Patrick O'Donovan
Limerick County · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I agree with the Deputy. If anyone who has experienced any difficulties and has contacted the Deputy, I encourage him to pass any specifics on to me. We want to try to make it work.”
“To go back to a previous question, Coimisiún na Meán is self-financed in terms of the regulation. Regulation costs money and that is why levies are imposed. People do not like that, and the previous Deputy said she did not like it. That is a separate issue, however.”
“Failure by a platform to comply can also lead to significant sanctions. However, the developing nature of digital services requires continuing vigilance. The protection of children and young people in the online world remains of the utmost importance to the Government.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an ábhair tábhachtaigh seo a chur os comhair na Dála ar maidin. Ireland's online safety framework includes the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, the EU Digital Services Act and the online safety code.”
“I do not disagree with the Deputy at all. He gave a good synopsis there as to why the investment in rural broadband is so important. I do not know whether any political party bar my own at the time actually advocated for it, but it has been transformative.”
“It is expected shortly. As I said in my reply, I will bring the report to the Government and then publish it. I do not disagree with anything the Deputy has said. Restitution cannot be a one-way street. We need to see if there is anything in Irish institutions that is connected to, funded by or associated with colonial plundering.”
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“As outlined in the programme for Government, the Government believes that culture and the arts are essential to a well-rounded society, providing opportunities for education, expression and community engagement. The programme sets out an ambitious range of measures encompassing support for professional arts practice, investment in our national cultural institutions, the promotion of the arts internationally, preservation and presentation of our national cultural heritage, as well as deepening cultural connections across the island of Ireland. It also builds on the emerging consensus in the Oireachtas for an enhanced focus on regional balance and opportunities for participation by all. It must be understood that this is a five-year programme and not intended to be delivered in one year.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an méid tacaíochta a thug sé dom maidir leis an scéim phíolótach basic income for the arts. Tá sé an-tábhachtach dom go bhfuil sé seo críochnaithe go dtí seo agus go mbeidh muid in ann an scéim a chur i bhfeidhm arís i rith an tsamhraidh. Maidir leis an scéim nua eile atá i mbuiséad 2026 a labhair an Teachta faoi, beidh mé in ann, le cúnamh Dé, teacht ar ais go dtí an Teach go luath leis an scéim seo. Má tá deis ag an Teachta cabhair a thabhairt dom chun an scéim seo a bhaint amach leis na heagraíochtaí éagsúla, ní hamháin i mBaile Átha Cliath ach timpeall na tíre freisin, b’fhéidir go bhféadfadh sé ríomhphoist a sheoladh chugam chun a chuid smaointí a phlé. Fáiltím roimhe sin mar cabhróidh sé leis an méid oibre atá le déanamh agam agus atá á déanamh agam faoi láthair.”
“Beidh mé ag caint go soiléir leis na comhairlí cathracha agus comhairlí contae agus freisin leis na húdaráis bheaga atá ag obair i gcúrsaí ealaíona timpeall na tíre.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Bhí cruinniú agam um thráthnóna leis na hoifigigh sa Roinn maidir leis an scéim de €3 mhilliún atá curtha ar fáil do Chomhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath. Space to create an t-ainm atá ar an scéim. Tá sé an-tábhachtach dom go mbeadh an t-airgead seo á chur ar fáil don chomhairle cathrach go luath agus go mbeidh an chomhairle ag teacht go dtí an Roinn le plean chun úsáid a bhaint as an méid airgid sin. Tá súil agam go mbeidh mé in ann teacht ar ais go dtí an Teach go luath chun cuntas a thabhairt ar an €3 mhilliún sin. Maidir leis an €6 mhilliún atá fógartha agam i mbuiséad 2026, tá súil agam go mbeidh mé in ann scéim cosúil leis an sports capital a tharraingt amach.”
