Results 10,401-10,420 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: Did I interrupt the Senator when he was speaking? Yes, that is what the Bill is for. It needs to be understood that we have to live down there. If others want to visit, they are very welcome, but they do not understand the problems that we have when we have to live there for 52 weeks of the year. If the Senator came down-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I listened to the debate in the Seanad. It was interesting that most of the people that spoke and were critical of the Bill never lived in rural Ireland. We are all for heritage and protecting the environment, but we have to live there as well. I live in a place where the biggest complaint I have all summer is that people will not be able to get up and down their roads as a consequence of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I will be brief. The last issue regarding planning is something about which we need to talk to the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. There is no question about it. Something has to be done and the national plan will have to be looked at again. The reason the previous Minister dropped the funding for local improvement scheme, LIS, roads is because there was...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Post Office Network (2 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: The report in question was published in January 2016 and made a number of recommendations to support the future sustainability of post offices. Two Working Groups were established to progress the recommendations. The first Group examined issues such as the number and spatial distribution of post offices, branch modernisation, the streamlining of products and services, postmaster payments...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Parks (2 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I am advised that my Department is currently working with the Public Appointments Service (PAS) to create a Conservation Ranger panel. The campaign was advertised by PAS on 11 November 2016, on www.publicjobs.ie, and was open for applications until 1 December. I expect that a panel will be available shortly from which appointments will be made across the country, taking account of available...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: National Museum (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: To be fair.

Other Questions: National Parks and Wildlife Service (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: The Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is not aware of the loss of any high-calibre weapons or ammunition from armouries. As part of its annual asset verification process, my Department undertakes reviews of sensitive assets, including firearms. These are routine and standard asset reconciliation, verification and management exercises. An annual report is...

Other Questions: National Parks and Wildlife Service (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: My understanding is that a report is compiled every year. The 2016 audit has already been carried out. I am waiting for that report to come to the management board. All Ministers will get a copy of that. I am sure information will be made available. The Deputy will understand that some information is sensitive. Information relating to the location of arms and ammunition cannot be thrown...

Other Questions: National Parks and Wildlife Service (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: No.

Other Questions: National Parks and Wildlife Service (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: The Deputy tabled a simple question about ammunition and guns. I assure her that my officials are telling me that nothing needs to be reported to anybody and that the report which has been done will be before the management board meeting soon. The Deputy also asked about staffing. As she knows, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and I have been in the process of employing new rangers since...

Other Questions: Banking Sector (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: The programme for Government envisages that An Post, the Irish League of Credit Unions and other interested stakeholders will be asked to investigate and propose a new model of community banking, such as the Kiwibank model in New Zealand, which could be delivered through the post office network. The programme for Government also includes a commitment to investigate the German Sparkassen model...

Other Questions: Banking Sector (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I hope the Deputy and her colleagues on the committee will make a report that can be examined by the Department of Finance and my Department. It is envisaged the report I mentioned will be ready and submitted to the Government some time in the middle of the year. I hope we get plenty of interest. As I said, we have contacted many outside groups seeking for them to make submissions. We...

Other Questions: Banking Sector (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: Comments were made about competition between banks and the Minister, Deputy Noonan, creating two banks. He did not create those banks and the banks created the biggest problem we have had since the foundation of the State. Let us not forget about that. The banks brought this country to its knees and the Minister, Deputy Noonan, is the Minister for Finance who saved this country from I do...

Other Questions: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: CLÁR is a targeted investment programme which provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in rural areas which have suffered the greatest levels of population decline. I have secured an allocation of €5 million for CLÁR for 2017 and my objective is to maximise the impact of the funding that is available for the benefit of communities in CLÁR areas. I will...

Other Questions: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I thank Deputy Burke for his comments on the sports capital funding. He is quite correct that we gave a commitment to Government that we would run two programmes but we actually ran three programmes, in very difficult times. I am very proud of the fact that there was nobody giving out about distribution of funds because we did it pro rataand everybody got their fair share of the national...

Other Questions: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I am sorry about that but it was the truth. I was glad to be able to open the programme again, like the sports capital grants. With regard to the modest funds, I got great satisfaction from the number of schools throughout the State that actually wrote to the Department afterwards. The funding was small - €700 or €800 - for road marking, for playgrounds and simple things...

Other Questions: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I thank Deputy Burke for his comments and he is quite correct and I also compliment the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. When the Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, and I went into the Department this year we fought very hard to get extra funding and I must compliment the Minister. It took a number of weeks to get our funding in place but we have now opened a lot of schemes that had not been open...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: CLÁR is a targeted investment programme which provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in rural areas which have suffered the greatest levels of population decline. I have secured an allocation of €5 million for CLÁR for 2017 and my objective is to maximise the impact of the funding which is available, for the benefit of communities in CLÁR areas. I...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Parks and Wildlife Service (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: My Department is not aware of the loss of any high calibre weapons or ammunition from armouries and no such investigation is under way. As part of its annual asset verification processes, my Department undertakes reviews of sensitive assets, including firearms. These are routine and standard management exercises. An annual report is currently being prepared for the Department’s...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Post Office Network (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: The postal sector has been undergoing significant change both nationally and internationally in recent years, with the increased use of electronic communications leading to a decline in core mail volume for An Post. Nonetheless, the Government is committed to working with all stakeholders to find solutions to the sustainability of the post office network in this changing business environment....