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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“Ireland will bring forward Council conclusions on online safety for negotiation and agreement by the member states. Ireland will hold a high-level conference on online safety in Dublin in September 2026, the outcome of which will feed into the work of the Presidency. In addition, a youth forum will be convened in advance of the Presidency to engage directly with children and young people in relation to online safety, including in respect of measures such as age verification and a digital age of majority. In the run-up to the Presidency, there is an opportunity for Ireland to demonstrate leadership and build alliances with like-minded EU member states in relation to strengthening online safety for our minors.”
“I recognise that there are currently different perspectives across the European Union as to whether there should be an age of digital majority, and if there were such an age, what age it should be and whether it should be an outright ban or an age restriction unless there is parental consent. In considering this, it is important we include the voice of our young people and have regard to their rights while protecting them from harm. It is also important any such measures comply with the DSA as it is an EU regulation that requires maximum harmonisation for all EU member states, including Ireland. Online safety, particularly for children and young people, will be a priority for me during Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union.”
“The objective of the collaboration is to increase expertise in the area of digital regulation and online safety through exchange of information, data, good practices, methodologies and information about technical systems and tools. I should add I met representatives of the Australian Government on this matter recently. Ireland is considering its approach to the digital age of majority. Any decision would be better taken by the EU and its member states together. In that regard it is important to note the President of the European Commission Ursula van der Leyen announced she would establish an expert panel to examine the issue, including the implementation of Australia’s social media age-restriction policy and advise her on the best approach for Europe in taking next steps on social media regulation in a report by the end of the year.”
“In that context, Members will no doubt be aware European Union member states are examining the question of prohibiting access by children and young people to social media platforms; the so-called "digital age of majority". Australia is implementing such a measure and other jurisdictions are considering similar measures. In Australia, from today age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account. The platforms that are now age-restricted are Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube. Alongside this, just last week Coimisiún na Meán signed a memorandum of understanding with the Australian eSafety Commissioner.”
“I will also be writing to platforms in the coming weeks to invite them to participate in the pilot and I expect those that are committed to online safety will be happy to engage. I will also be inviting them to a stakeholder consultation after Christmas. Notwithstanding the work we are doing on age verification, parents and families have a role to play by ensuring they have the necessary conversations with their children about their lives online. It is important parents feel empowered to address these questions together and there are a wide range of resources online, including from the Department of education, but also from other parts of civil society organisations in the sector, which are designed to help parents and families support children to get the best out of their online experiences.”
“To that end, officials in the Department are continuing to work with the Government's Chief Information Officer and their office to look at more practical technical solutions to age verification using MyGovID as part of the Government's digital wallet. The online safety code requires platforms to have robust age verification in place to protect children from content that is inappropriate for them, such as pornography, and there is no doubt the provision of a Government-backed, robust, zero-knowledge, privacy-securing option is an important step forward and one I hope will have the support of all parties in the House. The aim is to commence an extensive pilot to test the technology, starting in quarter 1 of next year and we will be looking for volunteers from the public to assist with this.”
“It is a vital part of the picture in terms of providing proof that children are the age they claim to be and to ensure they are not exposed to harmful or illegal content. I am working across Government and with all the stakeholders to ensure children and young people can be safe from harmful or illegal content online, in particular through a new Government measure to support age verification. I am seeking the inclusion of a commitment to this effect in the Government’s updated national digital strategy, which will be published shortly. In addressing age verification we must seek to ensure there are trustworthy systems in place that are interoperable and respect users' rights, including data protection rights.”
“This demonstrates the cross-cutting nature of online safety. The Department of Education and Youth is supporting online safety in schools through curriculum supports, digital citizenship initiatives and the provision of funding for mobile phone storage solutions. The Department of Health will publish tomorrow the final report of the online health task force which sets out a range of recommendations to improve online safety from a public health perspective. I welcome the work undertaken by both Departments and will continue to work with them and across Government to ensure we progress online safety for the benefit of all. On children’s online safety, I cannot overstate how important I think age verification is. It is quite clear robust age verification is a basic requirement.”
