnny Clerkin. I wish them the absolute best of luck and we all hope for a great game of football. From a Louth point of view, death or victory is what we require.

We all welcome the engagement and the package agreed for the first phase of development of the Louth GAA stadium in Dundalk. It is €24 million. I am aware that Louth GAA is on the reserve list for the scheme and I would like to think that decent consideration would be given to this. Does the Minister of State have any further update on the timeline and how projects on the reserve list, such as Louth GAA, could get further?

Even beyond that, what timeline are we looking at for the reopening of LSSIF into the future? The idea is to make sure that we are talking about projects that are ready for the road, that are fit to be built straightaway and that there are no delays with.

The LSSIF was first announced with a funding round in 2019. It is a relatively new fund in that regard, with the objective of trying to ensure that the Government can work to support the development of large-scale sporting facilities across the country.

So far, we have had two rounds, in 2019 and 2024. Between both of those, €297 million has been invested, which is making a significant impact on the development of really good facilities across the country. We had 96 applications in the most recent round, 35 of which benefited from funding. The demand was much higher than the level of funding.

The potential for additional funding is something we have to consider. That is very much subject to the budgetary capacity for that and, alongside that, the capacity for a reserve list as well for those applicants not successful previously.

I know the benefit it would be to County Louth. It is great to see the stadium progressing and Louth GAA moving forward with it. Certainly, we will consider it in the context of future funding opportunities as well in phase 2.

It is necessary that LSSIF funding would follow through for the stadium in Dundalk. My understanding was Louth GAA and Drogheda United were on that reserve list. The argument that was made was shovel-ready projects would get first dibs but given what is happening, particularly with Louth stadium, the first phase of which will be under way, we have to consider additional funding. We have to make sure that happens.

I want to find out whether my understanding is the case. Are we talking about the LSSIF being opened more regularly, that is, on a two- or three-year basis, and that we know that is happening? We know the huge piece of work that needs to be done not only with Drogheda United but, hopefully, with an opening for Dundalk FC, which also needs to have huge works done at Oriel Park.

It will be very much dependent on funding. That is something on which we will have engagement in the budgetary process to see what the potential is.

The opening and announcement of new funding under the sports capital grant and the regional grants under the sports capital facilities fund have generally been every two years. I expect in the first part of next year to open up the sports facilities fund.

On the large-scale funding, there have only been two rounds so far, in 2019 and 2014. The funding requirement for that is heavy. It will certainly be our objective to try to do it within a shorter timeframe in terms of a new round but that will be entirely dependent on the budget as well.

The focus for now is making sure that those who receive funding move forward and in the short term, assessing the potential for additional funding or, in relation to those that were not successful in the most recent round, additional capacity.

Cén obair atá á déanamh ag an Aire chun soláthair tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht a fheabhsú? Is géarchéim é seo. Ar ndóigh, tá géarchéim tithíochta ann ach tá géarchéim tithíochta ar leith sa Ghaeltacht. Cén obair atá á déanamh aige ina thaobh?

Mar is eol don Teachta, tá cúraimí na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge ag aistriú chuig an Aire, an Teachta Calleary. Bhí sé le bheith anseo inniu ach ní raibh sé in ann teacht go dtí an Teach inniu mar gheall ar chúrsaí pearsanta. Rinne an Rialtas ordú Dé Máirt chun na feidhmeanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta a aistriú chuig an Roinn forbartha poiblí agus Gaeltachta. Tiocfaidh an t-ordú i bhfeidhm ar an 1 Meitheamh. Is é an tAire, an Teachta Calleary, a thabharfaidh freagraí ar cheisteanna Dála a bhaineann leis na réimsí seo as seo amach.

Ó thaobh cúrsaí tithíochta de, tuigfidh an Teachta go bhfuil cuspóir uaillmhianach ag an Rialtas seo 300,000 teach a thógáil roimh dheireadh 2030. Rachaidh an cuspóir seo chun tairbhe in gach cearn den tír, an Ghaeltacht san áireamh. Tá cainteanna ar siúl idir an Roinn tithíochta agus oifigigh na Roinne Gaeltachta maidir le pleanáil i gceantair Ghaeltachta. Tá grúpa oibre bunaithe ag an dá Roinn, mar aon le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta agus údaráis áitiúla, chun an cheist seo a scrúdú.

Mar chuid den obair seo, tá an Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta ag dréachtú treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta faoi láthair, ag teacht le gealltanas a tugadh sa chlár Rialtais. Ina theannta sin, tá Údarás na Gaeltachta ag fiosrú bealaí faoi láthair chun tacú le soláthar tithíochta sna ceantair Ghaeltachta. Cuirtear in iúl dom go bhfuil an t-údarás ag plé leis na páirtithe leasmhara ábhartha ar fad maidir leis an gceist ríthábhachtach seo.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Cé go dtuigim gurb é an tAire, an Teachta Calleary, a bheidh i gceannas ar na cúrsaí seo, tá an tAire, an Teachta O’Donovan, ag bord an Rialtais. Tá muid ag plé le géarchéim thithíochta sa Ghaeltacht le tamall fada. Tá mé tar éis freagra ar cheist Dála a fháil ar ais atá ag rá nach bhfuil muid cinnte cén uair a fhoilseofar na dréacht-treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta, cé gur gealladh iad in 2021. Cé go dtuigim gur Rialtas nua é seo, tá an dá pháirtí, Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael, arís i gcumhacht. Bhí siad chun an cáipéis a fhoilsiú, ach níl sí foilsithe. Níl aon am luaite anois maidir le cén uair a bheidh na treoirlínte foilsithe.

