Results 881-900 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

National Drugs Strategy. (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Deputy will be permitted to speak for two minutes if he speaks in Irish.

Housing Grants. (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The demand for housing grants under the Housing (Gaeltacht) Acts has not increased in the past few years. Indeed, following increases in the number of applications from 1,025 in 1998 to a high of 1,486 in 2000, the numbers have fallen back incrementally to 911 in 2004. It is expected that the number of applications this year will be comparable with last year. This is a reflection of the...

Housing Grants. (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There is a simple explanation for the numbers. The Deputy might remember that my predecessor, Deputy Michael D. Higgins, ended the grants except for over 65 year olds but, to cut a long story short, they were restored following some issue with the Ombudsman. I agree with the Deputy that it is a fantastic scheme. There are a number of attractions. The amount of money concerned is fairly small...

Housing Grants. (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I do not think so. There was a rule change. In the old days if one did not live in the Gaeltacht at the time of application, one could not get the grant. We changed that rule and said we would sanction the grant even if the individual was not living in the Gaeltacht at the time of application but that we would not pay it until he or she was permanently resident there. We found, for example,...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There is currently a total of 1,702 participants on the rural social scheme with the breakdown per county, based on participants addresses, as shown in the table. County Number of Participants Carlow 7 Cavan 65 Clare 85 Cork 88 Donegal 129 Galway 232 Kerry 165 Kildare 4 Kilkenny 5 Laois 9 Leitrim 78 Limerick 35 Longford 36 Mayo 402 Meath 4 ...

Written Answers — Rural Development: Rural Development (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: In February 2004, I established Comhairle na Tuaithe to address issues relating to waymarked ways and access. This decision followed consideration by the rural-agri-tourism advisory group of a report presented by the consultation group on access to waymarked ways. The establishment of a countryside council was the key recommendation of the report. Comhairle na Tuaithe has the following aims:...

Written Answers — Rural Development: Rural Development (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 51 together. I introduced the CLÁR programme in October 2001 to address depopulation, as well as the decline in and lack of services in rural areas. Areas in 18 counties, with a population of 362,000, have been selected under the programme, including areas I announced in January 2003 in light of the 2002 population census data. This honoured the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The amount of the budgetary allocation of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs that was returned to the Exchequer at the end of 2004 was €0.852 million, that is, 0.28% of the gross allocation of €309.629 million. Taking extra appropriations-in-aid receipts into account, the total amount returned to the Exchequer was €3.842 million. This total is made up of the...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 28, 29 and 46 together. As I have indicated in response to previous similar questions in this House, no formal costings have been done in regard to the full implementation of the Official Languages Act 2003 on the basis that such an exercise would not be practicable in advance of consideration on a case by case basis by each public body of what, if any,...

Written Answers — Accuracy of Placenames: Accuracy of Placenames (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Cuireann brainse logainmneacha mo Roinnse comhairle ar fáil d'údaráis áitiúla agus do chomhlachtaí poiblí eile maidir le leaganacha údarásacha de logainmneacha na tíre. Bíonn an brainse sásta i gcónaí— ar mhaithe le mí-litriú a sheachaint — comhairle a thabhairt do na páirtithe sin nuair a bhíonn comharthaíocht nua á cur ar fáil acu. Ar ndóigh, tá ról comhairleach...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Tuigtear dom ó Fhoras na Gaeilge go bhfuil dea-chaidreamh acu leis na heagrais deonacha agus go bhfuiltear ag comhoibriú leo ar bhonn páirtnéireachta. Cuireann an foras bunmhaoiniú ar fáil do 17 eagras, idir eagrais Ghaeilge agus eagrais oideachasúla, bunaithe ar chlár oibre bliantúil a bhíonn aontaithe ag an bhforas le gach eagras ar leith. Tá Foras na Gaeilge ag cur próiseas nua...

Written Answers — Rural Development: Rural Development (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 43 and 44 together. The agreement negotiated at the recent meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers in Luxembourg marked the culmination of important negotiations. Throughout these negotiations my Department has worked in close partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Food. This collegiate approach will continue as we now proceed to...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I dtosach báire ba mhaith liom a rá go mbíonn teagmháil rialta agam leis an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta, mar a bhíonn le mo chomhghleacaithe eile sa Rialtas. Sin ráite, ní miste dom a chur i gcuimhne don Teachta go bhfuil, mar atá mínithe agam sa Teach seo roimhe seo, Foras na Gaeilge i mbun próisis faoi láthair chun córas creidiúnaithe d'aistritheoirí a fhorbairt don...

Written Answers — Rural Development: Rural Development (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The strategic goal of my Department for rural development is to promote and maintain living and working populations in rural areas by helping to foster sustainable and culturally vibrant communities. The White Paper on rural development defines Government policy in this regard and provides a framework for realising these goals. My Department's rural development initiatives in the next year...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I expect to receive the report of the review of the rural social scheme in the near future. The review will give consideration, inter alia, to whether eligibility criteria should be broadened, narrowed or adjusted, specifying the relevant groups and the basis for any such proposals being made. Upon receipt of the report I will consider carefully any recommendations arising.

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Questions Nos. 19, 21 and 31 of 19 May 2005. The preparation of a 20 year strategic plan for the Irish language is being addressed through Fóram na Gaeilge. Three meetings of Fóram na Gaeilge have taken place to date and a fourth is scheduled to take place later this year. As regards my plans for the promotion of the Irish language over the next year, the...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I do not propose to comment on remarks attributed to a purported spokesperson who may or may not represent views of the organisation named in the media report concerned. My Department has written on several occasions to each of the public bodies covered by the Official Languages Act with information about the operation of the Act and to offer a more detailed presentation and...

Written Answers — Offshore Islands: Offshore Islands (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I refer the Deputy to today's Priority Question No. 13.

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I have made regulations to prescribe the large scale, definitive maps of the State prepared and published by Ordnance Survey Ireland, OSI, for the purposes of section 33 of the Official Languages Act. The effect of these regulations is that only the placename as declared in the Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004 may be used on these maps. I am assured by OSI that tourist maps...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (29 Jun 2005)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I regard the achievement of enhanced status for the Irish language in Europe as a significant one for the Irish language. As I have already said publicly, this decision now presents a challenge to the Irish speaking community to use the new status that has been achieved for Irish. It also presents a challenge to the Irish language organisations and educational institutions to ensure that...