408. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50797/26]

As stated in my Department's Statement of Strategy 2025-2028, the mission of my Department is to lead and enable the development of the culture, communications, media and sport sectors, to contribute to an Ireland that is active, connected and thriving.

The main policy and legislative priorities for my Department are detailed in the Statement of Strategy 2025-2028 which is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/organisation-information/statement-of-strategy-2025-2028/.

Some of the main achievements of my Department since 22 January 2025, which have helped to advance key priority areas, are outlined below.

Culture and Arts

• Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 and 2026 took place with over 1,000 free creative activities annually for young people.

• Creative Ireland Programme awarded new funding under the following grant schemes between 2026-28: €2.1m for Creative Health and Wellbeing, €1.6m for Creative Communities on a Shared Island and €2.2m under the Creative Youth Nurture Fund.

• A new Creative Climate Action Fund III of €6.5 million was announced in February 2026 in partnership with the Shared Island Initiative and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. This will support imaginative, large-scale creative, cultural and artistic initiatives that help communities engage with climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural change.

• The Creative Ireland Programme’s 2025 Impact Report has been published and is available at the following link: www.creativeireland.gov.ie/creative-ireland-impact-report-2025/

• Commencement of the construction project for the redevelopment of Crawford Art Gallery in Cork.

• National Archives published the records of the 1926 Census. Additionally, the redevelopment project for the National Archives Repository was substantially completed in the first half of 2026.

• Grant funding of €1.4m announced for Culture Ireland’s promotion of Irish arts globally.

• Publication of the Expert Advisory Committee Independent Review of the governance and organisational culture of the Arts Council.

• More than 10,000 applications were received for the new Basic Income for the Arts scheme and assessments are currently taking place.

• Details of the America250 commemorative programme were announced.

• Late-night museum scheme launched in support of the ongoing development of a diverse Night-Time Economy in Ireland. A total of €423k has been awarded to support 47 museums and galleries, including six of the National Cultural Institutions to open later and programme events up until 9pm.

• Funding of €1m allocated to the Grassroots Venue Support Scheme aimed at supporting small established live performance venues. 60 venues around the country have been offered funding of up to €20,000 from the scheme, which is an increase from the 34 venues supported in 2025. In addition, grant recipients include venues platforming Irish comedy and comedians.

• Grant schemes announced for Small Scale Local Festivals and Summer Schools, with a maximum grant of €5,000 available following a competitive application process.

• The report of the Advisory Committee on the Restitution and Reparation of Cultural Heritage was published.

• The Report of the Advisory Committee on Women’s Stories was published in December 2025.

• Launch of UK/Ireland funding of €5m announced for twelve projects under the UK-Ireland Cultural Co-Operation Programme, fulfilling a commitment to establish a strategic partnership to deepen and amplify co-operation between the leading cultural institutions in both countries.

Communications

• The National Broadband Plan marked the completion of NBI’s high-speed fibre broadband deployment in Counties Kilkenny and Longford, with the remaining 24 counties due to be completed this year, bringing the project in on time and budget.

• The total number of Premises passed across the State is over 491,750 with over 180,280 connections completed to date.

• The National Broadband Plan marked the first connections to high-speed fibre broadband on Achill, Arranmore, Bere, Clare, Dursey, Horse, Inishbiggle, Tory and Valentia Islands. The total number of Premises passed across these islands is 4,223, with 890 connections completed to date.

• Funding of €15m per annum over a 5-year fixed period (2026-2030) to support a sustainable, nationwide post office network

• New Sectoral Adaption Plan unveiled to protect Ireland’s communications networks from extreme weather

• Series of measures were put in place to improve resilience and emergency response in the telecommunications sector, including the development of sectoral engagement groups with industry,

• A Terms of Endorsement was established with the managers of .ie, Ireland’s country-code top-level domain name (ccTLD).

• A forum was established to support structured coordination and collaboration between Government and key subsea telecoms cable industry representatives. It will also help progress work to develop preparedness and response structures for subsea telecoms cables incidents which could cause significant disruption to Ireland’s international connectivity.

Media and Broadcasting

• National Counter Disinformation Strategy has been published.

• The Media Regulation Bill and the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill have been published.

• Coimisiún na Meán launched the Digital Transformation Scheme which aims to support the Irish media sector in a time of rapid transition with a focus on digital skills training and technology.

• In May 2026, Coimisiún na Meán opened applications for the first ‘Shared Island Shared Stories’ funding round. The funding round, operated under An Coimisiún’s Sound & Vision Scheme and part of the Shared Island Media Fund, is for broadcasters and independent producers and will support the creation of high-quality programming for television and radio that promotes cultural exchange, exploration of the island’s heritage and cross-border collaboration.

• In 2026, over €15m was awarded by Coimisiún na Meán through five funding schemes (Local Democracy, Courts Reporting, News Reporting, News & Current Affairs on Commercial TV and Digital Transformation) to enhance the public service content offering available to the public and support media organisations across the State. €1m in funding has been provided to Coimisiún na Meán for a new community media scheme, which is due to be launched in Q3 2026.

• Coimisiún na Meán progressed the implementation of Ireland’s online safety framework.

• Increased funding of €5.4m was secured for TG4 in Budget 2026, with provision for a new digital news service.

Sport

• Record investment of €28.5m in high performance Sport for 2026.

• First NFL Game in Ireland delivered €104.5m for the Irish Economy.

• €4m funding for Women in Sport Programme.

• Publication of a new International Sports Diplomacy Framework for Ireland.

• Funding of up to €5.7m was announced to help ensure that the 2027 Ryder Cup produces a lasting legacy in Adare, in the wider Limerick region and in Ireland as a whole.

• Announced the hosting of the first ever disabled golf event “G4D Ryder Cup” as part of Ryder Cup 2027, creating a legacy of future G4D Ryder Cups.

• Record investment of over €33m in core funding support to sporting organisations

• 2,500 payments made valued at over €72m under the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) in 2025 and over 1,600 payments valued at almost €54m in the first 6 months of 2026.

• Confirmation that Ireland will host 7 games of UEFA EURO 2028 including 5 group games, a round of 16 game and a quarter final.

• Commencement of construction in 2026 of the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre and the National Cricket Centre at the Sport Ireland Campus.