Writers Guild of Ireland (Writers Guild of Ireland)

Lobbying Organisation Writers Guild of Ireland

Date published 31 Aug, 2026

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Arts

Period 1 May. 2026 to 31 Aug. 2026

Specific Details Lobbying Minister Patrick O'Donovan for the introduction of a Content / AVMS levy

Intended results Upon learning that the government had once again decided to shelve plans for the content levy, our organisation intended to highlight the benefits such a levy would have on the domestic film and television industry. We invited the minister to meet with us on the subject in order to further make our case, and learn more about the barriers, as the government would see them, to its introduction.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Ciarán Hayden, WGI Executive Director

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (1)

The email was sent by the WGI Executive Directors on behalf of the WGI Board, and all 850+ WGI members on the island of Ireland. We expressed disappointment at the minister's decision, and also expressed our frustration that he has so far ignored our requests to meet in-person to discuss the topic.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Patrick O'Donovan Minister (Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media)