Tá fadhb ollmhór ann i gcomhthéacs na seirbhísí do suíomhanna ionas gur féidir tógáil orthu. Níl na serviced sites ann in áiteanna cosúil le deisceart Chonamara nó fiú don chomhairle contae é féin i nGaillimh. Cén plean atá ag an Aire ina leith ionas gur féidir tithíocht a chur ar fáil?

Mar a dúirt mé leis an Teachta Connolly níos luaithe ar maidin, bhí an tAire, an Teachta Calleary, dóchasach go mbeadh sé anseo chun na ceisteanna sin a fhreagairt ach tá cúrsaí pearsanta aige faoi láthair agus níl sé in ann teacht go dtí an Teach ar maidin. Tá cruinniú aige an tseachtain seo chugainn le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta chun an ábhar a phlé. Tá an-suim aige i gcúrsaí tithíochta. Tá limistéar Gaeltachta ina Dháilcheantar i gContae Mhaigh Eo freisin. Tá an-suim aige san ábhar sin. Tuigim cé chomh tábhachtach is atá sé. Chaith mé tréimhse i m’Aire Stáit agus an Ghaeltacht faoi mo chúram. Tuigim cé chomh tábhachtach is atá na cúrsaí seo. Ar aon nós, beidh an tAire, an Teachta Calleary, ar ais arís an tseachtain seo chugainn. Beidh cruinniú aige leis an údarás agus beidh mé in ann labhairt leis ar an ábhar seo le go mbeidh sé in ann teacht ar ais chuig an Teachta chun an t-ábhar seo a phlé léi.

Tuigim cás an Aire. Tá súil agam go bhfuil chuile shórt all right leis. Tá cúpla rud is féidir leis an Rialtas seo déanamh - rudaí gur chóir go ndéanfadh an Rialtas deireanach i ndáiríre – lena n-áirítear na dréacht-treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta a fhoilsiú láithreach ionas gur féidir comhairliúcháin poiblí a bheith againn agus na treoirlínte iad féin a bheith againn ina dhiaidh sin. Chomh maith leis sin, bhí sé ráite againn i Sinn Féin agus ag mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, gur chóir go mbeadh ciste airgid i gcomhair maoinithe do thithíocht sa Ghaeltacht mar tá géarchéim ar leith ann.

Chonaic muid an méid a bhí ráite ag Uisce Éireann an tseachtain seo nach bhfuil an t-airgead aige agus go bhfuil poll airgid aige i ndáiríre. Má tá muid dáiríre go mbeidh suíomhanna agus na seirbhísí sa Ghaeltacht, i gceantair cosúil le deisceart Chonamara, mar ní féidir tógáil muna bhfuil na seirbhísí ann, muna bhfuil an t-airgead ag Uisce Éireann lena dhéanamh, tá muid i bponc agus ní bheidh muid in ann brú ar aghaidh. Is iad sin trí rud a d’iarramar.

Tuigim an fhadhb. Tá a fhios ag an Teachta, nuair a bhí mé i m’Aire Stáit le cúraimí na Gaeltachta agus na Gaeilge fúm, rinne mé mo dhícheall an t-ábhar sin a phlé agus a réiteach. Níl aon amhras agam ach gur ceist dheacair í. Tá an-chuid oibre déanta ag an Roinn Gaeltachta agus an Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta chun an ábhar sin a réiteach. Mar a dúirt mé níos luaithe agus mé ag labhairt leis an Teachta Connolly, tá sé seo ar ceann de na pointí is tábhachtaí don Aire. Tá sé ag iarraidh é seo a phlé amach agus a réiteach le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta agus leis an Roinn nua an tseachtain seo chugainn. B’fhéidir go mbeidh sé in ann teacht ar ais chuig na Teachtaí Farrell agus Connolly, agus chuig na Teachtaí eile a bhfuil suim acu sa Ghaeltacht agus sa Ghaeilge, chun an ábhar sin a phlé.

Go gairid ar an gceist seo, ní díreach na treoirlínte pleanála a bhí geallta dúinn agus do Thithe an Oireachtais ó 2021 ar aghaidh. Tá ceist mhór ann maidir le tithe samhraidh agus Airbnb. I gcomhthéacs na rialacha nua atá ann do Airbnb, ní rialacha nua iad mar ní bhaineann siad leo. Tá sé sin ar cheann de na bunfhadhbanna. Fiú na tithe atá sa Ghaeltacht, níl siad ar fáil do phobal na Gaeltachta.

Caithfear déileáil leis sin. Ní gá go ndéanfaidh na treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta déileáil leis sin in aon chor. Tá ceist eile ann maidir le ciste infreastruchtúir ar leith do cheantair Ghaeltachta.

Aontaím leis an méid atá ráite ag an Teachta Ó Snodaigh maidir le cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an t-ábhar sin. Bhí ceist eile aige ar an ábhar sin ach tá an t-am caite againn. Beidh ar an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, déileáil leis an ábhar sin sa Bhille atá os comhair na Dála faoi láthair. Dúirt sé liom go mbeidh sé in ann é sin a phlé le hurlabhraithe Gaeltachta agus Gaelainne na bpáirtithe uile sa Dáil. Beidh sé in ann an obair sin a dhéanamh tar éis cruinnithe a bheith aige le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta agus leis na húdaráis áitiúla a bhfuil suim acu san ábhar sin, mar shampla, Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe agus Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo, comhairle contae an Aire féin. Beidh sé ar ais arís an tseachtain seo chugainn agus beidh sé ag déileáil leis an ábhar sin.