Results 2,461-2,480 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Other Questions: Film Industry (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I have met with the chairperson of RTE and we had a very positive meeting. RTE wishes to work in a collaborative manner. We had significant collaboration with RTE for the 2016 commemorations. I note what the Deputy said about the expenditure by film companies, which is very good news for this country. The tax value of the Government's support for the film industry is €85 million...

Other Questions: National Monuments (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I fully understand that Moore Street is a location of great importance for many people and for many different reasons. There is a range of views about what is the best way forward for the street and what can be done to retain its historic character and to reflect the part it played in the events of Easter 1916. In a bid to bring together those views and seek positive progress on the future...

Other Questions: National Monuments (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The High Court decision has much wider implications than Moore Street. I took advice from a number of Departments and brought a memo to Cabinet, where it was decided that it was necessary to appeal the decision. To clarify, I will ask Dublin City Council to nominate a representative councillor to sit on the stakeholders' group. I also intend to have representatives of the 1916 relatives...

Other Questions: National Monuments (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The committee will be formed and a meeting will be held within the coming weeks. A chairman has been appointed and we will work with the Dáil reform committee to assist in the selection of Dáil Members to sit on the forum. I anticipate that Members who have an interest in the issue will put themselves forward to the consultative group. This is a genuine attempt to get all the...

Other Questions: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The programme for a partnership Government contains a very important commitment to work progressively to increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve. I assure the Deputy that I will be engaging with my colleagues in Government and with the Oireachtas to seek to advance this commitment in the context of the forthcoming...

Other Questions: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: What I can confirm to the Deputy is that almost 50% of my entire budget in arts, heritage, regional, rural and Gaeltacht affairs is for the arts. As I said in my reply, the programme for a partnership Government commits to increasing funding for the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy improves. This is the most effective way to provide support for...

Other Questions: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I have met the National Campaign for the Arts. We had a very positive meeting and I look forward to working with them. I recently met the Arts Council and had another positive meeting there. Everybody who comes into my Department is looking for increases in budgets. I would like to give everybody the increase they want. However, that is a matter that I will be pursuing in the budgetary...

Other Questions: Leader Programmes (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am pleased to note that I will launch the Leader programme at an event in Virginia, County Cavan, tomorrow morning. My Department has issued funding agreements to local action groups in 21 of the 28 sub-regional areas designated under the Leader programme and I expect that most, if not all, of these local action groups will be in a position to...

Other Questions: Leader Programmes (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy mentioned funding that we have set aside for Leader this year. As savings emerge, it is my plan to build on the success of the rural economic development zones pilot scheme. I hope to announce details of a REDZ scheme to facilitate the initiation of the new REDZ project. If there are savings I will be keeping in close contact with my colleague, the Minister for Public...

Other Questions: Leader Programmes (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I will be seeking an increase in Leader funding under the budgetary process, as per the commitment in that regard in the programme of Government. There are many good schemes in rural Ireland. The Minister of State, Deputy Ring, and I will review the schemes and we will do all we can to ensure this funding goes to rural Ireland. The regional employment development scheme piloted last...

Other Questions: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 13 together. I am delighted with the success to date of the Ireland 2016 centenary programme, which I was very pleased to launch with the Taoiseach last year. The citizens of Ireland and our young people in particular have engaged with the programme in huge numbers through its various elements. The programme particularly resonated at local level...

Other Questions: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Yes. We had a successful diaspora programme within the 2016 commemoration programme which I would like to build on. It gave us an opportunity to showcase our tremendous wealth of culture and arts abroad. I want to continue that engagement, which was overseen by Culture Ireland, which developed the Mise Éire/I am Ireland programme. A huge amount of work was also undertaken by our...

Other Questions: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I agree with the Deputy about the schools programme. This was a very successful programme where our national flag was delivered to every primary school in the country by a member of the Defence Forces. I acknowledge the role the Defence Forces played in the commemorations. There was a great sense of pride on Easter Sunday when we saw our Defence Forces march down O'Connell Street. They...

Other Questions: National Heritage Plan (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: It is my intention to develop and publish an updated national heritage plan. I am looking at how best to do this. The plan has a number of different components and a lot of work has gone into it, including the national landscape strategy, the peatlands strategy and the national biodiversity plan. I will consult stakeholders and I want to work very closely with the Heritage Council in terms...

Other Questions: National Heritage Plan (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Heritage Bill was ready to go into Committee Stage during the term of the previous Government and stopped in the Seanad on Committee Stage. I have requested of the Seanad that we recommence the Bill there. I am waiting on a date to continue with the Bill. It covers the canal by-laws, about which there has been consultation. Other Deputies have raised this with me. It is on Committee...

Other Questions: National Heritage Plan (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: It is part of the Heritage Bill, which addresses many of the issues raised with me. I do not have any plans to produce a separate stand-alone Bill. It has yet to come to the Dáil and go through Committee Stage in the relevant select committee. I will be happy to hear the Deputy's views on the Bill at that stage. It falls under my remit under Waterways Ireland and a tremendous amount...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Regeneration Projects (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Ireland’s towns and villages are the focus of the social, commercial and civic life of their wider communities. Research conducted by the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) has, however, shown that rural towns have felt the impact of the economic challenges of recent years more acutely than cities and larger urban centres. This significant deterioration of...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for a Partnership Governmentcontains a very important commitment to work to progressively increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve. I can assure the Deputy that I will be engaging with my colleagues in Government and with the Oireachtas to seek to advance this commitment in the context of the...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Broadband Service Provision (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The National Broadband Plan aims to conclusively address Ireland’s connectivity challenges, by ensuring that every premises in the country has access to high speed broadband services. This is being achieved through measures to incentivise and accelerate industry investment, and an ambitious investment programme by the State, in areas where industry will not invest. The Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Waterways Issues (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Waterways Ireland has been actively progressing the development of Blueways as a means to attract new visitors to use the waterways and in response to the growth in demand for recreational activities such as walking, canoeing, cycling and stand up paddle boarding. The first Blueway was launched in October 2014 on the Shannon and it has been very successful. It links Drumshanbo with...