“Coimisiún na Meán has now launched a further significant awareness campaign, with the support of the Department of Health. It is in two parts, the first of which is for young people and is focused on individual rights and the online safety framework. It is running across social media and digital platforms and will help young people understand why reporting is important through a series of humorous videos. The second element is a campaign for parents, which is running across radio, social and digital. This campaign will help parents identify the types of harmful content that can be reported and will highlight the importance of reporting in order to help hold platforms to account. These will be supported by extensive new website resources, including guides on how to report and the parents' information pack.”
“These educational resources were produced with the support of the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre, better known as Webwise, and include both junior and senior cycle lesson plans, teacher guides and downloadable posters and infographics. The resources were shared with every post-primary school in the country. Recently, Coimisiún na Meán supported and part-funded the development of Webwise’s new switched on digital citizenship education programme for fifth and sixth classes. Additionally, in July of this year the commission launched a nationwide advertising campaign in cinemas focused on the rights of users online and the continued importance of reporting illegal or harmful content to online platforms, in both Irish and English. The cinema campaign has reached more than 1.4 million cinema-goers.”
“The investigations announced by the commission recently, which focus on how platforms deal with complaints, illustrates clearly how seriously it takes its responsibilities. Obviously, awareness is critical here and the commission is taking action with a two-pronged awareness campaign now running across a range of platforms, aimed at children on the one hand and parents on the other. In 2024, Coimisiún na Meán ran the "Spot it, Flag it, Stop it" campaign to help people understand what constitutes illegal content online and provide guidance about how to report it. Coimisiún na Meán also developed educational resources for post-primary schools that advised students, parents and teachers of their rights under the online safety framework.”
“The commission published research earlier this year outlining the experiences of election candidates in the local elections of 2024. The report set out a number of commitments that the commission undertook to fulfil in order to help to make life online safer for election candidates and politicians. The report correctly identifies a degree of fatalism among people about the value of reporting harmful online content, but I still encourage everybody to report inappropriate, harmful or illegal content to the relevant platform and then to Coimisiún na Meán if the response is unsatisfactory. The commission would say that having a deeper evidence base, including from information gleaned from complaints, gives it the grounds to take action against platforms suspected of not fulfilling their obligations.”
“Members will be aware of serious issues with people, including our elected representatives, being on the receiving end of appalling abuse and intimidatory behaviour. It is essential that people report such incidents to platforms in the first instance but then to Coimisiún na Meán if they do not receive a satisfactory response on appeal. If anyone feels unsafe, they should also report it to An Garda Síochána. We have seen in recent times how the Garda has brought perpetrators of such abuse to justice. However, it is clear that there is an onus on the platforms to comply with regulatory obligations and to minimise the availability of this harmful content. I know that the Oireachtas established its task force on safe participation in political life and that Coimisiún na Meán participated in the work.”
“In particular, the guidelines set out a non-exhaustive list of proportionate and appropriate measures to protect children from online risks such as harmful content, problematic and addictive behaviours, cyberbullying and harmful commercial practices. Among other things, the guidelines recommend the use of effective age assurance methods to restrict access to adult-only content. In terms of encountering content, we know that algorithms and recommender systems can have harmful impacts on users, especially children. From a regulatory perspective, these issues are addressed in the DSA. In that regard, the European Commission is currently investigating TikTok and Meta related in part to their recommender systems and the impact of those on children and young people.”
“Last week, the European Commission fined X a total of €120 million for failure to fulfil certain transparency obligations under the DSA. I would add that I understand the European Commission investigated TikTok for similar suspected breaches and that that investigation concluded with TikTok making necessary changes and the European Commission standing down its investigation. This demonstrates the commitment of the regulators, nationally and at EU level, to supervising and enforcing online safety frameworks but more importantly, getting results in terms of the changes that improve safety. In July, the European Commission published guidelines on protection of minors under Article 28 of the DSA. These guidelines outline recommendations to strengthen online safety for children in EU member states.”
