Charlie McConalogue
Donegal · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“There are indications that the opt-out mechanism for the text and data mining exception is not working well in practice. Evidence gathered by the Danish Presidency showed that some activity is taking place on the licensing of works for AI, but that it is uneven across member states and subsectors of the creative sector.”
“The proposal involved the development of grass pitches, an Astroturf facility, flood-lighting and dressing rooms. The Football Association of Ireland wrote to my Department in 2023 stating that it no longer intended to proceed with the LSSIF-funded centre of excellence in Glanmire.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The programme for Government commits to maintaining sports funding to get more people participating in all levels of sport, particularly targeting cohorts in society where there are lower than average participation levels.”
“This is Ireland's first national strategy for diabetes and it sets out recommendations for action in relation to type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diabetes in pregnancy and paediatric diabetes. The strategy marks a major milestone in diabetes care in Ireland and represents the development of a unified approach to its delivery.”
“It is anticipated that the final business case will be submitted shortly to my Department. In relation to the site in Glanmire, my Department has been informed that the property has now been leased to Riverstown Football Club by Cork County Council.”
“The structure of that payment, which was agreed between An Post and the postmasters, is designed to maintain and strengthen our post office network and to keep it sustainable, taking into account the number of post offices in an area, the distance to the next nearest post office and the rural nature versus the population base that it migh…”
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“One of the benefits of the investment we have seen as a result of the community sports facilities fund over the last years has been a growing level of participation. Sport Ireland's sport monitor shows that just under 50% of the adult male population now participate in sport at least once a week and among women, just 3% less than that, at 47%, participate in sport at least once a week. Significantly, in recent years we have seen the closing of the gender gap between the participation levels of men and women. This success is putting significant additional pressure on our sporting clubs and organisations in relation to the need for facilities and the quality and standard of facilities. This is all a result of that success.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 15, 16, 18, 19, 27, 33, 39, 40 and 56 together. I thank Deputies McGrath and Cleere for their questions. The programme for Government commits to continuing to support the funding of sports capital projects and assessing the distribution of funding in order to maximise participation in all sports at community and national level. My Department's Statement of Strategy 2025-2028 commits to continuing to invest in sports infrastructure through the community sports facilities fund, CSFF, and also the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. Deputies will be aware that these funds are critical to advancing the development of sporting facilities in different counties and parts of the country. This infrastructure is key to sporting participation and success and we will continue to invest in it.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of the post office network and of its importance to local communities.”
“There was very strong engagement between the Irish Postmasters Union and An Post in relation to agreeing the criteria for how the funding will be distributed. An agreement on its distribution, including the criteria around that for each of the five years, has been finalised and is now in place for postmasters. That Government commitment, under which we have increased our funding to the post office network by 50% since last year and increased certainty around the future of that funding by putting in place a five-year agreement as opposed to the three-year agreement it is replacing, has been very much welcomed by postmasters throughout the country and the Irish Postmasters Union. It reflects the commitment of everyone in the House, including the Deputy and I and, in particular, the Government, to supporting the post office network.”
“My understanding is that, since the start of the year, the funding is being paid from An Post to postmasters. If there are any particular instances where that is not the case, I will be happy to have them followed up. That is my understanding of the situation based on the briefing I have received on it. An Post is due to get €15 million, which is an increase from €10 million last year. This requires short legislation going through the Houses. Our objective is to have that completed by the summer. Once that legislation has been facilitated, we can make the €15 million payment for this year to An Post. This will cover the funding the company has already given post offices since the start of the year and the funding that is required to carry post offices through to the end of the year and, going forward, to 2030.”
“My Department is progressing the necessary legislation to place this funding on an appropriate statutory footing. I will shortly prepare a memo to bring to Government to publish the legislation which has been drafted in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. As matters stand, that funding is being provided from the start of this year by An Post to the post offices. Once the legislation is passed by this House, we will reimburse An Post and provide that funding for this year. Decisions relating to the network, including decisions relating to specific post offices, are always operational matters for the board of An Post and the management of the company.”