“Faoin scéim seo, tugtar cuireadh d'údaráis áitiúla, lasmuigh de Chomhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath, tionscadail a mholadh a chuirfidh ar a gcumas spásanna oibre d'ealaíontóirí a sholáthar. Tá maoiniú suas le €300,000 ar fáil do cheantair údarás áitiúil a bhfuil daonra dlúth iontu agus €150,000 d'údaráis áitiúla eile. Críochnóidh mé an freagra go luath.”
“Is é sruth E an ceann is déanaí, a chuir deontais suas le €50,000 ar fáil le haghaidh oibreacha caipitil agus a leithéid. De réir an ghealltanais i gclár an Rialtais, cuireadh €6 milliún ar fáil do mo Roinn i mbuiséad 2026 le haghaidh clár nua maoinithe caipitil d'eagraíochtaí ealaíon agus cultúir ar fud na tíre. Cuirfidh sé seo tacaíochtaí caipitil a bhfuil géarghá leo ar fáil do na heagraíochtaí seo. Tá mo Roinn i mbun sonraí na scéime a dhearadh, lena n-áirítear critéir chun cur isteach ar an scéim. Is scéim maoinithe caipitil chultúrtha eile atá ar fáil ó mo Roinn an scéim phíolótach €6 milliún do spásanna oibre d'ealaíontóirí, a seoladh i mí an Mheithimh 2024.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an seans seo cúpla freagra a thabhairt trí Ghaeilge i rith Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Mar atá leagtha amach i gclár an Rialtais, creideann an Rialtas go bhfuil an cultúr agus na healaíona riachtanach do leas an phobail. Tá líonra de bhonneagar cultúrtha ar fud na tíre agus an tromlach faoi úinéireacht na n-údarás áitiúil. Cuireann údaráis áitiúla agus an Chomhairle Ealaíon tacaíocht bhliantúil ar fáil don bhonneagar ealaíon agus cultúir seo, lena n-áirítear tacaíochtaí reatha a chabhraíonn le clár ealaíon a chur ar siúl. Díríonn mo Roinn ar mhaoiniú deontais chaipitil a sholáthar chun cabhrú le forbairt agus chun aire a thabhairt do na háiseanna ealaíon agus cultúir seo. Tá roinnt cláir mhaoinithe á reáchtáil ag an Roinn faoin scéim um chaipiteal cultúrtha le blianta beaga anuas.”
“The Deputy said that you want all events consistent across the country and being handled by my Department. That is a physical impossibility because we are not a planning Department. As a former member of a local authority, the Deputy should know what the local authority does with regard to event licensing. Removing a power from a local authority would go down like a lead balloon with the Deputy's colleagues.”
“It is a matter for planning. Event licensing is Ronseal - it does what it says on the tin. It is event licensing. It is a matter for the local authority, in the first instance, to decide whether to grant or not grant an event licence. You have everything from sports to agricultural shows to music to everything else. As much as I am Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, I am not Minister with regard to papal visits, agricultural shows or anything of that nature.”
“If there was any attempt to remove event licensing from local authorities, the Deputy would have great difficulty with it from a Dublin city point of view as would a lot of his colleagues from around the country would because this is a local function that should be performed locally.”
“I welcome the fact the Deputy acknowledged that this is not a responsibility for the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. As I said a while ago, the planning legislation - this is a planning matter and events are covered under event licences - is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the first instance but supports from an enterprise point of view are a matter for the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. As I said a while ago, the Planning and Development Act 2000 lay down with strict criteria how events are to be planned under event licensing. It is a matter for local authorities, and rightly so.”
“However, the codes of practice in relation to live events or music events does not fall under the remit of the Department. Codes of practice in relation to live events fall within the remit of a number of different bodies and Departments. The events industry is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and licensing is a matter for local authorities under regulations most recently amended under the Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events - Planning and Development Act 2000) Regulations 2025, SI 37 of 2025.”
“In addition, the Commissions Award, funded through the Arts Council, supports individual music and opera artists and organisations, and festival organisers, to develop new work. The music capital scheme, which is supported by my Department and managed by Music Network, has been awarding individual musicians and organisations, by providing access to instruments for people across the country. These types of initiatives focus on supporting, nurturing and strengthening the live music sector, from the grassroots up by providing music education, employment opportunities for emerging artists and professionals. As Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and various funding streams that support the development of the live music sector.”
