Is cúis áthais dom an deis a fháil an Teach a chur ar an eolas faoin maoiniú iomlán de luach €1.27 billiún atá curtha ar fáil do mo Roinn i mbuiséad 2025. Tabharfaidh mé achoimre freisin ar chuid de na bearta lena ndéanfar cothú, feabhsú agus forbairt ar na hearnálacha a bhfuil freagracht agam astu. The sectors supported by my Department form a vital part of the mortar which binds society on this island together. They give us a sense of our identity, both individually and as a nation, set against the backdrop of in…

Section 2 of the Arts Act 2003 states: "arts” means any creative or interpretative expression, whether traditional or contemporary, in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes. This legislative definition indicates a recognition that arts expression is broad and fluid and constantly changing and evolving. Today, artists and arts organisations are increasingly working across a…

Each of the practices subject to the Deputy's question are important creative activities that play an important part in the cultural life of the nation. For example, Irish comedy, to which the Deputy referred, has been to the fore internationally for decades. Comedians such as Deirdre O'Kane, Tommy Tiernan, Dylan Moran and Dara Ó Briain are household names in Ireland and overseas. As Minister, I was glad to be able to support comedy as part of the wide-ranging response to Covid challenges facing the live entertainm…

As I mentioned, I have always respected the arm's length principle as Minister. That has been a central tenet for me. The next step is that what has worked for the past four years I have been Minister is engagement and consultation. That is where the Arts Council, development and research and this multidisciplinary arts policy come in. It is currently seeking input by way of comments and suggestions from artists, art practitioners and art organisations. The Deputy can make that known and ensure people contribute to…

I published the report of the night-time economy task force in September 2021. It contains 36 practical recommendations in the areas of regulation, licensing, planning, transport, safety and increasing the diversity of night-time activities. The night-time economy unit in my Department continues to work with the implementation group of the task force report, the night-time economy sector, relevant Government colleagues and agencies to progress the 36 actions in this report. As part of this work, the Arts Council co…

As I said, the Arts Council conducted an audit of all arts and cultural facilities, not just in Dublin, but across Ireland. My Department has also allocated €11.9 million in current funding to support the work of the night-time economy task force and €2 million in capital funding, and this has supported some key initiatives and pilot projects in the night-time economy policy area. We are not afraid to try new things and work with the sector to put in place supports and initiatives that can create opportunities and …

Yes. As I said, my Department and I are continuing to support the night-time economy through a range of initiatives. The modernisation of licensing is one aspect of this, and an important one, but it is under the remit of the Department of Justice and is being led by it. I have made no secret that I am in support of the reform of our licensing laws, and the Minister for Justice and her officials are continuing to work on reforming this complex legislation. My Department is doing whatever it can to support the Depar…

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 recommende…

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 i…

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 t…

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-ordina…

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 ta…

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 th…

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…

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 requireme…

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 a…

Go raibh maith agat as an deis an t-ábhar ríthábhachtach seo a phlé agus gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Mullen agus leis na comhurraitheoirí as é a ardú. I thank Senator Mullen and the Bill's cosponsors for raising this important issue. I will not oppose the Bill. The intention of the Bill is to prevent children from accessing pornographic material on the Internet. As a parent, I am aware of and share concerns regarding children accessing inappropriate and harmful online content. As the Minister with responsibi…

I am well aware of the challenges facing artists, and many other people, in accessing affordable accommodation in Ireland. Improving housing supply and improving affordability is a priority of the Government as set out in the Government’s housing policy Housing for All as led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This multi-annual, multibillion-euro plan aims to improve Ireland’s housing system and deliver more homes of all types for people with different housing needs. Support for the arts an…

Some of the statistics quoted by Deputy Ó Snodaigh are on foot of the research for the basic income for the arts pilot scheme. This shows its value. As I have said, the research element of it was of equal importance as the actual payment itself because we are gathering information on the real lived experience of artists. As I said at the conference, it seems that the issues that affect society seem to hit our artists even harder. This information will help inform future policy initiatives to support our artists. It…

I thank the Deputy. I referred earlier to the increasing resources for the arts sector. These have really been in part a recognition of the increase in the costs, including the increase in the costs of accommodation. It is also worth noting in this regard that increases in support for these measures in my time as Minister has actually greatly outpaced inflation and represents a significant real increase in support across the arts sector. My Department also works with agencies and stakeholders in the tourism accommo…