“In line with the programme for Government, the funding will support the stability and sustainability of the nationwide network of post offices, protecting and nurturing a commercially focused post office network. It will also support access for citizens to the key social benefits of the post office network and help citizens access services effectively and equitably. The Government also agreed the principles on which the funding model will operate, which include maintaining access to the network across urban and rural Ireland, aligning individual funding with criteria, including the degree of isolation and the sustainability of each post office, ensuring a minimum revenue threshold for post offices, and recognising offices of cultural or geographic significance, such as those on inhabited islands or in Gaeltacht areas.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for his question and his ongoing advocacy on behalf of the post office network and its importance for local communities. The post office network is a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout the country. On the back of that, 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. In that regard, on 13 January 2026, the Government approved renewed funding for the post office network for the next five years, running from 2026 to 2030, at an enhanced amount of €15 million per annum from my Department. That has increased from €10 million per annum.”
“Tools are available to local authorities, like I described, to be able to identify lands and to help to make them available, but we certainly need to make that more of a priority and for it to become more standard practice in how we step out and plan for new communities and make sure that their sporting and recreational needs are fully catered for.”
“The key thing is that we have to make the biggest impact we can with what is available, and also look to grow what is available too. There are opportunities in many communities where there could be land available through schools and local authorities to collaborate with clubs. That is a message that we are getting out as strongly as we can with regard to this new round to encourage that collaboration, but there are also challenges regarding availability of land and it not being available. We are engaging across Departments about that to see how we can do more.”
“We need to do more on this. Certainly, with the next round of the community sport facilities fund opening over the course of this summer, we want to try to do as much as we can in that short timeframe to encourage collaboration between schools, local authorities and clubs. We also have to look at how we can do more to identify land and communal grounds where municipal-type facilities can be developed. The programme for Government commits to that. My officials and I are engaging with the Department of housing to establish that. One recent example I saw was a GAA club where the local authority had required that an area the size of a football pitch be made available to the club free of charge as part of a zoning permission for a new housing estate beside that pitch.”
“Once lands are acquired for sporting purposes, applications for capital investment, including equipment, on those lands can be supported by both the CSFF and the LSSIF. In line with previous rounds of the CSFF, a review of the current funding round is being undertaken and will be finalised shortly, in advance of it opening. My Department is aiming to announce the opening of applications over the course of this summer. Regarding the LSSIF, our current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds and this process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round.”
“The programme for Government commits to supporting local authorities in the acquisition of new lands for parks and playing pitches to help to build liveable communities. While neither of my Department's sports capital funding programmes, the community sport facilities fund, CSFF, or the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF, provide for the acquisition of land, I would be supportive of local authority acquisition of lands for sport and recreation purposes. I have asked my officials to engage further with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage's officials in this regard and will liaise further with the Minister to assess steps that we can take to make real progress on this and on working with local authorities to identify and secure land.”
“I have engaged on this and will meet local authorities across Dublin in advance of the round opening, with the objective of making sure that they are being as proactive as possible. I know from visiting a number of clubs and working with the Deputy in his own area that he and other representatives working with him are trying to ensure that the local authority is prioritising this as well. There are challenges, particularly in urban areas, but those are challenges that we want to try to do our best to address. It requires everyone working together. Regarding the next upcoming round, we want to see that happen as much as possible. Also, with regard to long-term planning, there should be a joined-up policy and regulatory approach to make sure that land availability is considered in the context of supporting and growing a community.”
“I have tasked my officials with engaging in more detail with the Department of environment and the local authority structure about how we can better structure the collaboration in relation to identifying land and making sure that it is part of our wider policy analysis and sweep, to make sure that the provision of sporting infrastructure and amenity infrastructure is considered with regard to how we develop communities, particularly new communities.”
“Particularly in large urban areas such as Dublin city land can be a real challenge. That is why with the last round but particularly this upcoming round we are looking to encourage educational institutions as well as local authorities to work with clubs to make joint applications. For example, where we can get a school that has some land available, where facilities can be improved and the children can use that during the school day and a club or community can use it in the evening, we get a lot more participation return for the investment that we are making.”
“Once we finalise that review and publish the new round, we will communicate that clearly through the national governing bodies and through our sporting organisations.”
“Many clubs are relying on volunteers, and with a revised and simplified application and assessment process which my Department is implementing, it will be easier and quicker for clubs to navigate the system at all stages and allow for quicker turnaround times while also streamlining the workload for my Department. As I travel to many different parts of the country, I provide the opportunity for sports clubs to engage with me. I get their feedback on the challenges they face and how best we can make sure this next round of community sport facilities fund meets their needs as well as to give them as much information and answer as many questions as they have on how the programme and fund has worked and how they can best prepare for the next round.”
