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.”
The complete record
Every one of 684 lines we hold for Patrick O'Donovan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 14.
“Of course, the Chair is no stranger to Live 95 in Limerick. I often come on that radio station on his coat-tails. Deputy O'Donoghue is right about the importance of local commercial radio. It has given a voice to people across the country who would not otherwise have one. Let us be fair about it: until the advent of local commercial radio stations, the only voices heard on the radio in Ireland were Dublin ones. If a regional voice was heard on the radio, it was ordinarily because of bad news, such as something closing down or an atrocity or something. That is not what people want. The misinformation, disinformation and malinformation strategy that we brought to the Government last year is a fundamental plank in protecting our democracy because local radio is trusted. I have a good relationship with the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland.”
“I understand the importance of ensuring our local and regional radio stations, which are among the most trusted news sources in the country, remain viable and strong and actively contribute to a thriving and diverse media landscape.”
“This research will help to determine optimal supports going forward and establish the foundations on which a new scheme may be devised. The aforementioned measures are in addition to the Sound and Vision scheme operated by Coimisiún na Meán, which provided funding of more than €22.7 million in 2024 for the production of audiovisual works, of which almost €1.7 million went to commercial radio. More than €600,000 has been provided in 2025 to the commercial radio sector through the scheme. Coimisiún na Meán will monitor the impact of each of these schemes and update them as appropriate in order to ensure they are accessible to the wider media sector and continue to deliver on intended objectives.”
“It will support media organisations to innovate and transition to the digital information environment. The news reporting scheme will provide €4 million, including a ring-fenced €3 million for the commercial radio sector to support public service content that is underprovided for or at risk of underprovision. This scheme is providing an important avenue of funding in support of the provision of independent and trustworthy news and current affairs content. It will assist in promoting a plurality of voices in our media sector. Applications to the scheme closed last Thursday and are currently being assessed. As recommended by the Future of Media Commission, Coimisiún na Meán is progressing research into current community media supports.”
“The programme for Government acknowledges that local and national independent broadcasters perform a vital public service and that this should be supported. Radio Kerry is probably one of the stations that will be tuning in this morning. This is being achieved through a range of media schemes for which local, regional, independent and community radio stations and broadcasters are eligible to apply. A total of €6 million was provided in budget 2025 to ensure the continuation of the local democracy and courts reporting schemes, applications for which recently closed and are currently being assessed. Two new schemes have been launched this year. A total of €3 million is being provided for the digital transformation scheme, which was launched in September.”
“The State entered into an MOU with the FAI in good faith in order to keep the organisation operable because we need an association that can govern football in Ireland and ensure we have teams that can represent the country at home and abroad with distinction. In recent years, that can has been carried by the State and it will be carried for another while. We cannot just glaze over that and say there is no investment; there is substantial investment in this area.”
“I have not had any engagement with LMETB. The Department or the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, who unfortunately cannot be here today, may well have had some engagement with it. I am not sure about that but I can check afterwards. I do not disagree with what the Deputy said with regard to investment. Every single person who comes in for these questions on sport has a catalogue of things he or she wants implemented. It is not a couple of hundred million euro I would need, but rather a couple of hundred billion euro, which is not practical. Acknowledgement should be given – at least the Deputy did so – that the report which highlighted the League of Ireland’s potential with regard to academies was funded by the State. At the moment, most of the operating costs are being funded by the State.”
“The MOU also contains 16 recommendations for the FAI, including completion of outstanding recommendations and conditions from the previous MOU, the maintenance of governance reforms introduced under the previous MOU, the provision of information and reports to Sport Ireland to facilitate oversight and a cascading governance reform to affiliates and grassroots. The last recommendation is really important and was also raised by members of the Oireachtas committee last week. We have to have a cascading effect of reform. While there has been quite a considerable amount of reform with regard to numbers at the FAI itself and so on, we now need to see the cascading effect down to into the grassroots, which I know the Deputy will support.”
