I move: That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Employment Equality Act 1998 (Section 12) (Reservation of Vocational Training Places) Order 2022, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 26th October, 2022, be referred to the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, in accordance with Standing Order 95(5), which, not later than 29th March, 2023, shall send a message to the Dáil in the manner prescribed …

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and apologise for the absence of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Foley. The Deputy's question gives me the opportunity to outline to the House the position of the Department with regard to the primary school situation in Carrick-on-Shannon, in particular the existing St. Mary’s Primary School, about which the Deputy spoke so eloquently. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school pla…

I again thank the Deputy for his comments. The Department is currently considering the long-term capacity requirements in Carrick-on-Shannon, taking into account existing demographic requirements as well as current and future residential developments in the area. It is important that school building projects take appropriate account of the longer-term needs of an area, as well as ensuring that the immediate school place requirements can be facilitated. Officials will continue to engage with the relevant patrons in …

I apologise. I was not anticipating the swap. I thought I was No. 4. I thank the Deputy for bearing with me. I know the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has already given an initial reply. As the Deputy knows, the sports capital and equipment programme is the main vehicle for the development of sports and recreation facilities. More than €1.15 billion has been spent on that since the programme opened. As the Deputy said, there were a record number of applications the last time. More than 3,000 applications were m…

We will be in a position to do that in due course. I came into the Department just before Christmas. The review was under way. We provided some input into it and the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has done the same. It will mean that the sports capital programme will be better. There was no specific allocation when we opened the programme the last time. The decision was made during the programme. Every club or pretty much all of those that qualified received funding as part of that programme. It is our ambition…

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I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 109 together. Addressing the participation of women and girls in sport and physical activity is an important element of national sports policy and is a core priority for me and the Minister. Along with Sport Ireland, we will continue to promote and encourage greater participation in sport by women and girls. The Government has provided a current budget allocation of €89.7 million for Sport Ireland for 2023 that will enable the agency to continue to support the sport sector th…

The Deputy raised the issue of Anaïs O'Donovan previously and I know that Sport Ireland is aware of her situation. I certainly will get back in contact with the agency on that case. It takes responsibility for managing that funding. Just to be clear, I do not think there is any discrimination there in terms of gender but it is related to the particular sport in which I understand she is world class. We wish her every success in that and we will certainly be back in touch with Sport Ireland about that. The research …

I know.

It is welcome that more people are not just participating in women's sport, but also supporting it, which is important. I saw that myself in Páirc Tailteann recently when there was a men's match and a women's match one after the other, with similar crowds. That would not have been the case previously. I have a personal commitment to this through my family. I know someone who started at the highest levels of Gaelic football 30 years ago. There is a world of difference now in terms of women's participation in sport a…

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing support and representations on the football centre of excellence for Munster in Glanmire. The work he has done as a councillor and in the Dáil has been important to the project. The large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF, was launched in 2018 to provide Exchequer support for larger sports facility projects, with at least €100 million made available over the period to 2027. The FAI, with the support of Cork County Council, of which the Deputy is a former member, submitted an …

I would be more than happy to attend any meeting on this matter. The Government has allocated more than €2 million to this project, and that money is still there. I understand the issues the Deputy has raised and his commitment to the project. This weekend, I will be attending the President's Cup match in ladies soccer. I am sure I will bump into officials from the FAI at that. I am looking forward to the match. It is the first ever cup winner's cup in ladies soccer in the League of Ireland. I will raise this speci…

I do not have to hand the figures on the percentage of the fund that has been drawn down, but I can think of one project in my constituency where part of it is almost complete. Regarding phase 1, the original cost estimate was €3,858,473 and the Government awarded €2,025,699, so by any standard, the Government grant was a significant allocation towards the original cost estimates. I acknowledge that it is highly likely that costs have increased since then, but that grant is still available. The Deputy might contact…

As part of budget 2023, a funding package of €35 million was made available to help alleviate the impact of increased energy costs for sports clubs and organisations, with a view to ensuring that everybody could continue to enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity over the winter months. In doing so, the Government acknowledged that increased energy costs are a major concern for sporting organisations and sporting facilities, particularly during the winter months when there is increased demand for indoor f…

I thank the Deputy. I agree with him about volunteer numbers and participation rates. We are concerned about volunteer participation. The Government cannot mandate people to volunteer or make a law to make people volunteer but we can create the environment to ensure volunteers and clubs are supported in the best possible way. That can happen through the sports capital programme and through the types of energy supports made available as a crisis alleviation measure late last year when energy prices spiked and we ack…

I am very glad Deputy O'Connor has added his voice to the pressure that is now on energy companies to reduce their prices. Energy prices went up in an understandable way because of the Russian war on Ukraine. The Government has responded to this through supports for sports organisations and for households. People should not forget that we have also introduced windfall measures through the European Union. That will take back some of the extraordinary profits being made by energy companies and producers and give them…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 79, 84, 86, 91 and 94 together. I thank all Deputies who have raised this issue, and I know Sinn Féin tabled a question on this earlier. On the previous question, a Sinn Féin Deputy was looking for the scheme to be abolished, although, in fairness, he had other proposals so I am not going to entirely disrespect that. Nonetheless, we are not going to abolish it or change it. It is a great scheme. It gives funding to clubs that use it within communities, which is very important. The r…

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. The Deputy has raised the issue of support measures for businesses and individuals dependent on seasonal tourism that may be adversely affected by the reduction in capacity this season due to hotels and other tourism accommodation being used to house international asylum seekers and Ukrainian people fleeing war. I am familiar with every part of the Deputy's constituency and know full we…

Again, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The work that has been done by the State and the people in welcoming refugees, particularly from Ukraine, over the past year has given a tremendous reputational boost to this country and that will have impacts across the economy and society to the benefit of everyone. We have done the right thing and we will benefit from that, apart from giving benefit to those most in need at this particular time. The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media …

Tá áthas orm an deis seo a bheith agam chun tacaíocht a thabhairt don Aire Oideachais, an Teachta Ní Fhoghlú, ar na hábhair thábhachtacha seo maidir le soláthar múinteoirí agus áiteanna i scoileanna dara leibhéal. In addition to these measures, the Department will continue to plan for the longer-term provision of teachers to meet demand. A new programme to upskill teachers in Irish is expected to commence next term and the Department is actively considering the introduction of additional upskilling programmes in ta…