“I and my officials engage regularly with local authorities and national governing bodies and this engagement is helping to shape the criteria for the new round. New guidelines will be published in advance of the opening of the next round to ensure clubs have clarity in relation to the application round. We will also undertake a comprehensive communication round to help clubs make their applications. My aim is to have as many eligible sporting bodies as possible applying, by simplifying the application process and guide, and carrying out a wide-reaching communications campaign, including with local authorities and national governing bodies.”
“I thank the Deputy for the question. I know the sports facilities fund is something he is very committed to in relation to supporting clubs in his local area. In line with the previous rounds of the community sport facilities fund, a review of the current funding round has been undertaken and will be finalised shortly. It is anticipated that the objective of the next round will particularly target areas and sports that have been under-invested in over the years. We are working to be in a position to be ready for opening a new round next month. The Department is currently collating feedback from sporting clubs and organisations which will provide valuable input to our ongoing preparations for that next round.”
“The FAI is an independent organisation working within the footballing and governance structures internationally. UEFA has not prevented Israel from taking part in competitions such as happened in the case of Russia. The FAI is engaging with An Garda Síochána in relation to the appropriate policing arrangements for the game.”
“From a political point of view Ireland and the Irish Government has led out internationally in relation to the atrocities we have seen happen in Palestine as part of the conflict and in terms of providing leadership and trying to bring about a peaceful settlement to the conflict. We have set the agenda in many ways at European and international levels in relation to the approach and stance we took which subsequently many other countries rallied around as time went on. We continue to play our role internationally to try to ensure there is a sustainable peace settlement in Palestine. As a country, we have also led out on the development of and are assessing the legal challenges around implementing an occupied territories Bill.”
“It has taken up the matter within UEFA and is fulfilling its responsibilities in that regard and the Government supports its right to do so.”
“The Deputy made the comparison with Russia in his contribution. To tease that out, the Russian exclusion from sporting events was a decision that was made by UEFA, the sporting body. It blocked and barred Russia from participating in competitions as did FIFA. The footballing body decided to do that as well. As we well know, in the European Union at political level, we have sanctions imposed on Russia. In regard to the participation of Israel, there is no such ban by UEFA or, indeed, FIFA. The FAI brought a motion or proposal to UEFA, which was not supported by other member countries. The FAI, as is its prerogative, is working within its footballing union. It is an independent body within this country.”
“We want all parties to adhere to their commitments in full, desist from any actions inconsistent with what has been agreed and continue to negotiate in good faith to ensure full implementation.”
“The FAI has made this decision in accordance with its obligations as a member of UEFA, the governing body and confederation for football in Europe, and having consulted with An Garda Síochána and other key stakeholders. The FAI has also briefed myself and the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, on this matter, and I understand that it will be engaging with the Norwegian Football Association to learn from its hosting of a match against Israel last year. I understand that the FAI is also continuing to engage with An Garda Síochána to ensure appropriate preparation for, and policing of, the home leg of the fixture. On a wider note, I want to reiterate that the Government remains committed to working with key partners to end the conflict in Gaza and to advancing a sustainable peace plan.”
“I thank Deputy Ward for his question. National governing bodies of sport, such as the Football Association of Ireland, are independent, autonomous bodies responsible for the governance of their own sports, including the organisation of sporting fixtures, whether in domestic or international competitions. The Government has no role in deciding who plays who in international sports. The FAI is within its rights to decide to fulfil these upcoming UEFA fixtures and I note its intention to fulfil both fixtures against Israel in September and October. I support the FAI's right to make this decision and the Government will not be calling for a boycott of these games.”
“I thank the Deputy for her ongoing advocacy and for identifying the challenges and the need for swimming pool facilities, which mean that everyone can avail of sports and that we do not have long waiting lists. I look forward to continuing to work and engage with her on this with a view to identifying opportunities to invest to make sure that projects such as the one in Fingal can be moved forward.”
“In line with our national swimming strategy, we want to achieve our objective of making sure that people have the opportunity to participate in swimming regardless of where they live. We are considering how best to do that, following on from the publication of the gap analysis report.”