“As I said to Deputy Byrne a while ago, and as Deputy Ó Murchú has acknowledged, the Government has played a role in terms of the supports it has provided to the FAI. We are operating on the basis of a memorandum of understanding, MOU. A significant amount of reform has happened already. Of the 163 recommendations or conditions, 159, or 98%, are either completed or phase 1 of them is completed. The financial situation in the FAI is still challenging. Since the new MOU was signed on 17 December 2024, State funding has been increased to €6 million for the period from 2024 to 2027. The bulk of this will go towards youth field development and grants which are aimed at the grassroots of the game.”
“Furthermore, significant capital funding has been granted to football projects around the country in recent years, including €48.9 million to FAI-endorsed football stadium projects at Finn Harps, Dalymount Park, Sligo Rovers and Wexford FC under the 2024 round of the large-scale sports infrastructure fund, LSSIF, and €76 million to support the development of grassroots football club facilities nationwide under the 2020 and 2023 rounds of the community sports facilities fund.”
“While the FAI has sought significant State funding to support its academies, it is important to note that sizable financial support has been directed to the FAI and to football more generally over recent years. Over €75 million in State funding was allocated to the FAI between 2019 and 2024, including €30.2 million specifically to support football development and promote participation in football by young people, with the balance in funding comprising Covid-specific and energy supports.”
“The funding also enabled the appointment by the FAI of an academies administrator to support the development of new academy programmes and to track their impact. The Global Findings Report benchmarks Irish football academies against international standards based on an audit of existing academy structures and needs. My Department continues to engage with the FAI regarding this report. A pre-budget submission focusing on academies has recently been submitted to me by the FAI. This will be given due consideration, taking account of the range of requests across the sports sector for additional support and, ultimately, the outcome of the budget process.”
“As outlined in my reply to an earlier question, the operation of the League of Ireland and its academies is fundamentally a matter for the Football Association of Ireland which, like all national governing bodies of sport, is an independent, autonomous body responsible for the organisation and development of its own sport. At present, no specific funding is allocated for League of Ireland academies. However, the programme for Government commits to exploring new mechanisms for the creation of football academies. An additional funding grant of €1 million, which was provided by my Department to the FAI, enabled it to produce the recently published League of Ireland Global Findings Report.”
“I do not know if the Deputy was here for the Priority Questions, but as I said earlier, no decision has been made with regard to a successor. That decision and any decisions on the details of any successor scheme will only be made once there is acceptance of what I have put before the Dáil this morning, which is that the scheme should be continued. The quantum of money available will also be relevant. There is only a week to go to the budget and ultimately, the numbers of people that will be included will reflect the amount of money the Department gets in the Vote in the budget next week.”
“The findings of the report on two years of the payment shows that compared to those not in receipt of the BIA, recipients benefited in a number of ways in terms of weekly output. The BIA research has developed a strong irrefutable evidence base that the intervention works and has consistent positive impacts for those in receipt of the payment as well as broader society. No decision on a successor scheme has been made, including potential payment levels, eligibility criteria and so on, but I have made it clear, and am making it clear again this morning in the Dáil, that I am in favour of a permanent scheme being put in place.”
“I will finish reading the reply for the record. Last week I published a cost benefit analysis showing the net fiscal cost of the BIA was just under €72 million over the three years compared to gross cost of €105 million over three years. For every €1 of public money invested in the pilot, society received €1.39 in return. The cost-benefit analysis shows that audience engagement with the arts generated an estimated €16.9 million in social value over the three pilot years and improvements in psychological well-being contributed almost €80 million to total benefits. Dependence on social protection declined, with recipients receiving €100 less per month on average and being 38% less likely to receive jobseekers' payments.”
“At the same time, recipients’ arts-related income increased by on average over €500 a month, while their income from non-arts work increased by about €280.”
