Results 121-140 of 24,207 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Seanad: Sport: Statements (16 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: Donegal abú.

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Cathaoirleach and the members for their invitation today. As we outlined at our last committee hearing, the Government is committed to supporting our sporting ecosystem so that people can participate, reap the benefits of sport and fulfil their potential, from grassroots right up to high performance level. In this regard, the Government has invested well over €1 billion...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: We are very committed to continuing to support the post office network. As part of the budgetary process this year, we are engaging with the Department of public expenditure on the renewal of that three-year agreement. It is subject to what happens in the budget itself but it is fair to say that, as the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, and I have outlined previously, we are absolutely committed...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: We were profiling here in the funds and the budget for this year what we expect the drawdown to be this coming year, and we will do the same next year. Looking at the past three or four years, the projections are largely in line with what the expected drawdown might be. So far this year, we have had more drawdowns than we would have otherwise had, so while 1,800 payments were made last...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: We have had a number of engagements with Sport Ireland on the proposal for academy footballers. There is an obvious need there, particularly post-Brexit. Previously, a lot of our under-18 players went to Britain but they can no longer go until they are 18 years of age. We have seen the benefits of that as many of the young players who would otherwise have been across the water are in the...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: In the first instance it will be informed by the audit. Potentially, that will be complete at the end of August. Budget considerations will be made after that.

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: We are looking at all opportunities and potential. However, at the same time we are also considering the state aid technicalities for how the agreement will be renewed and what can and cannot be done as part of that. For example, there may be challenges around offering new services as part of the package. We are looking at how that tallies with maintaining an existing service and providing...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes. We are availing of opportunities to support An Post to provide as many services as possible but we are looking to see how that matches the technical requirements of the renewal of the agreement.

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: The objective is to open a sports capital round next spring and have funding announcements later in the year. Sport Ireland is doing work on assessing the particular gaps that exist in different parts of the country across different sports. The information gathered by that will help to inform us for the next round of the community sports facilities fund. We will also assess how the...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: We want to identify particular needs and try to make sure as best as possible that we address them. The Deputy mentioned boxing which is a case in point. I met the boxing association recently and that is one of the things we discussed. We will work with Sport Ireland and be informed by the work it is doing. We will work with national governing bodies too to try to ensure the support is...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: We would be delighted to but it is obviously subject to the budget. The Government has shown great form and it has been transformative over 20 or 30 years but particularly in recent years with the level of investment. Our objective is to continue with that.

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: It has been an issue. The drawdown has not been as strong as it should have been in the 2019 round. We are putting a focus on working with those who were awarded funding to make sure it is being drawn down because we do not want to see others suffer from an opportunity cost regarding projects that are not moving along. If they do not move, we look to see how the funding can be used...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy is right. This is something we will be giving much closer consideration to. Separate from the work Sport Ireland is undertaking, Swim Ireland is undertaking an audit of swimming pool facilities across the country, how it breaks down between public and private facilities and the capability for them to be accessed to report where the biggest weaknesses are. This is something we...

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: The Minister has a special affinity with this given his location. It is something we are monitoring very closely. We are looking at funding and the profiling of it and will update the Government on the progress of the-----

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: There is. It is being very closely put together and that process is being more intensively managed as we move forward. I am sure the Minister will want to comment on that.

Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 33 - Culture, Communications and Sport (Revised) (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: It is something the Government is very supportive of, as we discussed the last day. The nitty-gritty hard work and graft is under way. I met the GAA again this week and we discussed this matter. It is likely that there will be an ask around funding. It would be unusual for any organisation not to have an ask. It is something that will be considered in the context of how we manage budgets.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Sports Funding (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: Over a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to 3,048 community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 from the 2023 round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF), benefitting over forty sports, as well as multi-sport facilities, throughout the country. This represents the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland. In line with previous rounds of the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Sport and Recreational Development (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: A fundamental aim of the Government’s National Sports Policy 2018-2027 is to increase the levels of participation in sport and physical activity across the population. Achieving a more active society is a key part of the future. The Government is fully committed to ensuring that there is a series of well-conceived and well-funded policy programmes and initiatives are in place to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Projects (15 Jul 2025)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is aware of proposals regarding a Regional Sports Complex in County Laois. However, no application was received in respect of such a proposal under the 2024 round of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) The LSSIF was established to provide support for larger sports facility projects, typically those requiring investments greater than the maximum available under...