Results 11,601-11,620 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Leader Programmes Funding (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: The Deputy is correct in that we want Leader funding and I want to see it maintained. He knows, however, having been around a long time himself, that if one goes to a fair, one does not put one's best bid forward first. The Government, in particular the Taoiseach, will negotiate on CAP. They will be long negotiations and we cannot show our hand until we see what the proposals are. There...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Banking (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I thank the Deputy for the question. Officials from my Department and the Department of Finance have been working closely together since last year to investigate the feasibility of a new model of community banking for Ireland, including through the German Sparkasse model for the development of local public banks. The project team carried out detailed research into the concept with a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Banking (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: The Minister for Finance and I have agreed the report and we want to get it published as quickly as possible. The Deputy is correct about the financial sector. I am not afraid to say it and have done so on many occasions in the House. We do not have functioning banks for small businesses. We have banks but they are not functioning. As a sitting Deputy, my constituents are coming to me...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Banking (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: The report will be published and Members can discuss it when that happens. People in this country have suffered because of the behaviour of the banks and we must be careful about what banking institutions we put in now. People talk about the banks every day here. I read only last week in the newspapers about difficulties in some of the financial institutions. The taxpayers of this country...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme Funding (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: The community services programme, CSP, supports 400 community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. Funding is provided as a contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions. More than €46 million is available to support community organisations under the programme for 2018. The CSP contribution is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme Funding (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: This is an important programme. I like this programme and it is working well. Deputy Ó Cuív knows that what we give is a grant. We are not the employers. For me or the Department to commit to what Deputy Ó Cuív is asking for would cost €3 million. We are supporting 1,670 full-time jobs and we have 300 managers. That amounts to almost 2,000 people. A sum of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme Funding (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Community Services Programme Funding (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: Deputy Ó Cuív knows that I inherited this scheme on 1 January. A total of €46.2 million came with the scheme. I increased the allocation by €850,000 to bring in 12 new organisations. It was the first call since 2008. There had been no call for new schemes since 2008. Deputy Ó Cuív knows that the period between 2013 and 2015 was difficult for both the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Improvement Scheme Funding (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I understand the Deputy is referring to plans to allocate extra funding to the local improvement scheme, LIS, in 2018. The LIS is a scheme for carrying out improvement works on private and non-public roads. The type of roads covered under the scheme are not under the normal maintenance of the county councils. However, they provide vital links for people living in rural areas and need to be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Improvement Scheme Funding (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: To be fair to Deputy Michael Collins, he did acknowledge that there was no scheme for many years and that it is up and running now. A total of €17.5 million was spent on the scheme last year. There was no dedicated LIS scheme in recent years. Councils receive money from rates and other contributions. I agree with Deputy Michael Collins that there are many roads in rural areas that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Local Improvement Scheme Funding (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I am looking at my Department's finances at the moment. I like the scheme, I want to support it and there is a need for it. A very serious problem has arisen in recent years given that no scheme was in place. There is a big build-up of roads that need to be addressed. We will continue with the current funding allocation and if I can find further funding between now and the end of the year...

Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 45 together. My Department supports the local community development committees which are responsible for overseeing local and community development funding and identifying local needs through the local economic and community plan, LECP, process. Dublin City Council's LECP includes as a strategic goal the provision of a range of public, safe and...

Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I agree with Deputy Broughan's sentiments. I have visited some of the communities in Limerick and Dublin and in some rural areas. We have the community enhancement programme, the RAPID programme and the community facility programme. I joined two of the schemes together because the grant aid provided was small. Local community development committees, LCDs, community groups, elected...

Other Questions: Community Development Initiatives (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I would be supportive of anything that is good for community. It does not matter what religion, colour or creed - I want to support communities like that. There is a scheme I urge the Deputy to investigate himself and to talk to Dublin City Council about. It is a new €2 billion urban regeneration fund that will be opening some time in June. The Deputy might look at making an...

Other Questions: Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: The outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme provides funding for the development of new outdoor recreational infrastructure and for the maintenance, enhancement or promotion of existing outdoor recreational infrastructure. The scheme facilitates the development of numerous greenways, blueways, walks and other trails across the country. In 2016, 117 projects throughout Ireland were...

Other Questions: Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: The outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme is the name of the scheme. It is an all-Ireland scheme. It is for everybody - town, village, rural area or city. On this occasion I am looking at allowing Leader companies come in with regard to the smaller schemes. I will leave the two bigger schemes to the local authorities. The Deputy is quite correct. These have been a tremendous success....

Other Questions: Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: When I was in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, there were some schemes there, particularly for cities and bigger towns. I want to make it clear to the Deputy that the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme opened on 1 June, the closing date is 27 July and it is open to everybody. Every application will be considered on its merits. I will set out the guidelines. It is a...

Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 224 together. I am leading a Department whose mission is to help build vibrant and sustainable communities across the country in both rural and urban areas. To do this requires a mix of policy initiatives and actions to improve economic development and to address gaps in meeting the social needs in these areas. Many of these initiatives form part of the...

Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I agree with Deputy Durkan that we should not demoralise community groups and, instead, we should support and help them. If we did not have these community groups to help provide certain social services, we would have a serious problem where Government or State agencies are not providing those services. That is why, earlier this year, I looked at the situation of some of these community...

Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (14 Jun 2018)

Michael Ring: I compliment the Deputy because, while he may not believe this, I asked departmental officials this week to look at organising a community weekend. We have a problem in this country in that people living in local areas do not know one another. My neighbour came in to me on Monday just when I was leaving for Dublin, and handed me a leaflet explaining there was a get-together on Friday night...