“The data shows that the BIA is having a consistent positive impact across all indicators affecting practice development, sectoral retention, well-being and deprivation. However, the data also shows that the situation of the control group participants who provide the same data as the recipients but who do not get the weekly payment have significantly deteriorated given the cost-of-living crisis. According to the data the Department has collected, 51% of those who do not receive the BIA live in enforced deprivation compared to 16% of the general population. The BIA is therefore a means of addressing consistent poverty in the sector. The data also shows that at the start of the BIA the median income earned by those on the scheme was €19,200, which is 54% lower than the national annual median of €41,823.”
“Some 2,000 recipients were selected to receive a payment of €325 a week, while a further 1,000 control group members were selected to participate in research. Analysis of the results involved the comparison of averages between the two groups across a very broad range of possible impacts. The same cohorts of recipients have remained on the scheme since 2022 in order to gather accurate comparable data. Due to attrition, the total number now on the scheme is 1,962. The pilot is underpinned by a comprehensive research programme and three impact assessments have been published so far by the Department in addition to independent reports on recipient reviews. It is clear from all of the evidence collected to date under the scheme that it is having a positive impact for those in receipt of it.”
“It is therefore clear that there is broad support for a continuation of the BIA. My Department conducted a public consultation which closed on 5 September and over 17,000 submissions were received. Of these, 97% were in favour of the BIA being continued. Consultation is ongoing, including a consultative committee which draws from across Government Departments. I also held a sectoral stakeholder forum on 10 September with around 200 artists, all of whom were in favour of retaining the scheme. The BIA has been implemented as a randomised control trial which consists of two groups of randomly selected people, all of who complete a lengthy survey every six months as a condition of a participant being on the scheme. This represents the largest randomised controlled trial undertaken by the Government, the gold standard for research.”
“The BIA has particularly good regional distribution across the country with every county benefiting from the investment and some counties like Leitrim, Clare and Sligo have more artists than would be expected based on their populations bringing much-needed economic investment to those areas as well. BIA support is hugely valued by those artists in receipt of it. It has been the subject of much positive commentary at home and in an international context and makes an important statement about the value placed on the arts in Ireland. I fully appreciate the importance of the BIA and have been clear that I think it should be continued. There has been consistent correspondence to my Department in support of a successor scheme. Much of this support has come through the constituency offices of all colleagues both in government and in opposition.”
“The programme for Government commits to assessing the basic income for the arts pilot research scheme to maximise its impact, which is why I announce an extension of six months to February 2026 to allow further assessment of the pilot data and to engage in stakeholder consultation to provide a clear evidence base for the Government to make decisions on the next steps. The BIA recognises of the arts and the role of the creative practice in Irish society. The arts positively impact social cohesion, societal well-being, Ireland’s global reputation and creativity.”
“I propose to takes Questions No. 6, 20, 23, 26 and 32 together. The basic income for the arts is a pilot research programme which will inform future Government policy on how best to support Ireland’s artists and creative arts workers. The primary objective of the scheme was to help artists deal with precarious incomes and prevent talent from leaving the sector for economic reasons. It is well established that artists suffer from precarious incomes and the benefits of the arts enjoyed by society are often as a result of unpaid and underpaid labour of artists. This is a chronic ongoing problem.”
“I could not be more open about Listowel. If the Deputy's party Deputy from north Kerry had turned up to the opening of Listowel Writers' Week, he would have got a press release on the extent of what the Department was giving. The Deputy does not have an issue with Tralee, because of Deputy Pa Daly, or with Gweedore, because of Deputy Pearse Doherty.”
“Does Deputy Ó Snodaigh believe I should take that money back from Gaoth Dobhair? Will he take it up with Deputy Doherty? Will he take up the €7,500 that the Department allocated to a festival in Tralee on foot of a request from Deputy Pa Daly? According to Deputy Ó Snodaigh, this was done "outside of the normal channels"?”
