Results 9,381-9,400 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Transport Services (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this issue. As he will be aware, the provision of transport services, including for rural areas, is the responsibility of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the National Transport Authority, NTA. Continued operation of the public transport system is among the designated essential services that have carried on throughout the Covid-19 crisis...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Transport Services (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I agree with Deputy Sherlock. There needs to be cross-Government thinking, and there has been. As part of the rural development policy I have engaged right across all of the Departments because everybody has an input into this policy. Local Link, which the Deputy mentioned, is one of the best rural transport initiatives that we have. Some of the local companies are really good at the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Transport Services (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I absolutely agree with Deputy Sherlock. That is something I will certainly work closely on with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. There is €2 million in the July stimulus package for new and expanded local bus services. There is also €250,000 to support the transition of Local Link services to zero-emission vehicles in areas of rural Ireland. A total of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. This year's town and village renewal scheme has been tailored to assist our rural towns and villages to respond to the challenges presented by Covid-19. The scheme includes an accelerated measure to enable towns and villages to introduce initiatives immediately in order to support increased footfall and enable people to shop and socialise safely in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The town and village scheme is close to my heart because I first established it when I had responsibility for the rural development brief in 2016. I am glad to see that it has gone from strength to strength. It has seen millions of euro invested in rural towns and villages across the country. It has a bottom-up approach where communities are able to engage with one another, identify what...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We increased it. There is still money left in the pot. It is targeted at the larger towns but there is nothing to stop the villages applying under the standard town and village scheme which is still open for applications until 30 September. I will leave it to places that have not been successful to continue to engage with the Department and put in amended or adjusted applications that may...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Ithank the Deputy for raising the issue, in which I have a great interest. The pilot town centre living initiative was launched in October 2018 to explore in a holistic way how to encourage increased residential occupancy in rural towns and villages. The pilot focused on six towns with different characteristics in different parts of the country. Funding of up to €100,000 was made...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The point is that it is a complex issue, there is no doubt about that. If it was easy it would have been solved years ago. I want to see more people living in the centre of towns. It is about more than buying a house and moving in, many more issues need to be considered so that it is attractive for people. There are significant costs associated with repairing older buildings which are in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We are learning from it. There are really good findings that can be applied to other towns across the country. This is not just about my Department alone but it is cross-Government. For example, in my own town of Clones, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has done really wonderful work in centre of town regeneration. It spent close to €5 million in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. LEADER is a multi-annual programme with a budget of €250 million over the period from 2014 to 2020. Some €225 million of this budget has been allocated to the local actions groups, LAGs, which deliver the programme at a local level. The balance of €25 million is provided for specific, thematic projects and is allocated at...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I know Deputy Carey is a passionate supporter of the work carried out by the local development company in County Clare. The Deputy raised the issue of additional funding with me on a number of occasions. Deputy Carey is right that the former Minister, Deputy Ring, allocated additional funding to the top ten performing LEADER companies countrywide. That additional money was a positive move...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: That funding is available and I believe it is in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I will certainly check that out. If any of the projects are involved with food or food processing through the LEADER companies, they should apply for that specific food initiative. There is money available there for those types of projects. If other groups in County Clare want to look at...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 15 together. It is a strategic objective of my Department to develop and implement various initiatives and measures to support the social, cultural and economic development of the inhabited offshore islands to ensure they survive as viable communities. The provision of safe and regular access by sea is crucial for the maintenance of those island...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I know the pier project at Inis Oírr is long awaited. Deputy Ó Cuív raised this matter on many occasions, he has worked hard on it and is very familiar with it, as are other Deputies. We are making progress. As I said, €0.5 million in funding was secured for upgrade works to the harbour facilities as part of the July stimulus. My officials are working very closely...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I take on board what the Deputies have said but the day-to-day maintenance of piers, including the development and enforcement of by-laws, is primarily an issue for the relevant local authority which in this case is Galway County Council. I am aware that damage was done to the pier in the early part of the year and I understand the Deputies' concerns regarding the volume of passengers and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Costings have been done. There are estimates but I do not want to elaborate because if I give details publicly, the estimate will then become the floor price. I will not do that but we have fairly detailed estimates of what the cost will be.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Air Services Provision (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. In April 2017, a public consultation process was undertaken, seeking submissions from interested parties in regard to the future use of airstrips and surrounding sites in the ownership of the State on Inishbofin Island and at Cleggan in County Galway. The majority of the submissions received suggested that the sites should remain in State...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Air Services Provision (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I want to tell the Deputy that I do not have a State car, I have my own car. I have visited the islands. Last year, I had the pleasure of attending a wedding on Clare Island and I got an opportunity to see first-hand the difficulties people face. When I was on staycation in Donegal this year, I took the opportunity to go to Arranmore. I took a tour of the island and I saw first-hand...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Air Services Provision (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Of course. I will finish my answer shortly.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Air Services Provision (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am happy to engage with the Deputy on this issue. At the first opportunity, I will go and visit the island. I would be delighted to go and see first-hand again the issues presenting on those islands off the Galway coast. I have not been to any of them but I would be happy to go there and talk to the Deputy about this matter.