“I accept that. I know there is a particular challenge in the north Dublin area in relation to swimming pool availability. The gap analysis report certainly identifies that. We are considering that gap analysis report at the moment to get a sense of the scale of the challenge and to assess how those challenges can be matched by our current funding streams, including the community sports facilities fund and the large-scale sports infrastructure fund. The Government is focusing on this issue and wants to see it addressed. The capital envelope will obviously be important in determining what we can do. However, we have now for the first time identified the challenges and where they are most acute.”
“Fingal County Council made an application for grant funding in respect of the proposed new pool under the 2024 round of the Department's large-scale sports infrastructure fund. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of applications made under that round, it was not allocated funding. We continue to monitor capital availability under this round. Moving forward, we expect the large-scale sports infrastructure fund to reopen within the next couple of years. Applications to the fund must be made by a local authority or the national governing body of a sport. So far, we have seen €41 million invested in 12 swimming pool projects through the LSSIF.”
“It will form a key input to the future development of swimming pool facilities, enabling enhanced decision-making with regard to targeting investment more effectively. That is the objective. We are now assessing the report and how to take steps forward, ensuring we are making the best investment that will have the biggest impact. As things stand, the provision of swimming pools is ultimately a matter for the relevant local authorities. From what the Deputy has said before and today, I know there are plans to construct a new public swimming pool at Castlelands in Balbriggan. These plans are being progressed by Fingal County Council and the project has moved to preliminary design and planning stages.”
“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 and county-level distribution of pools. The resultant swimming pool gap analysis report was subsequently published at the end of last year and is available on Swim Ireland's website. That gap analysis report, which our Department paid for, is now being considered by Department officials.”
“We are also considering how else we may need to respond to address the challenges and the gaps across the country to make sure that swimming opportunities are available to people in all parts of the country and in every community.”
“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 available to everyone to be able to participate in sport, we are considering the Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report. We have funding streams in place, and we will proceed with those and ensure those are available.”
“We have seen a total of €41 million allocated over the latest two rounds to support pools, namely, Askeaton pool in Limerick, Dundalk Leisure Centre, Galway Regional Aquatic and Fitness Centre, Portarlington Leisure Centre swimming pool, the Samuel Beckett Civic Campus phase two, the Watershed Development, the Waterpoint Aqua Park, Wicklow swimming pool and Edenderry swimming pool, as well as a designated funding award to three swimming pools in Buncrana, Mullingar and Edenderry. Investment is being put in through the community sports facilities fund. There will be the opportunity to apply for funding this summer as well. We are further considering the gap analysis report and the response required to address the challenges raised by it.”
“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.”
“The report was carried out and commissioned by Swim Ireland on the back of the funding from the Government for that purpose. At the moment, two capital funding programmes support investment in sports infrastructure, namely the community sports facilities fund, CSFF, and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. LSSIF applications must be made by either a local authority or a national governing body of sport. The LSSIF is currently closed to applications, and no decisions have yet been made regarding the timing of the next round. Applications for the refurbishment of pools, for other swimming infrastructure works and for the purchase of non-personal swimming equipment can be made under the CSFF, the next round of which we intend to open in the near future over the summer.”
“Further to a specific action in the strategy, Swim Ireland carried out an in-depth analysis of swimming pool provision within Ireland, examining the condition and age of facilities, community accessibility, the availability of swimming lessons, energy and sustainability practices and the provincial and county-level distribution of pools. The resultant Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report was published in late 2025 and is available on Swim Ireland’s website. The report is currently being examined by my Department and will be a key input to the future development of swimming pool facilities by enabling enhanced decision-making with regard to targeting investment more effectively. The report was funded by the Department of sport.”
“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 and providing a pathway that allows for the nurturing and development of potential high performers.”
“In line with this diversity and inclusion policy, Sport Ireland conducts its Lets Get Visible campaign on an annual basis to coincide with Pride month. The campaign seeks to highlight the sporting achievements of LGBTQ+ people and acknowledge the importance of their visibility and representation in sport. I look forward to working with both Senators and everyone across the House in relation to the next national sports policy and on how, in the context of the capital funding we will be doing through the community sports facilities fund this year, we can help clubs to continue the really good work they are doing in terms of including people and giving everyone the opportunity to participate in their chosen sports in their local communities.”
“Their responsibility is to implement a range of targeted programmes which aim to enhance the well-being, education and economic prospects of participants. The programme particularly targets marginalised cohorts, including ethnic minorities and people with disabilities, and strives to promote inclusivity and equal opportunities for all in sport. In 2024, Sport Ireland published guidance regarding transgender and non-binary inclusion in sport and physical activity, fulfilling a key commitment of the committee's report. In October of last year, Sport Ireland published its Spotlight on Participation in Sport report, which showed that sports participation by members of the LGBTQ+ community has increased by 9% since 2021.”