“The scheme operated with a total fund of €500,000 and grants of up to €15,000 were available to host events showcasing the talent of emerging, grassroots artists performing live music they had written or created themselves in 34 venues right across the country. This year, I have secured an increased allocation and committed €1 million in funding to support independent live performance venues with another edition of the grassroots music venue support scheme. Details of the scheme are currently being finalised. The Arts Council provides funding support to Irish arts centres and live performance venues which support year-round, high-quality, professional programming and infrastructure.”
“As Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, I am committed to the support and development of the live music industry. The Department, both through its own schemes as well as its funding of the Arts Council, provides support to a range of organisations that play essential roles in the development of music in Ireland. Last year, I launched the grassroots music venue support scheme, a night-time economy initiative to support independent music venues that promote themselves and are known in the community for programming grassroots music artists, in recognition of the contribution they make to the industry.”
“They also sent out a very salient message to other clubs within their ambit of national governance, which is that if any of the rest of them engage in this sort of carry-on or thuggery, this is exactly what they are likely to face as well. The challenge now for other national governing bodies of sport is to do the same and take the lead of the League of Ireland and the Football Association of Ireland. They need to look at these two institutions, the League of Ireland and the FAI, see where they have gone and pitched their penalties, and they have to do the same. That has to apply to all sporting codes in all disciplines.”
“With regard to the situation in County Louth that the Deputy raised, it is important to state that the national governing bodies here, the FAI and the League of Ireland, accepted their responsibilities, in fairness to them, because ultimately they are the governing authorities for this sport. I was not going to single out one. I had to single out the governing authority. When I met the governing authorities last week, they did not in any way push back with regard to the proposed sanction I had. In fairness to them, the following day, they brought forward a suite of measures that was proportionate to what had happened.”
“They think they are really brave men because they are ganging up on people who actually have done the State some service by putting their names on a ballot paper, regardless of what party or no party gets in here. The same can be said of sport. Any co-operation and suggestions members of the Opposition have on this are welcome. Going back to the previous question, I will take every bit of it on board because collectively, we have to get serious and get real on this. None of these people are any of our friends, by the way. Some people or some political parties might benefit occasionally from trolling but none of them are any of our friends.”
“I agree with the Deputy. To be honest, unfortunately, it is not isolated to one cohort in society. People in this House get their fair share of it as well and it is totally unwarranted. Whether a person is in Opposition or Government, there is a common thread that unites all of us who put our name on a ballot paper and get in here. The abuse some people get, particularly women Members of this House and the other House, is absolutely unbelievable. These nameless and faceless trolls hide behind makey-uppy names and invariably have a flag of some description stuck on after them. They besmirch our national flag and invariably bring it into disrepute. Those people, if they stood for election to a bin collection committee, would not get elected. They are very brave men and women who hide behind faceless troll accounts and fake names.”
“This includes, albeit not exhaustively, threatening, abusive or insulting comments that are intended or are likely to stir up hatred as detailed in the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989. Once again, I and the Government condemn all forms of abuse and urge those affected to notify the relevant authorities.”
“In terms of dealing with this issue from an online safety perspective, a robust online safety framework in now in place in Ireland. Coimisiún na Meán has responsibility for implementing that framework, which includes applying and enforcing the online safety code to designated video-sharing platforms established in Ireland to ensure they minimise the availability of harmful online content. Platforms must provide a way for people to report content they think is illegal, respond to these reports in a timely and diligent manner and consistently enforce their own terms and conditions. In particular, under the Digital Services Act, which is part of Ireland’s online safety framework, the largest online platforms must take mitigation measures against the availability and exposure of users to illegal online content.”
