Statement by Minister Catherine Martin on Budget 2024
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
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Good afternoon all.
I am pleased have the opportunity to address you today in relation to the total allocation of €1.17 billion to my department in Budget 2024, and to outline some of the measures that will sustain, enhance, and develop the sectors for which I have responsibility.
My departmental colleague Minister Byrne will address specific measures around Sport. Minister O’Donovan sends his apologies as he is unable to attend today’s conference. I will focus on the sectors of Tourism, Culture, Gaeltacht and Media.
The sectors overseen by my department have great impact across society and they have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of, first, the COVID-19 crisis, and then increases in the cost of living.
It has been a priority for me to ensure that we can respond to these, and other challenges in a robust and sustainable manner. Budget 2024 maintains and increases funding across a wide range of key initiatives. A once off allocation of €57 million in current funding has been provided along with an increased allocation of €40 million in core current expenditure. In addition, a further €4 million in capital uplift under the National Development Plan along with just over €10 million under Shared Island initiatives across culture, Gaeltacht and tourism sectors.
For Tourism, the 2024 budget allocation of €216 million Budget allows for continued assistance to the sector, in particular those regions and businesses most affected by the downstream impacts of tourism accommodation stock displacement as a result of our national support for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. While the sector has recovered strongly over the past year, challenges remain and I am pleased to have retained much of the exceptional additional funding secured last year to help the sector to build to full recovery. I am also looking to the longer term in assisting the tourism sector to increase its focus on and action in relation to climate change.
To this end I will be directing €10 million of funding to focus on sustainability and in particular the implementation of policy measures to help tourism businesses in the worst affected regions. This funding will be directed at specific actions to support those businesses in areas such as domestic marketing with a sustainability focus, digitisation and recruitment and retention. As part of this, I have also asked Fáilte Ireland to consider the scope specific business support schemes that could help the most affected tourism activities and attractions and to report back to me on options and recommendations in four weeks’ time.
Budget 2024 will provide €5 million for Sustainable Tourism, €3 million of which is being allocated to Fáilte Ireland to help tourism businesses to improve their energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. €2 million will assist Tourism Ireland develop its overseas brand development and marketing to target value-adding tourists and presenting compelling and authentic reasons to travel to those regions most impacted by the tourism accommodation stock displacement.
I have maintained additional funding of €10 million for overseas marketing of Ireland as a leading holiday destination. Sustaining marketing campaigns at current levels will be crucial to ensure Ireland’s holds its strong share of voice for longer-term success in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
In relation to Arts and Culture, Irish artists are reaching new heights in terms of international recognition, whether this be in the Booker Prize long and short lists or at the Oscars this year. This is the result of sustained investment in arts and culture in recent years and I am pleased therefore that funding totalling €367.406 million has been secured for this sector for 2024:
This funding also allows my department to continue to support activity in relation to:
Gaeltacht
Fáiltím roimh an tacaíocht atá aontaithe ag an Rialtais don Ghaeltacht agus don Ghaeilge i gcoitinne. Tá mé sásta méadú (4%) ceathair fán gcéad ar mhaoiniú d’earnáil na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta a thuairisciú, méadú a thugann go níos mó ná €100m (céad milliúin Euro) an infheistíocht a bheidh á déanamh ag mo Roinn san earnáil an bhliain seo chugainn, beag beann ar an maoiniú breise a bheidh ag dul go TG4.
Leis an maoiniú a bheidh ar fáil don earnáil in fiche fiche ceathair (2024), cuirfear réimse leathan beartas i bhfeidhm taobh istigh agus taobh amuigh den Ghaeltacht.
Caithfimid cuimhneamh go bhfuil méadú thar chuimse tagtha ar bhuiséad mo Roinne don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht ó tháinig an Rialtas seo isteach. Cuireadh timpeall 78m (seachtó ocht milliún Euro) ar fáil don earnáil i mBuiséad 2021 le hais an bheagnach céad milliúin a bheidh ar fáil di an bhliain seo chugainn. Anuas air sin, tá an Rialtas seo tar éis maoiniú a chur ar fáil do TG4 chun an stáisiún nua do pháistí, Cúla4, a bhunú.
Tá an bunsraith leagtha síos againn agus táthar ag dul a tógáil air sin i 2024.
