I cannot say that we will do as Deputy Lahart suggests but we will certainly examine the matter. I am willing to look at individual projects with the Deputy. This is a general issue, which is causing a huge problem. The reality is that we gave out the most money we ever gave out, by some multiples, in the latest round. Clubs have done extremely well comparatively from that. We want to ensure the facilities are delivered. The truth is that the drawdowns of funding are along the same lines as before. Clubs are drawin…

Táim an-sásta a bheith anseo inniu chun plé a dhéanamh ar an ábhar ríthábhachtach seo. I condemn any form of abuse in sport, including online abuse, racism, discrimination or inappropriate behaviour towards anyone involved in sport. Referees, officials and players are an integral part of our sporting structure and deserve to be respected for the important role they play in sport. Abuse of officials or players is wrong and should not be tolerated. Everybody involved in sport deserves to be treated with respect and s…

It will be ready in a couple of months.

Yes. That is the next stage.

The audit will be focused on this summer.

I thank Senators for all their contributions. I certainly will consider some of the suggestions carefully. I thank Senator Maria Byrne for mentioning Ms Joy Neville and note Ms Maggie Farrelly in the GAA is in a similar position. She appeared on television the other night. I spoke to her at the start of the week about some of the issues she and her colleagues have faced. It is important that we listen to referees and I will be doing that as part of this process. My two sons play in the north Dublin schoolboys leagu…

Those in Sinn Féin do not want to know anything.

I am happy to speak on this issue. It is almost 18 years to the day since the then Fianna Fáil Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, established the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, programme. Disadvantage occurs throughout our communities and schools but I believe education is the great leveller, and we must do all that we can in order to support all students and young people accessing education in its fullest sense. In this respect, the Department provides a wide range of supports …

I will take the points the Senator raised back to the Minister. I do not doubt the genuineness of her contributions, but nor do I doubt the genuineness of politicians around the country seeking DEIS status for schools in their area. In my constituency, two schools in the same village were added to the DEIS programme last year. It is extremely obvious from the Pobal maps that this is a disadvantaged area. The colour of the map leaves no doubt that the status is required. Those children are entitled, as is every chil…

Deputy Mary Butler got it done.

I thank Senator Warfield for raising the matter of the Creative Europe programme and for highlighting this important EU funding stream which is available to the Irish creative and cultural sectors. The Minister, Deputy Martin gives her apologies. She was not available to come at short notice. Creative Europe is the European Union's funding programme to support the culture and audiovisual sectors. The second Creative Europe programme for the period 2021 to 2027 was launched in May 2021 with a budget of € 2.44 billio…

I am not disappointed; I am actually delighted. This is the first time in the Oireachtas I have ever heard positive words about the EU from Sinn Féin. I am really glad to hear that and I mean it. The money the Senator is talking about is from the EU budget. At the time the EU budget was agreed in July 2020, there was significant criticism from Sinn Féin about increased contributions for defence and all these other things they talk about. This is real, practical support. The Senator asked me to engage with The Wheel…

----to fund these and to get money from the European Union. That is a really strong priority of this Government and we are supporting them to do that. That funding is highly significant.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as an ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú. Ba mhaith liom a dheimhniú leis an Teach go dtuigim go rímhaith an tábhacht a bhaineann le breis maoinithe agus tacaíochta a chur ar fáil don spórt agus do na heagraíochtaí spóirt a thugann deis do dhaoine páirt a ghlacadh ag an leibhéal neamhphroifisiúnta, ina measc daoine atá faoi mhíchumas. Tá méadú ar an leibhéal rannpháirtíochta mar chroílár ár bpolasaí náisiúnta spóirt, agus é mar chuspóir againn go mbeidh 60% de dhaoine fásta na tíre ag g…

Paralympics is important for us. It is an important target for the country, as well as the Olympics. Indeed, a number of sporting organisations that I have met recently have been talking about Paralympics. I attended a qualifications process for the Olympics and the Paralympics together in a particular sport as well. I can see a lot of work happening. Where there are gaps, I certainly want to be of help. Of course, I am more than happy to engage - I have done so informally - with Paralympics Ireland and its sister …

I thank Deputy Dillon for raising this issue. He is dead right to do so. I agree with enabling pupils with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs. This is an ongoing priority for the Government. Another priority for the Government is to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to cater for the needs of children with special educational needs. This year, the Department will spend in excess of €2.6 billion, o…

The Deputy is absolutely correct to raise these issues. Every child has a constitutional right to primary education and to the right to education in a public setting. The Department is working very hard to make sure that is the case. The Deputy is absolutely right to raise these issues. I will certainly bring them back directly to the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, who could not be here this morning, and the Minister. There are huge resources being provided. There is a change in how these things are forecast, b…

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na Seanadóirí. I thank the Senators for raising this matter. As they have outlined, the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreational facilities and the also very important purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. More than 13,000 projects have benefited from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to in excess of €1.…

I thank the Senators. The Taoiseach said in the Dáil last week that this is among the best money the Government can spend through all its range of functions. I agree with him on that and I am certain the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is also in agreement. I am confident that when our engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform is completed, we will be ready, in accordance with the programme for Government, to open up the next round of sports capital funding. It is…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir. For school planning purposes, the Department of Education divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a geographical information system to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including child benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity, is used for this purpose. Additionally, population and housing targets inform the Department's projections of school place requirements. Projections of…