“The Deputy might say it is "outside of the normal channels" but I wonder if he ran this question by his colleague, Deputy Pa Daly, who represents the constituency of Kerry, before he came into the Chamber. Deputy Daly has used a similar channel for festival in Tralee called Anam. It was approved under that channel and received €7,500. There was no difficulty with that. I do not know what Deputy Ó Snodaigh has against the people of Listowel, and I do not know what he has against Listowel Writers Week, which is a very worthy festival. The last time I answered questions in this House, Deputy Ó Snodaigh and Deputy Doherty tore the place asunder over funding for a musical event in Gaoth Dobhair. Since those parliamentary questions, I was able to allocate funding to that event outside what the Deputy would call "normal" procedures.”
“Listowel Writers Week is an internationally acclaimed literary festival, devoted to bringing together writers and audiences at innovative events in the historic and intimate surroundings of Listowel. It was founded in 1970, with the first festival taking place in 1971. Listowel Writers Week is Ireland’s oldest literary and arts festival. It is a forum where writers, artists and poets gather to promote writing of all genres and create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible audience. It is a festival where writers and readers gather to celebrate the written word together. Support of €25,000 for Listowel Writers Festival was approved alongside allocations to the Phil Murphy Weekend, which received €20,000; Éigse Michael Hartnett, which received €15,000; and Other Voices, which was granted €40,000.”
“There may be instances whereby applicants have made an application to the Arts Council which was refused, and on this basis, the organisations may seek funding from the Department when that scheme is closed. Where such requests are received, the Department will consider them on a case-by-case basis. These are subject to available resources and all allocations are subject to compliance with public financial procedures, the requirements of the grant circular and my approval as Minister. This process has been in place for many years and all such grants are published each year on the Department’s website at the page headed "Cultural Projects Funding".”
“I understand the Deputy is referring to the approval on 30 May of an allocation of support not to exceed €25,000 in respect of the Listowel Writers Festival. My Department has a number of processes for allocating funding to a wide range of artistic and cultural organisations and events. These processes are designed to ensure fairness and, insofar as possible, maximise responsiveness to the needs of the sector. In response to requests for funding for local events each year, individuals and organisations, where possible, are directed to the small-scale local festival and summer school scheme or the Arts Council festival scheme, depending on the size of the event. It should be noted that organisations cannot receive income from both schemes.”
“With regard to farmers, carers and everything else, that will be a matter for the line Ministers in each of the individual Departments. At the moment, my focus is on the questions that are before the House.”
“We are working on that basis. We still have a week to finalise it. On Deputy Gibney's point about the name, during the discussions with artists' representatives they were positively disposed to looking at the possibility of changing the name. A lot of people do not like the word "scheme". Personally, I do not like the word "scheme". I am open to suggestions on it.”
“I will go back to Deputy Ó Snodaigh's point with regard to disability. In the discussions I have already had in the Department with the representative groups, I have made clear my intention that if there is a successor scheme, there will be a clear focus on artists who have a disability in order to make sure they have access to the scheme. They should also be assisted in making an application to the scheme because for many of them, that is in itself a difficulty. To be honest, all of the other questions that have been asked are very laudable but I do not have an answer for them. Whether we will have the same, existing cohort or we will be adding to them, taking away from them or changing the criteria will depend on the amount of money we ultimately have on an annualised basis, assuming a sum of money will be available.”
“To be quite honest about it, "the basic income for the arts scheme" is not necessarily a name I would attribute to a scheme where ultimately, people are working on behalf of the State and producing works that can then lessen the precarious nature of their work. I am open to their suggestions. When I raised it with them, they were very positively disposed to a name change. Of course, that is predicated on if we will get funding and the quantum of the funding.”
“We also did quantitative and qualitative data research, which we published, including the cost-benefit analysis. We have had significant engagement with the campaign for the arts as well, all of which is focused on assessing people's views but also drilling home the value of the scheme, not just to the individual artist but, as Deputy Gibney said, to society and the Government as well. We will continue to do that. Any successor scheme will be predicated, first, on a funding source. The quantum of the funding source will then determine the number of people that will be able to access it, again, having had discussions with the Department of Social Protection and others. I am also of a mind to change the name of the scheme.”