Tá an méadú go €14.45m (ceithre mhillúin déag, ceithre chéad caoga mile Euro) ar leithdháileadh caipitil iomlán Údarás na Gaeltachta do 2023 coinnithe do 2024. Anuas air sin, tá maoiniú breise de €1.1m (aon ponc a haon millún Euro) á chur ar fáil d’Údarás na Gaeltachta i 2024 chun feidhm rialachais na heagraíochta a láidriú – cur chuige atá stuama, dar liom, agus tús á chur anois le cainteanna maidir le buiséad caipitil na heagraíochta do na blianta amach romhainn.
Beidh tacaíocht breise ar fáil do scéimeanna um chuimsiú sóisialta do 2024. Leanfaidh mo Roinn ag maoiniú na scéime DEIS Gaeltachta i 2024. Chomh maith leis sin, cuirfear €500,000 breise ar fáil chun tacú le cohórt níos leithne daoine óga ó chúlraí faoi mhíbhuntáiste ar mhian leo freastal ar chúrsa samhraidh sa Ghaeltacht.
Beidh (€1m) milliún Euro breise ar fáil i Scéimeanna Tacaíochta Gaeilge mo Roinne ar mhaithe le scéim nua a chur ar bun a thacóidh le múinteoirí scoile agus oibrithe in earnáil an luathoideachais barrfeabhas a chur ar a gcuid scileanna teanga.
Anuas air sin, tá €0.5m in airgead caipitil curtha ar fáil do na Scéimeanna Tacaíochta Gaeilge chun a chumasú do mo Roinn tús a chur leis an obair fhorbartha ar cheanncheathrú Chonradh na Gaeilge ag Uimhir 6 Sráid Fhearchair.
Bunú líne nua buiséid €1 milliún in 2023 chun dlús a chur le cur chun feidhme Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú) 2021, d’fhonn spriocanna uaillmhianacha earcaíochta a leagtar amach ann a bhaint amach. Cuirfear allúntas breise de €0.5m (leath mhilliún Euro) ar fáil don obair seo i 2024 le tacú le hiarrachtaí mo Roinne forálacha an Acht Teanga nua a neadú trasna an státchóras agus chun feasacht ina leith a chruthú i measc an phobail. Tá teachtaireacht thar a bheith dearfach againn anois maidir leis na deiseanna fostaíochta atá ar fáil dóibh siúd a bhfuil an Ghaeilge acu agus caithfimid an teachtaireacht sin a scaipeadh go foirleathan.
Tosóimid sa bhliain Fiche Fiche Ceathair (2024) le fuinneamh athnuaite agus le fios a bheith againn gur féidir linn a bheith ag súil le forbairt leanúnach na Gaeilge agus na bpobal Gaeltachta.
Media
Funding for the Media and Broadcasting sector in 2024 will total €304.373 million.
Increased funding of €4.8 million to TG4, allowing for a 2024 allocation of €57 million. This is a total increase of almost €20 million since 2019. This funding will allow TG4 to support delivery of their strategy, and ensuring the provision of high-quality Irish language audio-visual content. This investment also provides for the consolidation of the new Cúla4 service which will enable the commissioning of additional content for children as a priority audience.
A key element of the Future of Media Commission recommendations was the establishment of a new Media Fund, extending supports beyond the television and radio sectors to provide supports to the entire media sector on a platform-neutral basis. €6 million is being provided for the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme and the Courts Reporting Scheme, both of which are at an advanced stage of development and will be delivered in 2024. These schemes will enable media outlets to provide enhanced coverage of issues of concern to local communities.
As recommended by the Future of Media Commission, and underpinned by the more recent NewERA analysis, Minister Donohoe and I acknowledge the need to provide interim funding of €16 million to RTÉ as required, and this will be dealt with post budget. Any further funding will be considered later in the year when we receive their Strategic vision.
Minister of State Byrne will speak shortly on the increased funding to sport in Budget 2024, however, I would like to say that I am particularly pleased to allocate additional funding to Sport Ireland to increase women’s participation at all levels and across all sports. The doubling of funding for Women in Sport is a great example of my department’s cross-cutting priorities of inclusion, access and diversity in action.
I am confident that the ongoing commitments to my department reflected in the 2024 allocation will lead to a stable and strengthened tourism industry, a vibrant an exciting arts and culture sector, continued national and international success sporting prowess and participation, greater flourishing of the Irish language, and a safer, more transparent, and reinvigorated media sector.
Go raibh maith agaibh.