“The European Commission operates with the assistance of a digital services co-ordinator in each member state. In Ireland, that is Coimisiún na Meán. As provided for in the DSA, once they are made aware of illegal content on their platforms, platforms must act to remove it or be held responsible. More generally, the framework obliges them to take steps to minimise the availability of harmful, inappropriate or illegal content, especially if it could be encountered by children. In terms of progress on implementing the DSA, Coimisiún na Meán announced last month that it was investigating the platform X for possible non-compliance with the DSA in respect of how it deals with complaints. Last week, it announced two further investigations - of LinkedIn and TikTok - in relation to how they deal with complaints.”
“Coimisiún na Meán is responsible for enforcing compliance with the code and fines for non-compliance can reach up to €20 million or 10% of annual turnover, whichever is the higher. I would note that the online safety code has been and is being challenged in the courts, but it is being successfully defended by Coimisiún na Meán. This is a tribute to the good work of the commission in developing the code but also shows that certain platforms are vigorous in seeking to test its integrity. The DSA has applied since February 2024. It is a harmonised EU-wide law that establishes a framework for regulating illegal content. Under the DSA, the European Commission is the primary regulator for the very large online platforms, such as X, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, and the very large search engines such as Google.”
“Part B requires the use of age assurance to prevent children from encountering pornography or gratuitous violence online and the provision of parental controls for content that may impair the physical, mental, or moral development of children under the age of 16. It is for the regulated platforms to demonstrate that they have the correct safety measures in place to prevent illegal or harmful content being shown. The code also makes it clear that it is up to the designated services to ensure that the age assurance methods they are using are robust and privacy protecting. Self-declaration of age is no longer an acceptable form of age verification. A failure to address these requirements adequately can lead to significant financial sanctions and continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior management.”
“Under Part A, designated platforms must provide for protections for minors from content that may impair physical, mental or moral development, and for the general public from content that incites hatred or violence or is racist or xenophobic. The second part - Part B - has applied since July 2025 and has more specific obligations, such as prohibiting the uploading or sharing of harmful content on their services, including cyberbullying, promoting self-harm or suicide, and promoting eating or feeding disorders, as well as incitement to hatred or violence, terrorism, child sex abuse material, racism and xenophobia.”
“I have secured sanction for it to recruit over 300 staff and I will work to ensure that its staffing level continues to grow as additional functions are assigned to it. This puts Coimisiún na Meán in the big league when it comes to resources and staffing and the levy provision enables it to keep pace with developments. In terms of significant developments in the framework, it is important to acknowledge the full application in July of this year of Ireland’s online safety code. To allow for the implementation of the code, it was rolled out in two parts. Part A, which has general obligations, has applied since November 2024.”
“This framework equips an coimisiún with the tools required to regulate online services, to supervise compliance and to enforce it as necessary, including by way of financial sanctions, should they be required. At this juncture, it is important to state that the Government provided for Coimisiún na Meán to be largely self-sufficient in terms of resourcing. An coimisiún levies the entities it regulates and the income from these levies enables it to deliver on its strategic objectives. However, from the beginning, the Government came forward with resources to enable an coimisiún to hit the ground running, providing more than €10 million for the purpose from the outset. That enabled an coimisiún to kickstart recruitment. From a starting point of 40 staff, it now has over 260.”
“The regulation of online platforms has undergone a transformation in recent years as a result of groundbreaking legislation, notably the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 - the OSMR Act - which underpinned the establishment of Coimisiún na Meán and provided the legislative basis for the online safety code. In addition to an coimisiún’s role as media regulator, it now implements a range of online safety legislation from across the Government. This new online safety framework consists of three main elements: the aforementioned OSMR Act, which transposed the audiovisual media services directive; the EU Digital Services Act, DSA, under which an coimisiún is Ireland’s digital services co-ordinator, and the EU terrorist content online regulation, for which Coimisiún na Meán is also a competent authority on supervision and enforcement.”
“However, there are also risks and we need to constantly bear in mind the need for online safety, particularly when it comes to our children. As many Members of the House of a certain age might be able to say, we are digital immigrants. On the other hand, our children are digital natives. Social media, with everything it brings, is part of their lives. So, it is essential that we make sure that children do not see illegal, harmful or age-inappropriate content while being able to safely avail of all the benefits of the online world.”
