Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

To answer Deputy Ó Cuív's question on the roles and responsibilities I will have, I have to sit down with the Minister, Deputy Ring, but I will have the same responsibilities that the former Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, had in the Department, which are the areas of rural development and responsibility for the oversight of the work of the Western Development Commission and of the Atlantic economic corridor task force. I will have functions relating to the Department's input into rural broadband, the national planning framework, an overview of funding schemes, including dormant accounts, the scheme to support national organisations, SSNO, and the community and voluntary funding schemes. I will also be involved in the development of the public participation networks, the citizen engagement policy, the forum on philanthropy, and the social innovation fund. I will have responsibility for the Charities Regulatory Authority and the Control of Dogs Act 1986. I do not know if I will have more responsibilities or if the Minister will take any away from me.