Results 3,141-3,160 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Rural Development Plan (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: I am referring to the pilot scheme to get people back into towns and villages. I never mentioned an application process. I said I was looking at developing a pilot scheme, to be rolled out in the latter half of this year, to encourage people to take up residential occupancy in rural towns and villages. The details of the scheme will be finalised through collaboration with relevant...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Rural Development Plan (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: The tax incentive to which the Deputy refers is the help-to-buy scheme and that relates to first-time buyers of newly-built homes. I am referring to something completely different, about trying to get people back in to the centre of towns to live. I will roll out a pilot scheme in the latter half of this year. The pilot scheme will examine grant-aiding people who want to move into vacant...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Rural Development Plan (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: Can I answer that?

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Rural Development Plan (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: Go raibh maith agat. I am working to devise that scheme. It is being worked on and if the Deputy has any suggestions I would be glad to hear them. It is a pilot scheme that will be rolled out in the latter half of this year. The details are to be decided.

Other Questions: National Museum (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: The National Cultural Institutions Act 1997 establishes the National Museum of Ireland as an autonomous body. As Minister, I have no involvement in the day-to-day running of the National Museum of Ireland. Section 29 of the Act provides that the director of the museum shall carry on, manage and control generally the administration and business of the museum and perform such other functions...

Other Questions: National Museum (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: I am very satisfied that the correct governance is in place. There is a board there and the oversight by the board. I cannot interfere with those functions of the museum which are properly those of the board and the director. I cannot get involved in the day-to-day running of the museum. It is not my job to do it and I do not intend to do it. The HR issues to which the Deputy refers are...

Other Questions: National Museum (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: It is a matter for the board and management of the museum. I am not going to get involved in the day-to-day running of the museum. It is independent in that respect. I understand the chair of the board has been in contact with the Deputy and is keen for engagement, as are the members of the Oireachtas joint committee, in terms of addressing future developments at the museum.

Other Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: This is the first plan of its kind to take a cohesive and co-ordinated approach across the whole of Government to economic and rural development. Over the three-year period of the action plan for rural development, the Government will invest a significant level of funding in programmes which will support rural Ireland. Many of the funding components are new, or have only been announced in...

Other Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: The €60 million for investment in towns and villages to which the Deputy referred is only one aspect of this plan. There are many other aspects to it and billions of euro are being invested in rural Ireland. The Deputy referred to roads and infrastructure. They are a matter for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. There are commitments in the plan regarding rural and...

Other Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: Last week, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, announced a 9% increase in the allocation for local and regional roads. The Minister of State at that Department, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, opened the sports capital programme with €30 million are available nationwide. The Deputy will, as do I, appreciate the significance of the sports capital programme to local...

Other Questions: Post Office Network (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: An action plan for rural Ireland.

Other Questions: Rural Development Plan (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: The Action Plan for Rural Development is the first whole-of-Government strategy aimed at people living and working in rural Ireland. It aims to unlock the potential of rural Ireland through a framework of supports at national and local level which will ensure that people who live in rural Ireland have increased opportunities for employment locally and access to public services and social...

Other Questions: Rural Development Plan (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: The answer to the Deputy's second question is "Yes". The plan contains 276 time-bound actions, with responsibility for each action assigned to a relevant Department and-or agency. Implementation of the actions will be monitored closely and progress reports will be published every six months on the delivery of each action and the addition of new actions in response to new challenges and...

Other Questions: Rural Development Plan (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: I work closely with local authorities through which we have rolled out the town and village enhancement scheme and the Clár and rural recreation programmes. We will continue to work with them in implementing the action plan. This will be important as they are often the key to local communities. The plan takes a ground-up approach in which communities will devise plans based on what...

Other Questions: Tourism Policy (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: Maximising our rural tourism and recreation potential is one of the key pillars of the Government's action plan for rural development. The plan will act as an overarching structure for the co-ordination and implementation of initiatives across Government that will benefit rural Ireland. Tourism is of key importance to the economic wellbeing of rural Ireland and the sector supports many...

Other Questions: Tourism Policy (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: I have a brief one. The matter of the tourism official is a matter for the local authority. Perhaps the Deputy will liaise with the local authority in that regard. Much work is being done on tourism in counties Sligo and Leitrim. Some €100,000 was made available to the authorities in Carrick-on-Shannon to develop a Taste Leitrim food and enterprise zone. I have seen how...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Greenways Development (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: The Tourism sector supports many thousands of jobs in rural areas and the Action Plan for Rural Development recognises that the sector offers further opportunities to support economic development in rural communities. The Plan sets out 50 actions designed to maximise our rural tourism and recreation potential. It also places a particular emphasis on the development and promotion of Activity...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Capital Expenditure Programme (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is providing €8m for the first phase in a three-phase capital development plan to address deficiencies in the National Archives premises in Bishop Street and is working with the National Archives and the OPW to advance this project. The OPW has appointed a design team to the project and work is ongoing to finalise the design. It is expected that this will be completed...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Heritage Promotion (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: The Heritage Council, in collaboration with my Department, has led the development of a best practice approach to the development of Community-Led Village Design Statements. In tandem with a number of local authorities and village communities, the Council has prepared a toolkit which was launched in October 2012 at the inaugural community-led workshop. In many ways, the approach followed is...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Funding (31 Jan 2017)

Heather Humphreys: I was very pleased to be able to provide €1 million in capital funding from my Department for the development of the new Irish Arts Center in New York. The Irish Arts Center is one of two key partners which promote Irish arts abroad and which my Department supports on an ongoing basis through the Culture Ireland programme. The other is the Centre Culturel in Paris. In both cases my...