I thank the Deputy. Sport Ireland, on behalf of the Government, is engaging with all sporting organisations on our priority to maximise female participation and support our female athletes at high-performance and grassroots levels. On the sports capital programme, the Minister and I have directly prioritised clubs that are promoting female participation at grassroots level. That is central and new in this sports capital round. With regard to women in sport funding, we have announced increases for the sporting organ…

The Ulster-Scots Agency is an agency of the North/South Language Body, one of six North-South implementation bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement. The work of the agency is funded jointly by the Northern Ireland Executive, through the Department of Communities, and the Government of Ireland, through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and the Media. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Communities is under the remit of his Sinn Féin colleague, Ms Deirdre Hargey MLA. Th…

As per my previous response to a parliamentary question, the Ulster-Scots Agency informed my Department that it awarded the sum of £2,359 to a two-day festival of the Ulster-Scots language, heritage and culture, in accordance with the mandate of the Ulster-Scots Agency, which relates to the promotion of greater awareness and use of Ullans and of Ulster-Scots cultural issues, both within Northern Ireland and throughout the island. The programme included a variety of activities which provided opportunities for people…

I thank the Deputy for his question. I want to be clear that funding was neither sought nor allocated by the Ulster-Scots Agency for the living history component the Deputy has mentioned. It is important that we are factual about this matter. I hope the Deputy is not undermining agencies of the Good Friday Agreement in what he is trying to do here. It is also important to note that the Deputy's Sinn Féin colleague in the North, the Minister for Communities, Deirdre Hargey MLA, provides 75% of the funding for this a…

The Department sought to find out exactly where the funding from the Ulster-Scots Agency went. I have set that out and it is important we are factual about what it did or did not fund. I have been informed that the particular component of the event to which the Deputy has referred was funded by the organisers themselves and not by the Ulster-Scots Agency. That is the factual position. We sought answers on that to get a breakdown of what the agency did or did not fund. To me, partition was devastating for this count…

I thank Deputy Hourigan for her question. Equality in sport is a key priority for both me and the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. Our overall vision for women in sport is one where women have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential while enjoying lifelong involvement. Government support for inter-county female Gaelic games players, which is distributed through Sport Ireland, is an indicator of the recognition at national level of the contribution of the athletes to their sport and their commitment t…

I thank Deputy Hourigan. In many nurseries and clubs across the country, the increase in female participation has been so positive. We are seeing this across so many sports but, as the Deputy said, there is attrition, particularly in the teenage years. That creates the participation gap. Sport Ireland has an Irish sports monitor that produces quarterly reports and examines the gender gap. A priority of mine and of the Minister is to abolish the gender gap when it comes to participation and to track the attrition, p…

I am not going to speak on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. I am sure there are many GAA clubs that she supports. My club, St. Brigid's, was beaten by Cuala, which was subsequently beaten by Kilmacud Crokes, if I am not mistaken. We are all looking forward to the hurling final. Castleknock GAA club, in my constituency, is in the Senior B championship and is hoping to get promoted to the Senior A championship. I hope to be at that match. We wish all the players of Na Fianna and Kilmacud Crokes well. …

Tá na pleananna teanga d'Oileáin Árann agus do Ghaeltacht an Láir á meas ag mo Roinn faoi láthair. Bhí deis agam le gairid plean teanga Oileáin Árann a phlé le hionadaithe na n-oileán sin. Is i dtreo plean teanga Oileáin Árann agus plean teanga Ghaeltacht an Láir a bheith faofa gan rómhoill eile atá mé féin agus mo Roinn ag obair. Ach an próiseas meastóireachta a bheith curtha i gcrích ag mo Roinn, beidh an dá phlean sin ar an 25ú agus 26ú plean teanga do na limistéir phleanála teanga le bheith ceadaithe. As an 24 …

