For clarity, amendment No. 133 is included in this group but its proposers are not here. Should I still speak to it?

Amendment No. 130 addresses a matter raised by Senators Higgins and Ruane on Committee Stage. The purpose of this amendment is to provide that coimisiún na meán may fund, through a content production scheme made under section 159F of the Broadcasting Act as amended by the Bill, new audiovisual programmes relating to biodiversity. Following the Seanad debate and the points raised by Senators, I thought there was merit in clarifying that it is intended that programmes related to biodiversity may funded through a sche…

I believe I did all of them.

Did Deputy Chambers do one? He did. I had a family bereavement.

I thank the Senators for their kind words. This legislation is of such significance that it was worth every moment of the 30 hours we have spent discussing it. I thank the Oireachtas committee for its extensive pre-legislative scrutiny. This time last year it was seeking an extension to allow it more time, which I was happy to agree to because the legislation is so significant. Senator Carrigy has reminded me that I had a family bereavement during this process. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, for st…

At the outset, I acknowledge that the announcement by Dublin Pride last week that it is terminating its media partnership with RTÉ reflects the hurt and anger within the LGBTI+ community and beyond it. I am proud of how far Ireland has come in recent years in terms of the greater respect offered to minorities and groups in society that were previously marginalised, and in particular to members of the LGBTI+ community. I am committed to supporting LGBTI+ people across all the areas under the remit of my Department. …

The framework for broadcasting regulation is designed to protect the independence of the media by preventing interventions by Government or Ministers, particularly the Minister with responsibility for the media, in programming decisions or programming content. As I said, that is outlined in section 98 of the Broadcasting Act. The provisions to prevent the Government of the day from intervening in programme content broadcast on Irish television or radio necessarily and rightly limits the degree to which I can commen…

Equally, I hope that those events are very well attended. I cannot answer his specific questions but what I can do is tell the Deputy what I am doing in my own Department to support and engage with the LGBTI+ community across the areas under my remit. Under the Creative Ireland programme, the creative communities initiative with local authorities provides funding to support community-led creative projects including for the LGBTI+ community such as Rainbow Library in Cork and the LGBTI+ Inclusion Festival in Galway.…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 4 together. While the recovery momentum in our tourism sector continues, inflation, other economic factors and the significant cost pressures on tourism businesses are likely to impede the recovery. In terms of international perception, there is a risk of damage to Ireland's tourism offering and the promotion of Ireland as a good value destination through negative customer experience arising from the issues and challenges within the sector post-Covid. Many of these issues and …

I thank the Deputies. I am concerned about any potential reputational damage to Ireland. We must be seen as a value-for-money destination so that people would want to return. Neither my Department or Fáilte Ireland have any role in setting the prices for accommodation. Commercial decisions such as pricing are the sole responsibility of business owners. I would continue to urge accommodation providers to be mindful of that longer term picture with regard to competitiveness and value for money. I believe the distorti…

My Department officials have engaged with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation and the Irish Hotels Federation on this very issue. On the VAT question, I would point out that the reduced VAT rate applies to a wide range of businesses in addition to the hospitality sector, many of which are still trying to rebuild after a very difficult and stressful two years. These include catering, restaurant supply companies, tourist accommo…

The Deputy asked about the steps I am taking to support the live performance sector. In 2021, my Department paid out grants of almost €54 million to support the live entertainment sector and drive employment opportunities for artists and crews, through the following schemes. There was €25 million for the live performance support scheme, LPSS; €13.7 million for the events sector Covid support scheme; €8.8 million for the local live performance support scheme; €3.1 million for the music and entertainment support sche…

Venues are a critical part of the landscape of musicians and bands, and music venues in west Cork are among the most high profile in the country. I am pleased a number of venues in that part of Cork were among the grantees under the live entertainment schemes operated by my Department, including the iconic De Barra's, Shanley's bar, Levis's in Ballydehob and Connolly's of Leap. In regard to any delay, all requests for payment are being processed and the Department is supporting any grantees who have outstanding inf…

I referred to the LPRGS, which is supporting the live entertainment sector by providing those businesses with restart grants to derisk the planning of events in the spring and summer, and I hope that will assist with the costs of reopening. As I said, €14.7 million has been offered under the LPRGS. I can revert to the Deputy with information on the date. That is no problem. Much of this funding related to Covid supports. We will keep everything under review as we enter the budgetary process and see Covid numbers ri…

I introduced the local live performance support scheme, LLPSS, in 2021 as part of a suite of measures aimed at supporting the live entertainment sector through the Covid pandemic. The scheme allocated funding to local authorities to stage live events and thereby animate our town centres for local communities. A key objective of the scheme was to provide for the procurement by local authorities of performances by local performers and local crews in their communities. I provided funding of €8.8 million in 2021 to the…

In 2021, the scheme provided for 7,800 employment days among more than 5,600 individual artists. That relates to the overall scheme.

For Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, for example, €245,000 was given. We give that money and the local authorities then look after the events and the artists from that. The Deputy will have seen those recent events, such as one relating to the poetry of Séamus Heaney in Irish from Féile IMRAM and Tír na nÓg in the Mill Theatre. I think there was even a baby rave as well. The four local authorities in Dublin were given €245,000 each year. We give the money to them and they employ the local artists and organise…

It is about babies dancing together and exploring the wonders of music and rhythm at an early age.

As I said, the most recent tranche was the €5 million for events up to the end of June and, more recently, due to its success, a further €5 million that will run up to Hallowe'en. The various supports put in place for the live entertainment sector were designed to address the challenges posed by the pandemic and, in particular, the constraints imposed on live performance by the necessary restrictions on indoor and outdoor congregation. These supports were designed in close consultation with the stakeholders and hav…

Platforms for growth is Fáilte Ireland's strategic, platform-based approach to large-scale capital investment in tourism product and it targets investment in line with specific platforms or project types that have been identified as a priority for tourists on the basis of research. Under Fáilte Ireland's first platforms for growth investment scheme for immersive, heritage and cultural attractions, Westport House and Gardens was successful in an extremely competitive process. It was awarded an investment grant of €2…