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| TD | Party |
|---|---|
 Niall Collins | Fianna Fáil |
 Richard O'Donoghue | Independent Ireland |
 Patrick O'Donovan | Fine Gael |
Written answer ›
Niall Collins
Coillte was established as a commercial state company with private limited status under the Forestry Act, 1988, to become custodian and manager of the national forest estate. The company is currently managing 440,000 hectares of land (7% of the total land area of Ireland), and…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
Under section 46 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, approves any superannuation schemes…
Written answer ›
Niall Collins
The formulation of the Forestry Programme post-2027 is currently underway. My Department is working actively to ensure the inclusion of diverse stakeholder perspectives across the forestry sector, and that future forestry policy and programme design are informed by robust…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
In February this year I announced that the Government had approved a permanent successor to the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme and that 2,000 artists would be provided with funding of €325 per week for three years. This is a major milestone for the arts in Ireland and I…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
Major international sporting events can play a key role in increasing sporting participation, boosting domestic and international tourism and promoting Ireland as a destination for education and business opportunities. They present a wonderful opportunity to showcase the island…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
There is a long-standing principle that costs of regulation are met by regulated sectors themselves, and therefore, the Broadcasting Act provides for the imposition by Coimisiún na Meán of levies to meet the costs of its full range of statutory functions and duties. Furthermore…
Niall Collins
Thankfully, we do not do government by referendum in this country. We have seen how that has worked out for others - not so well. This is a democratically elected Government following through on a commitment, a commitment we made because we needed this reform. The need for this…
Written answer ›
Niall Collins
Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if there is an intense pulsed light laser and ocular surface scanner in Nenagh General Hospital, Nenagh, County Tipperary.
Written answer ›
Niall Collins
My Department administers a felling licence system whereby the felling of trees generally requires a licence, as per Section 7 of the Forestry Act 2014. Reforestation after felling is essential to prevent deforestation, which, amongst other things, would counteract the benefits…
Written answer ›
Niall Collins
Coillte was established as a commercial state company with private limited status under the Forestry Act, 1988, to become custodian and manager of the national forest estate. The company is currently managing 440,000 hectares of land (7% of the total land area of Ireland), and…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
In February this year I announced that the Government had approved a permanent successor to the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme and that 2,000 artists would be provided with funding of €325 per week for three years. This is a major milestone for the arts in Ireland and I…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
Under the Arts Act 2003, the Arts Council has primary responsibility for the development of the arts in Ireland and I have managed to secure record funding for the Arts Council of over €143.5 million for the Arts Council from my Department in Budget 2027. The Arts Council…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
The potential expansion of opening hours for National Cultural Institutions is primarily a question for each National Cultural Institution itself, and decisions regarding opening hours cannot be made by my Department on their behalf. There are numerous factors which can impact on…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
Since the establishment of the Department in June 2025, the number of full-time equivalent staff within the Climate Action Unit of this Department for the years 2025 and 2026 to date, is as follows: In line with the Public Sector Climate Action Strategy, the Department…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
As has been set out previously, the allocations to each public body or initiative under the Department’s remit, including that for RTÉ, were based on the total available funding, in the context of the competing demands across the Department. While an amount of €240 million, equal…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
As Minister, I have made it a priority to secure the investment our culture, communications, media and sport sectors need to grow and thrive. The allocation of €1.298 billion supports my priorities for the Department, including the Basic Income for the Arts successor scheme…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
ellio CX (formally Capita Business Support Services Ireland), trading as Eircode assigns new Eircodes to building addresses using a valid postal address and verified geo-locations. All postal addresses and geo-locations are provided to Eircode from authoritative sources, namely…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
The legislative basis for the television licence is set out in Part 9 of the Broadcasting Act 2009. Section 145 of the Act assigns An Post as the issuing agent for the television licence. Under this section, An Post is empowered to, on behalf of the Minister, issue licences…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
The employment of Diversity and Inclusion Officers in non-commercial state bodies and independent regulators under the aegis of my Department, and the human and financial resources dedicated to the Diversity and Inclusion function, are operational HR matters in the first instance…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
The regulation of online platforms for harmful and illegal content is provided for under the Online Safety Framework, comprising the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, the EU Digital Services Act, the EU AI Act and the Terrorist Content Online Regulation. Coimisiún na…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
Under the Arts Act 2003, the Arts Council has primary responsibility for the development of the arts in Ireland. I have asked the Arts Council to make direct contact with the Deputy in relation to the question. Please contact my private office if you do not hear from the Council…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
I would like to advise the Deputy that my Department's Policy and Procedures in relation to Protected Disclosures is available on its website, and was updated in February 2026…
Written answer ›
Niall Collins
Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Youth to advise regarding a school project (details supplied).
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
In July 2024 the Government decided that the current TV licence system would be retained, underpinned by improvements in collection and compliance to maximise revenue generation. To that end, the Technical Working Group (TWG) on the Reform and Enhancement of the Television…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
I mí na Bealtaine i mbliana cheadaigh an Rialtas foilsiú an Bhille Craolacháin (Leasú), 2026. Ceann de ghnéithe an Bhille is ea foráil maidir le sásra feabhsaithe chun measúnú a dhéanamh ar fheidhmíocht RTÉ agus TG4 agus ar an maoiniú is cuí dóibh. Tá an ghné seo den Bhille…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
The Sport Ireland Campus Masterplan provides an ambitious blueprint setting out a vision and framework for the growth of the Sport Ireland Campus over the next 15 to 20 years. Significant progress has been made in recent years, with the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre…
Written answer ›
Patrick O'Donovan
The change in capital allocations relates principally to Shared Island allocations which will be addressed in the Revised Estimates Volume. I anticipate that final capital allocations for 2027 will be broadly in line with the 2026 allocation.