“I will stick with artists for the moment, if that is okay. On the budgetary discussions, I have made it abundantly clear, even in the last line I read out, that I am in favour of the retention of the scheme. However, as Deputy Ó Snodaigh, who has been around a lot longer in this place than I have, knows, I still have to secure a funding source to make sure we have a scheme that can be implemented in the immediate aftermath of February. I will point out that since I arrived in the Department, we have done a number of things, including extending the scheme beyond the end of 2025. It was to run until the end of Christmas. I did not think that was appropriate, so I made our own resources available out of the Department to make sure we could bring it to February.”
“A Government decision will be required on a successor to the pilot. I intend to bring forward proposals for a permanent intervention following budget 2026, assuming funding for a successor is secured, but I have made it clear that I am in favour of a permanent scheme being put in place.”
“An interview report published earlier this year also found recipients have upskilled and invested in quality materials; the opportunity to focus more on their specific creative interests opened new possibilities; and recipients reported the importance of giving back to the community and engaging in collaborations. An externally commissioned cost-benefit paper has just been published by the Department. It shows that the BIA produced over €100 million in social and economic benefits and for every €1 invested in the pilot, society received a return of €1.39. It also found that recipients’ arts-related income increased by over €500 per month on average. Audience engagement with the arts generated an estimated €16.9 million in social value over the three-year pilot. No decision on a successor scheme has been made yet.”
“I recently published a report examining the first 24 months of the scheme, which found that BIA recipients, compared to those not in receipt of the BIA, are: six percentage points more likely to have worked in the arts in the previous six months; spend on average 11 weekly hours more on their creative practice; and are 14 percentage points more likely to have completed new works in the previous six months, on average, completing 3.9 pieces of work more than the control group. They are 15 percentage points less likely to have felt downhearted or depressed; are 16 percentage points less likely to have experienced anxiety; and are more likely to be able to afford basic necessities. Yet, as of October 2024, almost 30% of recipients are experiencing enforced deprivation. The share for the general population in 2024 is 15.7%.”
“Several countries have shown an interest in the policy, with officials from Australia, Wales, South Korea, Canada, Norway, Lithuania, Estonia, northern European arts councils and the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU seeking briefings with regard the policy. Last year, our officials met with Jane Hutt, member of the Welsh Senedd and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, to discuss the strengths and challenges of the income pilot. Wales is currently piloting a scheme for young people leaving care. My officials have also been in contact with arts organisations, researchers, academics, organisations representing the area and university students. The pilot is underpinned by a comprehensive research programme.”
“More recently, the externally commissioned cost-benefit analysis on the scheme was circulated to colleagues in the Department of public expenditure ahead of its publication. Communications with the Department of Social Protection have been ongoing through the pilot. My remit as Minister for the arts is to that sector. The pilot scheme has proven to be an enormous help to the artists receiving it in dealing with the precarious nature of their income, which is work we all benefit from as a society. Other Departments are welcome to view the extensive research that has taken place on the pilot. Ireland is a global leader in the area of artist supports because of the BIA.”
“In order to assess the pilot in the context of the extension and potential preparations for a successor scheme, I instructed officials in the Department to convene a consultative committee, which draws from across Government and includes the Departments of Social Protection, public expenditure and reform, and Finance, along with the Arts Council, Screen Ireland and the County and City Management Association with officials from my Department who have been working on the pilot since the outset. The group met twice this summer. Many reports on the scheme have been published and circulated to members of this committee to keep them fully informed of developments on the BIA as they happen.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 5 together. I thank both Deputies. The programme for Government commits to assessing the basic income for the arts, BIA, pilot research scheme to maximise its impact. I announced an extension of six months, to February 2026, to allow for further assessment of the pilot data and to engage in stakeholder consultation to provide an evidence base for Government to make decisions on the next steps. I launched an online public consultation which closed on 5 September. Over 17,000 submissions were received, of which 97% were in favour of the BIA continuing. A sectoral stakeholder forum also took place on 10 September with approximately 200 attendees from resource organisations and artists represented.”