“I thank the Senators for their contributions. I look forward to future debates on this matter. The more discussion and contributions we have around what we are doing and what we need to do more on, the better it will be in terms of what the Government and the State do to support both the sector and inclusion across it. There are a couple of other points I would draw attention to which there has been progress on. Sport Ireland has been awarded €11 million from the European Social Fund to implement a social innovation and inclusion programme. Through that, it has established its Sport4Empowerment programme, which has resulted in a phased recruitment of social innovation and sport officers, mapped through 29 local sports partnerships. Across those 29 partnerships, 24 officers have been appointed up to now.”
“This is a critical initiative that directly responds to a key theme of the 2024 report, and I know it will be welcomed by colleagues.”
“Despite recent progress, there remains an enduring participation gap between persons with either a long-term illness or a disability and those without such challenges. Both my Department and Sport Ireland are committed to reducing this participation gap. In 2025, we saw €2 million awarded to the national governing bodies and local sports partnerships as part of the dormant accounts funding via the equality, diversity and inclusion fund. The aim of this fund is to support our national governing bodies and sports partnerships in delivering projects that address barriers to participation for individuals from diverse communities regardless of their socio-economic background, gender, disability, sexual orientation or ethnicity.”
“The research demonstrated that women remain significantly under-represented in Irish sports media. The Future of Media Commission has called for the development of a diversity and inclusion strategy for sports reporting and broadcasting. In response, Coimisiún na Meán is currently in the process of developing a sports strategy in consultation with Sport Ireland. Since the publication of the committee's report, Sport Ireland launched a statement on commitment and action to disability inclusion in sport in November 2024. Increased funding was provided to sport in budget 2025, which enabled Sport Ireland to establish a dedicated disability in sport funding stream and, really importantly, appoint a disability in sport lead.”
“The overall percentage of women on the boards of national governing bodies of sport is currently 47%, representing an increase of 18% since 2020. In the case of local sports partnerships, 52% of board members are women. Alongside active participation and representation in leadership, visibility is a key pillar of Sport Ireland's women in sport policy. Despite the substantial progress made in recent years, there remains significant work to do with regard to the visibility of women's sport in the media, which is something Senator Ní Chuilinn touched on in her contribution today. The 2024 report correctly highlighted the need to remove visibility barriers to inclusion in sport. In this context, I welcome Sport Ireland’s recent publication of the first ever study of gender balance in sports media coverage.”
“This policy contains an ambitious plan to eradicate the gender participation gap over the lifetime of the policy and significant strides have been made in this regard. The 2024 Oireachtas joint committee report highlights the importance of evidence-based policymaking and research in this area. This certainly underpins the approach taken by Sport Ireland across a range of headings. The Irish sports monitor report for 2024 found that active sport participation levels among women is at 47% now, which is an increase of one percentage point since 2023 and, really importantly, that the gap between men and women is now down to a historically low level of 3%. It is not only on the field of play where there is evidence of real progress in relation to the visibility of women in sport.”
“Looking at some of the recommendations from that report, I am pleased to report that there has been good progress on a number of those, particularly in relation to embedding sport legacy benefits in the approach of major sports events, accessibility requirements in sports capital funding programmes and building a network of inclusion-focused personnel. The national sports policy sets out a vision for sport in Ireland running up to 2027. The policy is grounded in its sport for all ethos that emphasises inclusion within sport and increasing participation among under-represented cohorts. Substantial progress has been made since the policy's inception and Irish sport is undoubtedly a more diverse and inclusive place as a result.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí Harmon agus Ní Chuilinn. I thank them for coming together on a cross-party and cross-floor basis today as well. I do not think it is any accident that happened on the topic of sport because, as Senator Harmon said, sport is something that brings people together from all walks of life and, indeed, from all sides of politics as well. I also want to thank both Senators for taking the opportunity today to highlight the previous Oireachtas joint committee's report on inclusion in sport. It is important that we look back on the progress on that report, particularly as we commence preparations now towards the next ten-year national sports strategy, which will commence from 2028 onwards and which we will complete over the course of the end of this year and next year.”