Mar a luaigh mé, tá na pleananna don dá limistéar pleanála teanga faoi leith, Oileáin Árann agus Gaeltacht an Láir, á mbreithniú ag mo Roinn faoi láthair. Bhí deis agam le gairid plean teanga Oileáin Árann a phlé le hionadaithe na n-oileán nuair a bhí mé sna Forbacha cúpla seachtain ó shin. Bhí cruinniú maith agam leis an ngrúpa sin. Tá an próiseas seo ar siúl anois. Beidh an grúpa sin ag dul ar ais go dtí Oileáin Árann chun na ceiste agus an chiste seo a phlé. Tá na hoifigigh i dteagmháil leo. Nuair atá siad ar ai…

Mar a dúirt mé, beidh siad críochnaithe. Bhí cruinniú maith againn leis an ngrúpa seo agus beidh muid ar ais. Tá na hoifigigh sna Forbacha i dteagmháil leis an ngrúpa seo chun an plean seo a aontú. Tá sé an-tábhachtach go mbeadh an plean seo aontaithe agus go mbeidh muid in ann é a chur i bhfeidhm sna hOileáin Árann, mar shampla. Tá na hoifigigh i dteagmháil leo agus tá súil agam go mbeidh muid in ann é a chríochnú chomh luath agus is féidir.

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl as ucht na deise labhairt sa Seanad tráthnóna ar ábhar fíorthábhachtach, Bille na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2019. Tá sé tráthúil go bhfuil an Bille teanga á phlé againn inniu. Mar a tharlaíonn sé, ar an dáta seo níos mó ná 140 bliain ó shin, 10 Samhain 1879, rugadh an laoch mór le rá, Pádraig Mac Piarais. Mar is eol do na Comhaltaí, tá clú agus cáil ar an bPiarsach mar fhear a raibh dúil mhór i gcónaí aige i gcur chun cinn na Gaeilge, mar fhile, mar scríbhneoir, mar mhú…

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na Seanadóirí a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht seo. D'ardaigh an Seanadóir Clifford-Lee ceist na reachtaíochta teanga sa Tuaisceart. Is féidir liom a dheimhniú gur mian le mo chomhghleacaí, an tAire, an Teachta Coveney, tacú le gach deis gur féidir chun an cheist seo a bhrú chun ceann scríbe. Leanfar leis an obair seo sna míonna amach romhainn. D'iarr an Seanadóir Kyne an mbeidh suíochán don Aire Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe ag an gcoiste comhairleach. Níl gá leis …

We need to deal with these interruptions.

They are coming from one direction, with respect.

No.

I thank Senator Higgins for tabling her amendment. I also thank Senators Craughwell and Ward for their comments. An extensive debate took place on Committee Stage on a similar amendment and the Minister for Defence has given careful consideration to this matter. The Senator is concerned about the definition of "international force" in section 2 of the Bill. It is important to clarify that the purpose of section 2 is to provide for the delegation of a level of operational control to the force commander. The legislat…

I thank Senator Higgins and others for their comments. In regard to amendment No. 2 and some of the other amendments, I know these were discussed on Committee Stage. I am concerned that if this amendment No. 2 was accepted it would result in a fundamental change to what is a long-standing and settled policy in regard to the despatch of military contingents for overseas service. It might be useful to set out briefly the quite strict limitations in law on the roles and functions for which the Defence Forces can be de…

I thank the Senator again for her points. As I set out previously, there are quite strict limitations in law covering the roles and functions in respect of which members of the Defence Forces can be deployed overseas beyond being part of an international UN force under the 1960 Act. I set out the roles covered in section 3 of the 2006 Act. Amendments 3, 4 and 5 are alternatives and are concerned with the provisions in the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006 for the secondment of members of the Permanent Defence Force to a…

I thank Senator Higgins for her remarks. It is important to note that section 2 of the Bill simply provides for the current de facto position and will ensure the continued efficient and effective operation of the mission to which the contingent is being deployed. It allows the force commander to direct the activities of the Irish contingent, within certain limitations prescribed by the Minister, to undertake the mandated tasks required for the effective operation of that force. The Bill does not extend in any way t…