“On raising awareness, a number of national governing bodies of sport have conducted campaigns in recent years with a specific focus on online abuse, including the Olympic Federation of Ireland and the Irish Rugby Football Union. We recently saw the racism that has been directed at some people playing rugby in this country and it is absolutely despicable. The bringing to justice of the perpetrators of such abuse, whether online or offline, is a matter for An Garda Síochána and if anyone has been subjected to threats or abuse, they should report it immediately to the Garda. Furthermore, I encourage anyone who sees any abusive or threatening content online to report it in the first instance to the relevant platform. If a person is dissatisfied with the platform’s response, they can report it to Coimisiún na Meán.”
“I thank Deputy O'Donoghue. Threats and harassment of any individual are not acceptable. The safeguarding of athletes at all levels of sport is a shared responsibility. It is imperative that we demonstrate that there is simply no place for abuse of any kind in sport and there should be zero tolerance for any actions that endanger welfare, whether of participants, staff or those who work for and support sports or, indeed, any discipline in the country. Everyone involved in sport, or in any discipline or capacity, regardless of age should be able to enjoy an experience that is free from any form of abuse, whether that is online or offline.”
“Again, will Deputy Byrne enlighten me, as Opposition spokesperson, whether she is in favour of taking children off social media or whether she is in favour of allowing social media companies to continue to be the dominant voice on the future of our children online, because I am no clearer as to where her party stands on it?”
“I am still no clearer as to whether the Deputy's party is going to support legislation that is going to be brought before the House in respect of a digital wallet. This is the public health issue of our generation. I have three small children and I am speaking as a parent. Previous generations had issues with smoking and alcohol from a public health point of view. We know that social media causes huge issues around mental health, addiction and physical health. Deputy Byrne is talking about a self-regulated system. What does that mean in the absence of a law? I am still no clearer.”
“I hope that at that stage I get support from the Opposition. I have not got clarity with regard to where the Opposition stands on the digital wallet. Indeed, I have not got clarity on where it stands regarding age verification or whether it believes age verification is a necessary tool. Deputy Byrne might use the opportunity this evening to enlighten the House as to where exactly her party stands on this issue.”
“There has been no ambiguity regarding what I have previously said in the House. This is the first time Deputy Byrne has raised this issue in the House with me on oral questions. There has been no ambiguity regarding this issue from my point of view. I do not care what people read in the paper. The reality is I have consistently said and am on the record as saying that I thought it was regrettable the European Commission and the European Union had not acted as one with regard to this up to now, and that individual member states are being left to do it. I have also put on the record, as I am doing this evening, that we will be bringing forward legislation, once the heads of the Bill have been agreed, in the first quarter of this year with regard to elements of the digital wallet that will be required to make sure we can put it into law.”
“A pilot is envisaged to be led by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and will be voluntary and will run for a number of months. Feedback from the pilot will inform the shape of the initiative but while doing so we will ensure interoperability and respect users' rights, including data protection.”
“Notwithstanding the international debate on the age of majority, I am of the view that age verification is a vital part of the picture in providing real assurance that children are the age they claim to be and to ensure they are not exposed to harmful or illegal content. Without robust age verification, any other measures including implementing a digital age of majority will not work. That is why my officials are working with the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer on an age verification tool as part of Ireland's digital wallet in support of the implementation of Ireland's online safety code. This wallet will be voluntary for people to hold and the tool will be voluntary for users and platforms to avail of.”
“The European Union member states are examining questions of prohibiting access by children and young people to social medial platforms and some are taking steps to do so, including France, which is debating legislation to restrict access to social media for under-15s. Australia is implementing such a measure in respect of under-16s and other jurisdictions are considering similar measures. However, across the European Union there are different views on whether there should be a digital age of majority, and if there was such an age, what that age should be and whether it should be an outright ban or a ban subject to parental consent.”
“The Government's position on the issue of restricting access to social media platforms for children under 16 years of age is set out in the Government's recently published national digital and AI strategy. The Government is committed to working closely with like-minded European Union member states on proposals to restrict social media access for children and young people. In addition, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, announced an expert panel to examine the issue and any decision will take account of this report. This reflects the Government's view that a decision at EU would be preferable. However, as set out in the strategy, Ireland will also take action domestically if necessary.”