“The reality is, however, that in the past number of years the number of closures has gone down. This is not just something that is unique to rural areas. We have seen a substantial number of urban offices close as well. The Deputy is right that post offices do not stay open on the basis of sentiment; they stay open on the basis of transactions. There is no point coming to a public meeting to keep a post office open if you have not been in a post office for the past 12 months. That is the reality. Postmasters cannot operate on the basis of sentiment. They have to operate on the basis of transaction and loyalty from the local community.”
“Any decision on offices and outlets is a matter for the company and has been since the foundation of the company, and they are commercial decisions. That being said, when I meet with An Post, and any time I have met An Post, its representatives are very keen to point out that what it has been doing in the recent past, by virtue of the fact that it has gotten significant financial support, is looking to see if there a viable alternative in the immediate area it is prepared to take on. Unfortunately, we have had situations where there have been closures and there have been alternatives, but those alternatives are not willing to take it on, which is their choice. They do not have to take it on but that means if a postmaster is retiring, and an office is closing and nobody else wants to take it on, inevitably, we are looking at closure.”
“That is why the Government has over the past three years given €10 million in support, and that is why we have been engaged with the Irish Postmasters' Union, IPU. This is something we are considering in the context of the budget.”
“We have engaged with the postmasters. I represent a rural community. I know probably as well as the Deputy the value of post offices. The earlier reply alluded to the fact that there is a digital risk with the growth in the number of services that are moving online. The reality is that mail delivery services have gone down dramatically. That poses a risk to the company and we have to be acutely aware of it. While everybody wants to move their services online, that comes then with a challenge to the organisation. The challenge to the organisation is to make sure it can compete, which it does, in other markets, including in parcel delivery in which it is doing a really great job. I understand, however, the context of what the Deputy is saying around it being a social asset as much as anything else.”
“As we progress towards the target of 90% of applicable services consumed online, the framework commits to ensuring that those cohorts who are not in a position to engage online will be better served through a clear plan involving focused supports including skills, infrastructure and assisted digital supports, with consideration of the most appropriate service delivery channels and the development of appropriate and clear consents and protocols. There is potential for the post office network to be a key enabler, therefore, in the implementation of the digital Ireland framework.”
“It is a matter for each Department or agency with responsibility for a service to consider how best to deliver their services. However, while I have no role in services outside of my remit, and cannot transfer such services to An Post, my officials and I will be happy to engage with Departments should they wish to transfer services under their remit. The Government launched Harnessing Digital: The Digital Ireland Framework in 2022 and publishes annual progress reports. One of the aims of the framework is to ensure widespread access and inclusive digital public services, with a target of 90% of services to be consumed online by 2030.”
“An Post then disperses this funding across the post office network, with all contractor post offices benefiting from Government funding with the objective of securing the stability of the network. It should be noted that An Post provides important services to its customers and key government services to citizens, including through commercial contracts with the Department of Social Protection and the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA. The report of the interdepartmental group, which was established to, among other things, examine the feasibility of additional Government services being contracted through An Post and the post office network, was published in 2022. None of the Departments or agencies involved were in a position to offer additional services for delivery by An Post.”
“The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post and post office network as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout Ireland. The programme for Government commits to providing the nationwide network of post offices with funding to ensure their sustainability and enhance the value they bring to local communities. The Department is working to deliver on this commitment, engaging with relevant stakeholders in relation to the securing of a new mandate from the Government to continue funding at an enhanced level, while ensuring an adequate legal basis and compliance with state aid rules. An amount of €10 million per annum is currently being provided over a three-year fixed term from 2023 to 2025 to An Post.”