Patrick O'Donovan

The Deputy has a problem with the people of Listowel but he has no problem with Gweedore.

The Deputy is a hypocrite.

The Deputy is a hypocrite.

The people of Listowel and Deputy Daly will know all about.

They will get more next year.

There is an open invite to everybody.

Because I am in favour of the people of Listowel. I will take Deputy McGuinness on as well.

Exactly. The decent people of Listowel.

I propose to takes Questions No. 6, 20, 23, 26 and 32 together. The basic income for the arts is a pilot research programme which will inform future Government policy on how best to support Ireland’s artists and creative arts workers. The primary objective of the scheme was to help artists deal with precarious incomes and prevent talent from leaving the sector for economic reasons. It is well est…

I will finish reading the reply for the record. Last week I published a cost benefit analysis showing the net fiscal cost of the BIA was just under €72 million over the three years compared to gross cost of €105 million over three years. For every €1 of public money invested in the pilot, society received €1.39 in return. The cost-benefit analysis shows that audience engagement with the arts gen…

I do not know if the Deputy was here for the Priority Questions, but as I said earlier, no decision has been made with regard to a successor. That decision and any decisions on the details of any successor scheme will only be made once there is acceptance of what I have put before the Dáil this morning, which is that the scheme should be continued. The quantum of money available will also be relev…

Sorry, what question are we on?

As outlined in my reply to an earlier question, the operation of the League of Ireland and its academies is fundamentally a matter for the Football Association of Ireland which, like all national governing bodies of sport, is an independent, autonomous body responsible for the organisation and development of its own sport. At present, no specific funding is allocated for League of Ireland academi…

As I said to Deputy Byrne a while ago, and as Deputy Ó Murchú has acknowledged, the Government has played a role in terms of the supports it has provided to the FAI. We are operating on the basis of a memorandum of understanding, MOU. A significant amount of reform has happened already. Of the 163 recommendations or conditions, 159, or 98%, are either completed or phase 1 of them is completed. The…

I have not had any engagement with LMETB. The Department or the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, who unfortunately cannot be here today, may well have had some engagement with it. I am not sure about that but I can check afterwards. I do not disagree with what the Deputy said with regard to investment. Every single person who comes in for these questions on sport has a catalogue of things he…

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…

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 wer…

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 gi…

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 Depar…

The Deputy's summing-up properly reflect 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 Go…

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 ver…

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 displa…

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 worki…

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 Pos…