“I acknowledge Deputy O'Meara for raising this matter. These are important workers who have given a huge amount of service to the State through the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, An Post, Eircom and, latterly, Eir, which is now a private company. The Department of communications has signed off on its element of this. The other element is with the Department of public expenditure and reform. We can provide a more comprehensive reply by email later on.”
“-----either commercial or housing. Suffice to say, I welcome the opportunity for Dublin City Council to engage with us on the property we do own. The Office of Public Works owns quite a considerable amount as well. It cannot just throw its hands up in the air and say this is all the Government's fault and problem. If we are coming forward with alternative accommodation the least it could do is engage with us. Yes, it will require money, but it is the wealthiest local authority in the country, and it should invest in the arts on that basis.”
“-----going to places like Leitrim and Sligo, I am sure Deputy Martin Kenny would be very upset with Deputy Ó Snodaigh suggesting the money should not be going to Sligo and Leitrim from Dublin City Council.”
“I will not get into the finances of Dublin City Council either. Suffice to say, and the Deputy knows this probably better than I do, that it is one of a few local authorities in the country that has consistently reduced their property tax over the number of years. If it can afford to do that, maybe it could afford to see. While there is money coming out of the council-----”
“The only agencies that buy buildings publicly for the State are either councils - the largest one is Dublin City Council, which is the best resourced and best financed in the country - or the Office of Public Works. I put that on the record of the House before. If Dublin City Council wants to look at properties we have wound up with, we will be happy to engage with it to see if alternative accommodation could be sourced.”
“We have been looking at a strategy with regard to arts infrastructure. We may be bring forward an arts capital scheme similar to the sports capital scheme we administer. To reiterate, we have offered Dublin City Council properties to look at that have wound up in the charge of the Department through the Digital Hub in the Liberties. I would say you could puck a ball from the Digital Hub to where The Complex was. I hope Dublin City Council will engage with it. These buildings were previously offered to the city council for other uses, and it refused them. The Office of Public Works has part of the buildings taken. We will try to do whatever we can. We do not acquire buildings. We do not buy buildings.”
“In December 2025, I announced just under €1 million for five local authorities for the development of up to 22 workspaces, which brings the total awarded under this scheme to date at €1.2 million.”
“I have requested that the city council consider whether any of the activities which are currently conducted at The Complex could in time be facilitated in the Digital Hub complex. The Department would be happy to work with the city council on any proposals, including consideration of whether any of the Department’s funding schemes could be of assistance in this regard. More broadly, the Department has allocated €3 million in funding to Space to Create, an initiative that aims to provide up to 60 artist workspaces in Dublin city, and these projects are currently being progressed in partnership with the city council. In addition, under the artist workspace scheme, €6 million capital funding is available for local authorities to increase the provision of artist workspaces across Ireland.”
“Officials from my Department met with the chair of The Complex and other members of the team in December 2024 and advised them that the Department was not in a position to fund the purchase of the property. Further communication in June 2025 reiterated that position. More recently, The Complex kept the Department updated of the evolving situation with its tenancy and I am aware that they were in close contact with Dublin City Council during this time. I regret that a solution could not be found with the developer to keep them in their current building, and I understand the council is now supporting them in sourcing alternative accommodation. Separately, my Department is engaged with Dublin City Council on the potential transfer of part of the site of the Digital Hub in the Liberties area of Dublin to the local authority.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this. The provision of local arts centres is a matter in the first instance for the relevant local authority. County and city development plans are drawn up by local authorities, including the policy objectives for development of the arts. Annual support, including programming and revenue supports, is provided to the arts and culture centres by local authorities and the Arts Council. My Department provides grants as a contribution towards maintaining and enhancing existing arts and culture infrastructure but does not provide funding for the purchase of buildings. The Complex had been leasing its building from a private landlord on a site ringfenced for redevelopment.”
