-----of those who have arrived-----

-----and not to-----

To start pitching those who have come from war-torn circumstances is-----

-----a very unfair departure-----

Tá an cheist seo i mBéarla mar sin tá an freagra i mBéarla. The 20-year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010—2030 represents the State's policy in relation to the language. The strategy has cross-departmental ownership and, accordingly, responsibility for its implementation rests with several Departments, in addition to Irish-language and Gaeltacht institutions and organisations. My Department is responsible for co-ordinating the implementation of the strategy. To accelerate implementation, my Department published …

I thank the Deputy. The development and support of naíonraí is a key part of the 20-year strategy. The ongoing development of those schools will be extremely important in the context of funding increases and the development of the language. We have a plan with Údarás na Gaeltachta, in partnership with community organisations, to continue the development of naíonraí across the country. I will revert to the Deputy on the specific question regarding the announcement made by the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and provide f…

I will engage with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. Especially with the new Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, and in the context of trying to strengthen the language across the public services, the State's investment in childcare demonstrates it is playing a much larger role in the pre-school sector than it may have in the past. From pre-school and all the way through to primary and second levels, we must ensure language development from a continuous professio…

Foras na Gaeilge provides many funding opportunities for voluntary and other groups to access funding to partake in Irish language activities and promote the Irish language generally. These include opportunities in the areas of youth activities, summer camps, the arts, festivals and literature, Irish-language networks and community development. Supports are also available for local businesses who might wish to create an Irish-language friendly environment in their workplace by using bilingual signage, for example. …

As I referenced, there is €3.5 million for capital spending. While the predominant allocation is for current expenditure on festival events and activities, there is a capital dimension to some of the funding around the language support scheme. We welcome engagement from groups around a variety of initiatives from a current spending perspective. Obviously, the predominant allocation of capital is specifically within Gaeltacht areas but we fund certain projects outside of the Gaeltacht from a language perspective. As…

I would be happy to engage. We welcome all community groups and the effort and energy they put in from a volunteer perspective in promoting the language and developing it within their local communities. We see phenomenal effort and a huge impetus to really drive the language over the coming years. We are seeing many more opportunities now in the language with the new Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, which will see public services - the 20% target - but which will be complemented by a huge amount of communit…

Is it not just off the motorway?

Aistríodh feidhmeanna Bhord na Leabhar Gaeilge chuig Foras na Gaeilge ar an 1 Eanáir 2008. Clár na leabhar Gaeilge a tugadh feasta ar an scéim a riartar faoi scáth Fhoras na Gaeilge, scéim a chuireann tacaíocht ar fáil do scríbhneoirí, d'fhoilsitheoirí agus do phobal léitheoireachta na Gaeilge i gcoitinne. Cuireann mo Roinn maoiniú imfhálaithe ar fáil do chlár na leabhar Gaeilge gach bliain, faoina bhfeidhmítear na scéimeanna agus tionscadail seo a leanas: scéim na foilsitheoireachta; scéim na dtionscadal litríocht…

Mar a dúirt mé, tá áthas orm gur éirigh liom maoiniú breise a fháil do chlár na leabhar Gaeilge don bhliain seo chugainn mar chuid de cháinaisnéis 2023, a fógraíodh Dé Máirt. Is é seo an chéad ardú ar bhuiséad an chláir le seacht mbliana anuas. Is aitheantas é sin ar na dúshláin atá roimh fhoilsitheoireacht na Gaeilge. Chuir mo Roinn maoiniú imfhálaithe ar fáil gach bliain do chlár na leabhar Gaeilge, faoina bhfeidhmítear na scéimeanna agus tionscadail seo a leanas: scéim na foilsitheoireachta, chun saothair d’ardc…

Mar aitheantas ar na dúshláin sin, d'fhógair mé ardú ar bhuiséad bhonnlíne clár na leabhar Gaeilge don bhliain 2023, mar a dúirt mé. Is é seo an chéad ardú ar an mbuiséad le seacht mbliana anuas agus nuair a chuirtear é sin in éineacht leis an maoiniú aon-uaire de €300,000 a cheadaigh muid i mbliana, fágann sé go bhfuil os cionn €500,000 breise curtha ar fáil ag mo Roinn do chlár na leabhar Gaeilge. Tá mé dóchasach go mbeidh tuilleadh airgid aon-uaire ar fáil roimh dheireadh na bliana seo chun infheistíocht shuntas…

A fundamental aim of the national sports policy is to increase the level of participation across the population, with a specific focus on less represented groups, including women and girls. In May 2022, my Department held a youth stakeholder forum on sport at which we gathered young people together to identify the barriers keeping them from sport and to gain insight into how those barriers could be addressed. A report on that forum has been drafted and will help inform and direct the measures my Department takes to…

In addition to that, we are developing a new national physical activity plan with the Department of Health, and I chaired a recent meeting of the sports leadership group. I have got a lot of input from the Federation of Irish Sport and some of the governing bodies, so we have a new and evidence-based physical activity plan. I think that will complement the promotional campaigns Sport Ireland is running not only to try to activate that cohort of our population that is more likely to stop activity in sport but also t…

The Deputy is correct, in that some schools have embraced this and are open until 9 o'clock or 10 o'clock at night. There is a huge amount of PE and other activity during the day in those schools, and they open their doors for sporting organisations to use their facilities in the evening. Other schools do not have the facilities and are closed when the school day finishes. The Department of Education is on our sports leadership group. We are trying to encourage that Department to communicate to schools that we real…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together. The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, co-chair the hospitality and tourism forum. In the context of their respective roles, the focus of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is on the development of tourist traffic within or to the State and the development and marketing of tourist facilities and services in the State. The wider hospitality sector is a key enterpri…

I share the Deputy's frustration with regard to the ESB and agree there should be better co-ordination to support businesses in towns and villages when particular maintenance has to be done. It is unfortunate that a day's business has been lost. There should be better engagement on such matters. On the Deputy's wider points, I will raise the issue of the cost of card payments with the Minister for Finance. On the reduced VAT rate, as the Deputy knows, in line with the recommendation in the tourism recovery plan a r…

We absolutely acknowledge the importance of the tourism and hospitality sector for employment in the regions and that is why in budget 2022 the Government allocated €67 million in additional funding for tourism, which brought the overall budget to €288 million. A total of €50 million was provided for tourism business continuity. Many schemes were operated through Fáilte Ireland, including the €8 million restart grant plus scheme. The tourism recovery plan increased tourism marketing from €46 million to €81 million.…