“If we take a step back and think of the technological advances we have made in the past 20 years, we can see how the Internet and digitalisation have helped to improve our lives. We can avail of a range of Government services online in a convenient and secure fashion. Instead of having to take a day off work to renew a passport, we can do it online from the comfort of our homes. We can apply online for social welfare entitlements and get a response very quickly. As part of that technological leap forward, the advent of social media means, on the positive side, that we are connected as a community and as a nation as never before. We can both teach others and learn from them in ways that were unfathomable for previous generations.”
“Táim sásta a bheith anseo chun an cheist thar a bheith tábhachtach seo a phlé. Mar Aire Cultúir, Cumarsáide agus Spóirt, is í an tsábháilteacht ar líne, go háirithe do leanaí agus daoine óga, an chloch is mó ar mo phaidrín. Dála go leor eile sa Teach seo, is tuismitheoir mé mar aon le polaiteoir. Mar sin, tá sábháilteacht ar líne tábhachtach domsa mar athair. I am pleased to be here this afternoon to discuss this very important issue. As Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, online safety, in particular for children and young people, is a top priority for me. However, like many others in the House, I am a parent as well as a politician, so online safety is even important to me as a father. Like so many other important public policy issues that we discuss in this House, online safety is a complex issue.”
“I thank the Seanad for facilitating the Bill. As Members know, it is a technical Bill. It is really to make sure that the Irish Film Board, more commonly known to all of us as Screen Ireland, will have an adequate amount of money available to it. I intimated in the course of the discussions with Oireachtas Members that is my intention to bring a more substantive Screen Ireland Bill before the Oireachtas in the new year to deal with some of the issues the Senators raised during the debate in the House, including the importance of film visual effects, gaming and all of the other issues raised. I hope to be back in the new year with a more substantive Bill. I thank the Seanad for the speedy movement of this Bill, which makes a big difference to Screen Ireland and the work it is doing.”
“While many community groups across the country have taken on the initiative for it, this is in primary legislation as, first and foremost, a responsibility of the local authorities. In many cases, they have abjectly failed to do their job, walked away from it and made it the Government's responsibility. Meanwhile, many of them are sitting on huge cash reserves from development levy contributions. We have to ask some difficult questions of our local authorities as well.”
“I agree with both Deputies. Whether it is arts or sport, we will prioritise areas with growing and burgeoning populations but without facilities. I am going to be very critical of local authorities again. Local authorities have in many cases allowed houses to be built all over the place and done very well out of development levy contribution schemes. Where has the money gone? We have to be honest. In many cases, the Government is being asked to plug holes created by local authorities. They have built thousands of houses, which we need, but amenities seem to be secondary to many local authorities across the country. You cannot build houses without building communities. I am anxious that whatever scheme we introduce is not an alternative to the local authorities doing their jobs.”
“The scheme has not been designed yet but I expect that when I bring proposals to Government, it will be levelled at the local authorities in the first instance to be the applicants because this is work they should be doing anyway. This should be assistance rather than subvention.”
“That is exactly what we are doing. We are starting with a small amount because we want to test the water and get an understanding of how the scheme will work. When sports capital was introduced fadó, fadó, it started at a very small level. When I was Minister of State in the Department the last time, in 2016, the amount available for sports capital was paltry compared to what is available from our Department now - north of €250 million. We need to start somewhere. This is a small scheme. If we are inundated with demand, which I expect we will be, it will strengthen my resolve to increase the amount available in next year's budget. It is capital and not current so it has to be approved under the NDP. We have to see first who the interested parties are.”
“Under this scheme, local authorities are invited to propose projects which enable them to provide additional artist workspaces in their regions on a sustainable basis and produce workspaces which are fit for purpose. Funding of up €300,000 is available for densely populated local authority areas and €150,000 for others.”
“It will also need to be brought to Government. In the interim, under stream E of the cultural capital scheme, grants of up €20,000 are available for not-for-profit dedicated arts and culture organisations at 85% of the funding rate. Larger grants of up to €50,000, as I said to Deputy Aird, are provided under stream E, at a maximum grant funding of 70%. Local authority-owned facilities are subject to a maximum of 60%. This is a rolling scheme that is demand-led and full details are available. Another cultural capital funding scheme available from the Department is the €6 million pilot artist workspaces scheme launched in June 2024.”
