I thank Deputy Gibney and the Social Democrats for tabling this motion and I apologise for not being here at the outset of the debate. Based on the debate in the House today and the debate on the Sinn Féin Private Member's motion last night, as well as from the discussions we have on a regular basis in this House, it is very clear that this House and the people of Ireland have significant concerns about Israeli actio…
TDs / Charlie McConalogue
Charlie McConalogue
Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
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Plus 263 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Donegal 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media 29 January 2025 to 1 June 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport 2 June 2025 to now
I move amendment No. 2:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes:
— that the Irish people are deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and Gulf region, particularly the situation in Palestine, and that the Government is committed to working with key partners to end the conflict;
— that Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law, and th…
The FAI has stated that it intends to fulfil both fixtures against Israel in accordance with its obligations as a member of UEFA and the Government acknowledges the FAI’s independence and autonomy in arriving at this decision and any decisions it may make in the coming days. The performance and integrity of our top athletes on the international stage have a very positive representational impact for Ireland, as Irish …
The FAI has decided to play the fixtures against Israel in accordance with their obligations as members of UEFA. While there is speculation that the FAI may request that UEFA allow the game to be moved to a neutral venue abroad, this is ultimately a decision for the FAI to make.
While the decision to fulfil the fixtures, or not, is a matter for the FAI, it is important to note that not fulfilling the games could hav…
At an operational level, I understand that the FAI is continuing to engage with An Garda Síochána to ensure appropriate preparation for and policing of the home leg of the fixture. The FAI is also engaging with the Norwegian Football Association which hosted a match against Israel in November last year to see if any learnings from its experience can be applied to preparations for the upcoming game in Ireland. Norway …
In addition, the FAI has engaged with the Israeli Football Association, which has confirmed that it does not expect a significant number of Israeli fans to travel to Ireland for the fixture. In accordance with UEFA rules, home legs of fixtures cannot be played in another jurisdiction unless concerns are raised about the capacity for the fixture to be held securely and safely. In this instance, An Garda Síochána has c…
No such international consensus exists in relation to Israel.
The decision made by RTE in December 2025, to neither participate in nor broadcast the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest due to Israel’s ongoing participation has been referred to in debates. This was an independent decision taken by the State broadcaster, which is legally and editorially independent of Government.
Sport Ireland, which is funded by the Depart…
The funding delivered via Sport Ireland to NGBs is not tied to the operational or administrative models used by NGBs, nationally or locally. All NGBs are independent, autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own governance and decision making, including regarding the organisation of and participation in, international sporting competitions. As Minister of State with responsibility for sport, I have no role in …
-----or in their day-to-day operational functions and nor, indeed, does the Oireachtas or Government. It would not be appropriate for me to intervene-----
I thank the Cathaoirleach.
The FAI is completely within its rights to fulfil its international fixtures, and the Government acknowledges its right to do so. For these reasons, the Government proposes to amend the wording of this motion, as submitted to the House.
I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for raising this very important issue. I recognise his strong work on it and on developing a national AI workplace transition programme and leading out on it in the context of meeting with employers, unions and the relevant Ministers. The Deputy's work within the political system has been pioneering in relation to this matter. It is appropriate that we are discussing it here in the Dáil this …
I acknowledge the relevance of the proposal and policy approach the Deputy has put forward. The Government has to focus on seeing how we can ensure workers are retained within companies. That is absolutely the Deputy's focus. The Government obviously takes the need to retrain and reskill people seriously. I have already outlined on behalf of the Minister for further and higher education the different steps being take…
I thank Deputy O'Gorman for raising this issue. I join with him in recognising the distress the tenants are experiencing as a result of this very traumatic event, and also recognise his advocacy on their behalf, as well as the very stressful situation they remain in as a result of no longer being in their apartments. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for housing and the Department of housing. The Deputy rais…
I assure Deputy O'Gorman that I will immediately relay this back to the Minister for housing and his Department and ask them to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the really important questions he has posed. I understand the real stress that affected residents are experiencing, where they are not clear on what the situation is or the obligations for support to them when the provision of hotel accommodation…
I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this matter. I have been asked to respond to him on behalf of the Minister for Transport on the issues he has raised here.
Storm Chandra, as the Deputy outlined, brought severe winds, prolonged heavy rain and extensive flooding across multiple regions of the country. It caused significant disruption to our regional and local roads and communities, with the intense rainfall leading …
I understand the challenging situation in which everyone in the Deputy's county finds themselves and, indeed, the challenge that presents for its Deputies as public representatives as well to seek to address and have this remedied. The reply that I have given on behalf of the Department of Transport and the Minister outlines the funding that was provided this year, namely, €23 million to Wexford County Council and €1…
I move:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— the conflict in the Middle East has, once again, exposed the vulnerability of the Irish economy, and Irish society more generally, to imported fossil fuels;
— these strategic dependencies have major macroeconomic implications, the risks to macroeconomic and fiscal stability cannot be ignored;
— at a minimum, the large u…
I thank all Deputies for their contributions today. This has been a thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion, and it also reflects the shared understanding across the House that the pace of change we are experiencing is both significant and accelerating.
Ireland has transformed profoundly over recent decades. We have built a strong, dynamic and outward-looking economy, supported by a workforce that is skilled, adaptab…
I thank Deputies Ahern, Lahart and Crowe, and Deputy Murphy as well, for bringing this matter to the Chamber and raising it with me. The Deputies will already be aware of the statutory structure of An Post. It is an independent commercial State body and makes its decisions in this regard. These decisions are operational in nature. I know Deputies are aware of that. As they have outlined, it is an important issue in t…
The most important engagement here will be between An Post and its staff in relation to the proposal and the management of that, and taking on board any concerns that are there. It is important that that continues and is detailed and respectful of everyone. The Deputies, as public representatives, are raising how this issue will impact on the wider public and the importance of staff engagement. I will request that a …
Ireland's first ever national swimming strategy was published in 2024 and sets out a vision to provide everyone in our country with an opportunity to swim. It includes an action plan containing over 50 actions across five thematic strands, focusing on providing improved facilities, increasing access for people with disabilities, improving the culture of inclusion, better coaching supports, increasing safety awareness…
From a Government point of view, this is something that we want to see addressed and the provision of swimming opportunities and facilities improved. That is why we paid for the Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report, which Swim Ireland commissioned. We are considering the full findings of that report. From a Government point of view, there has been investment through the LSSIF in swimming facilities. We have seen a total…
It is something we want to do more on. Swimming is the second most participated sport in the country. It is wonderful in that it can be from a very young age throughout one's life. There are challenges. The gap analysis report has addressed those. Funding streams continue to be available and will be available this summer. In relation to how we consider the challenges to try to make sure that the opportunity is availa…
I thank Deputy Boland for her question. I know she is very committed to the development of a swimming pool in Balbriggan. Further to a specific action in the 2024 national swimming strategy and enabled with funding from my own Department, Swim Ireland was commissioned to carry out an in-depth analysis of swimming pool provision across the country. This examined the condition and age of facilities and the provincial a…