1535. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide a detailed breakdown of his Department’s budget for the EU Presidency; the details of any planned gifts for attendees and dignitaries; details of any branded merchandise purchased; the details of events planned by his Department throughout the duration of the Presidency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58602/26]

The Revised Estimates Volume 2026 provided an additional €4m allocation to my Department through Culture Ireland to support the development and roll-out of the Presidency Culture Programme across a number of strands both at home and abroad. This was launched and published recently and details of all elements of the Programme can be found at https://www.irelandculture2026.eu/. My Department is working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of the Taoiseach, the National Cultural Institutions, agencies and bodies in the arts and culture sector to ensure that the programme is memorable and in line with overall Presidency themes.

In addition, the Revised Estimates Volume 2026 provided an allocation of €4m for the EU Presidency costs for my Department. This is the estimated cost for the following:

• Costs associated with up to 10 events in Ireland which my Department is responsible for during the Presidency across the culture, media, telecommunications, postal and sporting areas. These include conferences, senior official level meetings, cultural visits and a Ministerial level meeting.

- Meeting of Telecoms Attachés –16 & 17 July in Dublin

- Conference on On-line Safety for Children and Young People – 10 &11 September in Dublin

- Meeting of EU Directors General for Communications – 17 & 18 September in Dublin

- Meeting of EU Directors General for Sport – 21 September in Dublin

- Presidency Conference on Traditional Sports and Games – 22 September in Dublin

- Informal meeting of Telecommunications Ministers – 12 & 13 October in Limerick

- Meeting of the European Archives Group/European Board of National -20 & 21 October in Dublin

- Meeting of Creative Europe Desks – October in Dublin - 30 October

- General Assembly of European Film Agency Directors (EFAD) 2026 – 4 November in Co.Louth

- DLM Forum – 3-5 November in Dublin (DLM stands for Data Lifecycle Management).

We are also supporting events associated with the Presidency in Brussels as required.

The funding also covers:

• Support for outreach and engagement activities which will be designed to ensure that information is shared with the public and that our stakeholders are actively engaged with the Presidency.

• Additional travel and subsistence costs associated with the additional travel to Brussels and other international destinations as part of my Department’s Presidency related responsibilities.

• Additional staff in the Permanent Representation in Brussels and additional policy and event management staff in my own Department. These staff members are supporting the additional and significant workload involved in managing the various legislative files involved in the hosting of the Presidency including the chairing of multiple working group meetings and the development and oversight of the events based in Ireland which my Department is hosting.

As is customary for the Presidency, my Department has procured a modest, locally sourced gift for individual Heads of Delegations for the Informal Ministerial Meeting in Limerick in line with guidance produced by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Individual gifts were also provided to the outgoing Chairs of the four Working Parties and the relevant Councils within my Department’s policy remit. It is also planned to give Heads of Delegation at relevant meetings gifts which have been centrally procured and provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

This is an important opportunity for Ireland to lead and shape the European agenda, and my Department is committed to supporting the whole-of-Government effort to deliver a successful Presidency while ensuring we do so sustainably and as cost effectively as possible.