The programme for Government acknowledges that local and national independent broadcasters perform a vital public service and that this should be supported. Radio Kerry is probably one of the stations that will be tuning in this morning. This is being achieved through a range of media schemes for which local, regional, independent and community radio stations and broadcasters are eligible to apply. A total of €6 million was provided in budget 2025 to ensure the continuation of the local democracy and courts reporti…

Of course, the Chair is no stranger to Live 95 in Limerick. I often come on that radio station on his coat-tails. Deputy O'Donoghue is right about the importance of local commercial radio. It has given a voice to people across the country who would not otherwise have one. Let us be fair about it: until the advent of local commercial radio stations, the only voices heard on the radio in Ireland were Dublin ones. If a regional voice was heard on the radio, it was ordinarily because of bad news, such as something clos…

In the programme for Government, the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence was identified as an event that could be marked appropriately. This acknowledges Ireland’s unique connection to the story. The anniversary will be led on two levels. On the international front, the commemorative programme will be led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. My Department has been given the responsibility to lead on the programme of national events for America250. Given the contribution of people from…

I do not disagree with Deputy Timmins. He will be aware that in the case of the vast majority of those United States presidents prior to 1900 who had ancestors from the island of Ireland, their ancestors came from County Antrim, so there is a North-South dimension to this as well. The Department deals with that. I have had discussions with the Minister, Gordon Lyons. It will also include the Department of the Taoiseach through the shared island initiative. I am preparing to bring forward a memorandum on this shortl…

The Deputy's summing-up properly reflects his sentiments and what he is trying to achieve. My Department and I will work with him over the coming months in advance of bringing forward a memorandum to the Government to see how his views can be best represented in that.

The issue of repatriation and restitution is an important one, especially in the current global context. While my Department is not engaged directly with institutions in other countries regarding the restitution and repatriation of cultural heritage, it is represented on the advisory committee on the restitution and repatriation of cultural heritage. This committee was established to advise the Government on issues relating to the restitution of historically and culturally sensitive objects in Ireland. The advisory…

That is a two-way street, because there may very well be items in Irish institutions, which is something that is also of concern to me, that predate the foundation of the State or may have found their way into State collections by way of benefactors. We have to be conscious of that as well. In my time, for instance, as Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, I was very keen to make sure that any of the public buildings under the State's care and managed by the Office of Public Works di…

In an Irish context, universities are independent entities. As a former Minister for further and higher education, I know they really take pride in their independence. I would encourage them to exercise their independence proportionately and to reflect on what they have in their archives and on display. Universities, including Irish ones, should ask themselves whether the items they have on display are in keeping with the process of repatriation. Ultimately, that will be a matter for the governing authorities of un…

The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post and post office network as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout Ireland. The programme for Government states that the Government will continue to provide the nationwide network of post offices with funding to ensure their sustainability and enhance the value they bring to local communities. The Department is working to deliver on this and is engaging with relevant stakeholders in relation to future funding, including for securing o…

The issue the Deputy raised regarding urban post offices and mail delivery is not a purely urban phenomenon. Unfortunately, we have interruptions in rural services as well. The Deputy might send me the details. While I do not have any role with An Post, I will certainly forward the details to the company. While the Deputy is not suggesting this, as I said in response to a previous question, An Post does not operate on the basis of sentiment. An awful lot of people are bemoaning the fact that post offices are closin…

If the Deputy sends me those details, I will arrange to do that. One thing I have a concern about, which I have previously raised, is that there is an obvious rush and everyone wants to see this rush around digitisation of public services, and that is a good thing. However, every time we take a letter out of the hands of An Post, there is a gap in where the company has to find that money. Over the past number of years, we have taken millions of letters out of the hands of An Post through various digitisation scheme…

The Government is committed under the programme for Government to enhancing supports for the increased use of the Irish language. The provision of content by the independent production sector has been a key element of public service broadcasting in Ireland for many years. In particular TG4, as a publisher broadcaster, commissions the vast majority of its content from the independent sector and, as such, plays a significant role in supporting and nurturing the sector, especially the Irish language creative sector. G…

Tá an ceart ag an Teachta. Beidh an Bille a raibh mé ag caint faoi os comhair na Dála go luath. Coimisiún na Meán has a very important role in this in terms of making sure that ultimately the policy objectives of the Government are going to be adhered to. I have enunciated the responsibilities it has with regard to grant assistance and things like that. We have a very ambitious plan around the Irish language, I think that is fair to say in general terms. The funding to TG4 has almost doubled. It is not just TG4, ho…

I have met the streamers on a number of occasions now in the United States and online with regard to making sure the infrastructure is appropriate and adequate here in Ireland for production of television, trí mheán an Bhéarla agus na Gaeilge. As the Deputy rightly said, there has been a major uplift in the number of Irish-language productions in the last number of years and we want to continue that. We have a physical infrastructure now in terms of the stages, including in my own and the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's …

I welcome and support the publication of the new National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. The Department’s obligations, and those of bodies under its aegis, are contained under pillar 3 of the new strategy and include implementing Sport Ireland’s disability inclusion in sport statement and commitment to action, encouraging the production of accessible audiovisual content, embedding universal design and accessibility, addressing barriers, providing for an increased and richer participation of di…

While I might not be able to give the Deputy an answer with regard to trains, I certainly hope my colleague the Minister for Transport will. Generally with regard to venue accessibility, the Deputy makes a very good point. As somebody who has photosensitivity myself and is precluded from going into a lot of different places because of lighting schemes and the like, I know unfortunately what it is like to have a disability that precludes me from doing things that some people take for granted and just get on with. It…

I certainly will. The point was raised earlier and we had a good discussion on the basic income for the arts. The Deputy will be as familiar with this as I am but one of the groups of people who are particularly hardest hit are disabled artists. We want to make sure that any replacement we bring to the scheme, which is currently on a pilot basis, does take into account - if we get the resources from the budget next week - the severe impediments and severe hurdles that people with disabilities have on top of being a…

In July 2025, the first strategy action plan for creative arts and health was published as a joint policy document by the Department and the Department of Health. This is a key milestone in a policy partnership that began in 2020 in response to Covid. The plan aims to create a framework that can address the intersectoral and structural issues necessary to embed arts and health in a systemic way in Ireland in order to realise the potential of participation in creative and cultural activity as a positive health behav…

I could not agree with the Deputy more. It is appropriate that his question has landed just as the Minister for Health has landed to the Chamber because this is an initiative that both Departments work on. The Minister and I are due to visit some nursing homes in the not too distant future to see the work that has taken place between the Department of Health and Creative Ireland. The Deputy is right. It is important that people are given a stimulus regardless of their age. Age should have no bearing on whether they…

That is nonsense. Check the record.