“In the budget, the Department was allocated €6 million for a new programme of capital funding for arts and culture organisations across the country in line with the commitment in the programme for Government. The Deputy will be aware this scheme was one of the key recommendations of the Oireachtas joint committee report published in July 2024, when he was Leas-Chathaoirleach. This will see much-needed capital supports for communities, including funding for essential equipment for organisations such as amateur drama groups and musical societies. The Department is in the process of designing the scheme, including the setting-out of the eligibility criteria. This will need the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation before it can be launched.”
“As I have previously outlined to other Deputies, the programme for Government contains this commitment because we believe culture and arts are essential to a well-rounded society and provide opportunities for education, expression and community engagement. A network of cultural infrastructure exists throughout the country, the majority of which is in the ownership of local authorities. Annual support, including programming and revenue, is provided to the arts and culture infrastructure by local authorities and the Arts Council. The Department focuses on providing capital grants funding for artists' development and to maintain arts and cultural facilities.”
“As Deputy Ó Snodaigh has rightly said, there was one previously but the Covid pandemic put the kibosh on it so we do not really have full data as to what it would have done. I want to revisit it. I have had initial discussions with the Department of Finance on the matter. It would obviously require changes to next year's tax Acts. My priority for this year was to get an increase in core funding for Screen Ireland, which I did, and to bed down the unscripted uplift, which we have done. Over the course of the year and in the run-up to the next budget, I will be looking at regional measures under section 481.”
“I thank all of the Deputies for raising this really important question. I have done a number of trade missions to north America with Screen Ireland and the film sector. It is my intention to do another one to Canada and the United States of America early in the spring because there is substantial potential here. That potential is driven by talent, infrastructure, our climate and the existing section 481 tax relief. Since I have become Minister, there have been increases to the scéal scheme uplift, which is for smaller productions. In addition, we are the first country within the European Union to introduce an uplift for unscripted productions. There have been some discussions with regard to a regional uplift.”
“Addressing innovation, skills development and sectoral growth, the national talent academies are the result of additional stimulus investment provided by the Department. They form part of a wider strategy to support skills development across all regions in the country. They also seek to address educational skills gaps in the screen sector and drive more Irish talent from all backgrounds into the Irish screen industry.”
“Screen Ireland's National Talent Academy network includes: the National Talent Academy for Film and Television, which is led by Ardán in Galway; the National Talent Academy for Animation, which is led by Animation Ireland; the National Talent Academy for VFX, which is led by the Cultural and Creative Industries Skillnet; and three regional academies, which are currently managed by the Atlantic Academy in Galway, Film in Limerick, and the Clermont Enterprise Hub in Wicklow. The network has been established to develop a highly skilled and diverse talent and crew base throughout the country and offers a wide range of activities for the Irish screen industry, including courses, programmes and career opportunities.”
“In 2025, Screen Ireland ring-fenced funding of €5.5 million for nationwide development and Irish-language storytelling. Over 50% of live action feature film and TV drama in Screen Ireland's 2025 slate of productions is expected to be produced or filmed on location in regions outside of the traditional film-making hubs of Dublin and Wicklow. These regions include the counties of Donegal, Limerick, Galway, Monaghan and Sligo. Ireland is home to several world-class film studios boasting state-of-the-art production and post-production facilities and various support infrastructures, which have helped to attract incoming productions from studios and content streaming companies, including unscripted productions.”
“I had thought we were nearly finished but I thank the Deputy. A range of supports are provided for screen productions in Ireland, including regional productions. These are kept under ongoing review to ensure we remain an attractive location for inward investment and continue to develop our domestic industry. In 2024, Screen Ireland invested more than €6.5 million in productions, festivals, initiatives and activities that contributed to the nationwide development of the screen sector. This included €4 million awarded through the agency's nationwide additional production fund. Screen Ireland also provided funding supports for talent and skill development initiatives across the country, such as the agency's National Talent Academy network, which has key bases in Limerick and Galway.”
