Results 10,201-10,220 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The increased shift to remote work in the past six months as a result of Covid-19 has given us the opportunity to reimagine the possibilities for a greater regional distribution of jobs and to support better quality of life for many who previously spent many hours on long commutes. Remote working has the potential to transform rural areas, allowing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We will have 200 broadband connection points rolled out before the end of this year, and the remaining 100 or so will be rolled out by the first half of next year. We are rolling them out as quickly as possible. The way it works is that the broadband officer in the local authority identifies certain communities that have poor-quality broadband. We have worked with Vodafone and National...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I take the Deputy's point on where there are gaps in coverage along roads. This is being examined under the national broadband plan. The types of areas in question are identified as areas that need attention.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The local authorities are certainly working with communities across the country. They are happy to work further with them. If there are other connection points that we need to consider, I will be happy to work with the local authorities in that regard and get feedback from them. Let me state what the €5 million is for. We need a mapping exercise because we need to find out where...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I agree. For that reason, there will be a focus on remote working under the rural development plan. Co-working is better because people need social interaction. I have already spoken to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, about co-working spaces specifically designed for public servants so that they can go to towns with facilities that have been kitted...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I have discussed this matter with the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath. He and I are committed to working on this initiative so that public servants can access good-quality facilities in locations across the country. It is the right thing to do. It will help towns and villages that are crying out for workers to revitalise them.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Go raibh maith ag an Deputy for raising this issue. As she will be aware, the pier on Inis Meáin is listed among the capital development projects referenced in the national development plan. To date, approximately €14 million has been spent on the project's first two phases. Users of the pier, including a number of State-subsidised ferry operators, have highlighted issues with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has given funding to Galway County Council with advice on preparing a draft business case. The Department has also provided funding of €39,360 to Galway County Council for the preparation of the modelling simulations. The project will take some time, but progress has been made. The key aspect is that there is co-operation between the county council and the NMCI....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I imagine that Galway County Council has been engaging with the community on Inis Meáin. Some of the Deputy's colleagues have raised the matter with me numerous times. I am sure they have been in contact with the community as well. Deputy Ó Cuív has had a long-standing interest in ensuring this project is brought to fruition. I wish to reassure the Deputy the national...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I agree with the Deputy that this has been going on for a considerable period. I am personally committed to trying to do all I can to assist in progressing the matter. I understand the difficulties with the cargo ship - that it cannot get in and out - and that it is badly needed. My officials are keeping in contact with the island committee. My officials will be happy to meet them...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 12 and 18 together. The programme for Government includes a commitment to prioritise a State-led programme to bridge the gap between the current LEADER programme and the next EU programme. The objective of this commitment is to allow a local-led rural development project to be delivered under a transitional programme until the new EU programme...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I know the Mayo local development companies do good work. I wish to continue to support the companies in finishing off this programme. The end of this year is the end date for announcing new projects. Some of the companies still have several projects and applications to which they have yet to allocate funding. It will take some time for these projects to draw down the money. The local...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I agree with Deputy Calleary that the staff in Ballina do really good work there, work extremely hard and engage a lot. I have spoken to them on a number of occasions via the Internet, on Zoom, Webex or whatever else they are using, but I hope to visit Ballina as soon as I can. As for the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, I was delighted to work on that matter with Deputy Calleary...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Library Services (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Department leads on the implementation of the public library strategy, Our Public Libraries 2022, which aims to improve access to, use and visibility of the library as a community hub and a focal point for cultural development. In 2020 alone my Department has allocated over €8 million to support public library services. This includes...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Library Services (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I take the Deputy's point that libraries can be controlled fairly well and I know that the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, and the local authority chief executives have asked for libraries to operate contact and collect at level 4. They have made proposals and we are happy to bring those proposals to the Department of the Taoiseach and NPHET for consideration. I absolutely accept...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Library Services (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Library membership has gone up considerably since the lockdown and that is really good. As for online material alone, in March 2020, 17,865 new users registered to use the online BorrowBox service, which provides access to ebooks. That was a 702% increase in the number of new users. There has also been a 122% increase in the number of ebooks borrowed this year and a 111% increase in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I have a prepared response but I will leave it because it is similar to what I said earlier. This is it; this is our opportunity. Remote working, or as I prefer to call it, connected working, will be a game changer not just for rural Ireland but for the urban areas as well. Many people living in the Deputy's area get on a train, bus or whatever to come into the centre of the city when, in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy is absolutely right. There is a broad consensus across the House that this is the time to do it and this is the right opportunity. I discussed public servants earlier. We need to facilitate our public servants to go into designated co-working spaces in towns across the country. We must have it mapped out and planned. That is why we have the interdepartmental group led by my...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy is right. When I was Minister with responsibility for business, a young lad with a wife and children said to me it is a no-brainer. He said people need to be able to work in their communities and said it makes such a difference to his home life. It is true. Many people have now discovered they are able to spend more time with their families. It is a better quality of life at...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (5 Nov 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The responsibility for the roll-out of the national broadband plan falls within the Minister, Deputy Ryan's, Department. I know he is working closely with National Broadband Ireland, NBI, in an effort to try to roll this out as quickly as possible. In the meantime, however, the good news is my Department has a number of broadband connection points in the local community halls. A person...