“I know from my own constituency that there is always going to be someone at the end of a road where the work stops. In fairness to the contractors working for National Broadband Ireland at the moment, they are all over the country. We pass them everywhere. We see so many of them that they are almost part of the fabric of the local area now. The statistics in relation to this are absolutely phenomenal: 63,000 km of cable laid. That is an absolutely massive feat of engineering. I will come back to the Deputy on the specifics.”
“That is no bother. The most important assurances that I can give him is that the work is running 12 months ahead of schedule at the moment nationally, which is a massive achievement for the Government. When this was being done first, certain people in this House and certain commentators in the media said it was an awful waste of money. I do not know where those people are today, but I do not hear them crowing about it today or saying that it was a waste of money. The people in the Deputy's constituency, and in my constituency, which borders it, would say that is far from a waste of money. Those political commentators will have their own day out in the near future when this is completed. I will find out whether the existing works can be truncated.”
“An enormous amount of work has been done. Deputy Moynihan answered part of the question earlier: we had to start somewhere and we have to finish somewhere. The Deputy made specific points about Ballingeary and Carriganimmy. I will see if they can be truncated with existing works and I will come back to him on that.”
“I can confirm that the work is ahead of time. As well as being ahead of schedule, the work is also ahead of budget. When Deputy Moynihan and I first came into the Dáil there was a time when broadband was the be all and end all and came up every second day. You could not stick your head outside the door but someone would take it off over broadband. Thankfully, we made an awful lot of progress. As of 9 January, National Broadband Ireland reports that 62,996 km of cable has been installed. I do not know how far away the moon is from here, but I think it is a couple of times the distance from here to the moon. Some 181,757 poles have been installed. A total of 568,081 premises have been completed. A total of 567,132 premises have been submitted to Open Eir to make ready for works, and 519,013 premises have had Open Eir works completed.”
“Network build is in progress for all three of the deployment areas, and all premises in the Dunmanway deployment area will be made available to order or passed in the period July 2026 to September 2026, while the deployment areas of Ballingeary and Carriganimmy will be made available to order or passed in the period October 2026 to December 2026 - so by the end of the year. The latest information on when high-speed broadband will become available can be found on NBI's website. This website is regularly updated and provides the expected timelines for the delivery and status of works in any area.”
“In the Deputy's own county of Cork, NBI has passed 56,360 premises with a high-speed fibre broadband connection and over 58,750 are available to order or pre-order, with 18,996 premises now connected. A further almost 26,600 premises in Cork will be passed by NBI's high-speed fibre broadband by the end of the network deployment. Further details on specific areas within County Cork can be monitored via the NBI's website. The National Broadband Ireland roll-out will include 4,190 premises in Dunmanway, 963 premises in Ballingeary and 3,975 premises in the Carriganimmy deployment area.”
“In December 2022, Ireland's digital connectivity strategy was published, which supports the ambition outlined in the national digital strategy and sets out a number of targets including that all households and businesses will be covered by a gigabit network not later than 2028. The Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future, published in January 2025, sets a number of targets which include the completion of the installation of high-speed fibre broadband to 1.1 million people, including houses, farms and businesses nationwide, by 2026. The NBP is the Government's initiative to deliver high-speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland. National Broadband Ireland is connecting approximately 4,500 homes every month.”
“In a lot of cases, existing public infrastructure is used for the installation of mobile telephony infrastructure and other infrastructure, for example, by the Office of Public Works for Garda stations and by local authorities when it comes to water towers, reservoirs and other such sites. In its own way, the national broadband plan will improve the quality of internal calls because people will be diverted directly on to their Wi-Fi. They will also be able to make calls via the Internet, which will make things an awful lot easier. I will get a more comprehensive reply from ComReg to the specific issue the Deputy has raised, which relates to the town of Mountbellew.”
“What will make an improvement is the roll-out of the national broadband plan because it will provide for improvement for indoor wireless coverage. That can be vastly improved. The roll-out of that plan by commercial operators is significantly improving across the country, including in County Galway.”