“On the Deputy's comments about this being the most positive response he has received since he came into the Dáil, I am flattered and thank him very much. I encourage the Dunamaise Arts Centre to put in its application. Obviously once that is in, that will be assessed according to the strict criteria within the Department.”
“The last point the Deputy made is the most important. All these arts centres will only be as good as the local community that supports them. No amount of schemes, interventions and grants will ever supplement what the local community can do by attending and supporting artists, whether touring or local. That is the most important issue. Whether they are in parish halls, purpose-built centres like the Dunamaise Arts Centre, hotels or wherever, the most important thing people can do to have a vibrant arts community is to support the artists and go out on a Friday or Saturday night, or even the middle of the week and see what is on in the local area, be that in Portlaoise, Abbeyleix, Rathdowney or wherever. These events need support and do not survive without support and the Government cannot do it all on its own.”
“These centres will have access to smaller levels of funding that can do the things the Deputy was talking about such as sound desks, lighting, improvements to seating and ticket offices, IT enhancements and all that. We will not be able to do everything. I imagine we will be inundated in year one but if we are I hope that will form the blueprint for us to have a bigger budget from the Department of public expenditure in future years.”
“As I said a while ago, I understand Dunamaise Arts Centre is due to bring forward an application. It was to bring this forward in September, I think, but it has been delayed for some reason. Once that application is brought forward, it can be assessed. The important thing in the wider scheme for these centres is we will have an arts capital scheme that is the first of its kind, as soon as we have eligibility and a process in place. That has to be approved by the Minister for public expenditure before it can be formally launched. Regional centres and smaller centres around the country do not get as much money as some of the larger ones, especially those based in Dublin, and the national cultural institutions, which are wholly dependent on the State.”
“I believe the organisation in question is aware of this scheme and had been in the process of submitting an application in September of this year but has put it on hold and expects to resubmit the full application in due course. The Department would welcome this application as soon as the applicant is in a position to submit it. Finally, as announced in budget 2026, my Department has been allocated €6 million for a new arts capital programme for arts and culture organisations across the country in line with the commitment in the programme for Government. My Department is in the process of designing the specifications of the scheme, including the setting of eligibility criteria.”
“Within the past five years, it availed of funding to the value of €9,996 under stream D of the cultural capital scheme, a scheme which was set up in direct response to Covid-19 to assist organisations with re-opening safely. As I mentioned, annual support, including programming and revenue supports, for arts and culture centres is provided by the Arts Council. I understand the organisation in question is in receipt of annual funding from the Arts Council and was awarded €125,000 in 2024 and €145,000 in 2025. My Department has a capital funding scheme open for applications called stream E of the cultural capital scheme. It focuses on enhancing the existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout the country and provides grants of up €50,000.”
“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. My Department is taking a number of steps to improve, increase and widen access to the arts. A network of cultural infrastructure exists throughout the country with the majority in the ownership of local authorities. My Department provides capital support for arts and culture infrastructure while annual support, including programming and revenue supports, is provided by local authorities and the Arts Council. The centre in Portlaoise referred to by the Deputy has been awarded capital funding of over €340,000 under various schemes from my Department since 2006.”
“We will put our toe in the water in the first year but I hope to grow it and, with the support of colleagues in the House, to do for arts and culture what we have done successfully over the past number of years for sport.”
“I will be bringing forward proposals to Government shortly regarding the new arts capital scheme. It will be along the same lines as the sports capital grant scheme. It is a small amount of money to start with. We are testing the waters in year one but I hope to grow it exponentially over the next couple of years. It will be local authority-dependent. They own most of the properties around the country. It will not be open to the national cultural institutions. To be honest, they have enough money, which they get directly from the Department. This will be designed for the smaller groups around the country that do not have access to capital works and capital schemes but I will encourage local authorities to come up with schemes and matched funding and to be ambitious.”
“Some of our cultural institutions can be a hellish experience, particularly for people with photosensitivity or neurodiversity, so the resdesign and design of them has to be done in conjunction with people who are neurodiverse and have particular disabilities. I welcome the Deputy's proposals.”