Results 2,241-2,260 of 2,335 for speaker:Joe O'Brien

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Rural proofing is an approach to help ensure that the development of major policy initiatives are viewed through a rural lens to take full consideration of rural perspectives and issues. Rural proofing is not a policy or a model. Rather, it is a process to be undertaken that leads to better policies. Last year, my Department published a body of research on rural proofing which is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Government's objective is to have balanced regional development across the country, and the national planning framework sets out the Government's objective for this with 50% of population growth targeted outside our major cities. The NPR is currently under review by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Our Rural Future, the Government's rural development plan,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I would underline the national broadband roll-out and the Local Link expansion. On the broader issue of rural proofing, while I think this document is going to help when it is published, one of the strongest things we have in Government to help us rural-proof things is that we have a Department of Rural and Community Development. What that means, obviously, is there is a senior Minister at...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Island Communities (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for the question. I have good news this morning. I am pleased to advise that the transfer of land on which the Inishbofin airstrip is situated has been completed as of today. The Deputy will recall that these lands were acquired by Galway County Council by way of compulsory purchase order, which was originally initiated over 20 years ago. The Chief State Solicitor's...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Island Communities (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: As the Deputy might suspect, I do not have details on the HSE plans. This project will pass to it soon in terms of further questions. My officials and Galway County Council have worked continuously to progress the pier developments on Inis Oírr and Inis Meáin. I can confirm that progress has been made in recent months. In July last year, the Minister gave approval to issue a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Island Communities (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I will do that. Regarding Inis Oírr, I understand the county council is working on the final business case, with a view to submitting it to my Department next month. On Inis Meáin, the current status of the feasibility study is that the closing date for the submission of tenders was 20 September. The responses are currently being assessed, with a view to appointing a consultant...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 75 and 76 together. Launched in 2022, the town centre first, TCF, policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the vision outlined in Our Rural Future for a thriving rural Ireland. It does this by providing a framework to facilitate and resource the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: One of the best ways I can describe to the Deputy the potential of the town centre first policy is from what I have seen in my own area. Much of it is capital investment for sure, but the starting phase of much of it was actually consultation with the local community who knew their town best. That happened in Lusk. There was huge consultation and huge input. People are obviously very...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I do not have a list of all the incentives that are in the Department of housing, but there are incentives for that over-the-shop vacancy and other recent incentives. On the town centre first scheme, local knowledge and consultation with the community has to be the basis of it. My understanding of the allocation to Kilrush is that it is to feed into the development of a plan. Obviously,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Island Communities (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Our Living Islands: National Island Policy 2023-2033 was launched in June of last year on the Gaeltacht island of Árainn Mhór, County Donegal. Our Living Islands is a substantial document; a ten-year policy backed up by rolling three-year action plans. It has time-bound commitments so that Departments and agencies across Government can be held to account for its implementation....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Island Communities (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I am happy to take back the Deputy's request for an update on the expected publication date of the planning guidelines. There are specific housing incentive supports for the islands, including to address dereliction. My Department provides subsidies for additional transport costs involved for islanders. That was reviewed during the cost-of-living crisis and in some cases it was increased...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Island Communities (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I fully agree with the Deputy. We must protect the islands and bring life back into them. They are a part of our national identity as well. I very much agree with his point on tourism, which is more developed on some islands than others. I was on the Aran Islands last summer, where tourism is very well developed. I was more recently on Cape Clear in Cork as well. We have made some very...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Supports are available across my Department's broad range of funding programmes to build the capacity of groups to engage in application processes. The social inclusion and community activation programme is the Government's primary social inclusion intervention. The newest iteration features a dedicated core area of community animation, focusing on building capacity in community...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: A couple of points occur to me. If I do not get to them all, I will do it in follow-up. There is a responsibility, if the Deputy is talking specifically about community centres, on the local authority which needs to engage with its local community. I know there is a good community department in Cork and I know a few of the people in there who would be committed. I also know the area of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I am identifying an immediate need and a long-term need. Building projects take time. If there is a site and the council is engaged with it, we are on for talking to them. We now have the community centre investment fund. It is oversubscribed, but there is an option. There are other options with possible smaller allocations. One thing I will put out there when it comes to immediate...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Yes, that comes up and we can engage with them on it. There are ways around it. A lot of schools open up and some do not, but there is an onus on schools. They are not just education facilities. They are key pieces of infrastructure in the wider community. There may be potential there. I do not know the specifics of the school.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 79 together. The local improvement scheme supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not usually maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring the LIS is funded into the future. In April of this year, funding of more than €40 million for the 2024 and 2025 schemes...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputies. There was a recent review of eligibility. The scheme eligibility criteria were amended for 2024. Eligible road projects are those that involve the improvement of non-public roads which provide access to two or more parcels of land that are owned or occupied by different persons, one of whom must be using it for agricultural purposes or harvesting. Evidence of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: The Deputy will appreciate that I might not have the answers to all of the questions he has asked. As the LIS is not my dedicated function, I am not all over the detail. He asked about the level of drawdown by Cork County Council. My understanding is that the council fell short some years back but has improved its drawdown rate more recently. I will get some facts for the Deputy on that....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (10 Oct 2024)

Joe O'Brien: We will get back to the Deputy with some detail on that.