Results 11,761-11,780 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Leader Programmes Data (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: My Department does not hold data in respect of ineligible expenditure incurred under LEADER prior to the 2007-2013 Programme. Under the 2007-2013 LEADER programme, a total of 36 Local Action Groups (LAGs) were requested to reimburse monies under the programme where administration costs claimed were deemed to be ineligible. 139 projects in receipt of funding under that programme did not carry...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: The Action Plan for Rural Development was launched in January 2017. The costs associated with the design and printing of the Action Plan are set out in the following table. Item Cost Design and typesetting €6,831.60 Printing €11,332.00 Total €18,163.60 The Monitoring Committee which oversees the implementation of the Action Plan has met on four occasions since the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: The action referred to by the Deputy is just one of a number of measures in the Action Plan for Rural Development designed to revitalise town and village centres in rural Ireland. A Steering Group was established by my Department to progress the action and oversee the design and delivery of a pilot model to encourage increased residential occupancy of available properties in rural towns...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: To progress this initiative under the Action Plan for Rural Development, my Department established a research partnership with the Social Finance Foundation in the second half of 2017. This partnership was for purpose of carrying out targeted research and stakeholder engagement with the social enterprise sector to inform the development of the National Policy on Social Enterprise. A...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: This action involves the development of a scheme which potentially involves changes to legislation to enable the scheme. In order to progress the action, my Department has been working with the State Claims Agency in relation to the development of a pilot scheme, with a view to a wider rollout over time, to strengthen the protection for landowners in respect of recreational users of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: The action in question falls under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy, T.D. However, an update on this action was included in the Second Progress Report on the Action Plan for Rural Development which was published in May 2018 and which is available on my Department's website at: . A further update will be provided in the next...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: The action in question was for delivery by ComReg, as set out in the Action Plan for Rural Development. While the regulator does not fall under my Department's remit, I understand that the action in question has now been completed and that ComReg published a decision in relation to the matter on its website on 27th June 2018. The delivery of this action has the potential to improve the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: CLÁR Programme (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: The aim of CLÁR is to support the sustainable development of designated areas which have suffered significant levels of depopulation in the past, with the aim of encouraging people to continue to live and work in those areas. The programme has funded a number of measures over the last two years which support this objective. In 2018, four CLÁR measures were announced: Measure 1:...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: CLÁR Programme (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: The aim of CLÁR is to support the sustainable development of designated areas which have suffered significant levels of depopulation in the past, with the aim of encouraging people to continue to live and work in those areas. The programme has funded a number of measures over the last two years which support this objective. On 8 August last, I announced details of funding for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: The National Development Plan provides for an allocation of €1 billion for the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to enable towns, villages and outlying rural areas to grow sustainably and support delivery of the strategic objectives of the National Planning Framework. Initial funding of €315 million is being allocated to the Fund over the period 2019 to 2022 on a scaled...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: One of the National Strategic Outcomes of the National Development Plan 2018-2027 is to bring about strengthened rural economies and communities. To facilitate this, €1bn is committed to a Rural Regeneration and Development Fund between 2018 and 2027 to promote rural renewal. This will enable towns, villages and outlying rural areas to grow sustainably and support delivery of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (18 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (previously known as the Rural Recreation Scheme) provides funding for the development of new outdoor recreational infrastructure and for the maintenance and promotion of existing outdoor recreational infrastructure in rural Ireland. €7.4 million was allocated to 117 projects nationally under the scheme in 2016 and a total of €13.6...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Properties (20 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: My Department was established on 19 July 2017. There are four agencies under the remit of the Department, Pobal, Irish Water Safety, the Western Development Commission and the Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA). Neither my Department, or any of the four agencies, own any land. All property used by my Department or by Irish Water Safety, the Western Development Commission and the CRA is...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (25 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: Improving the quality of life of those who live and work in rural communities is a key objective of the Action Plan for Rural Development. It is the most comprehensive Government plan ever produced to support economic and social development in rural areas. Progress reports on the implementation of the action plan are published twice-yearly on my Department's website. The most recent...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (25 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: I thank Deputy Ó Cuív. He is aware of this but in respect of the action plan, there were 270 actions and 254 have been completed. That is a success rate of 93%. Deputy Ó Cuív is long enough in this House, longer than I am, to know and understand better than anyone how the House works. It is one of the things that he is actually good at. He also knows about Ministers...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (25 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: Deputy Ó Cuív amazes me sometimes. When I give him statistics he does not like them. The statistics are that when we came into government more than 50% of the population had high-speed broadband. I do not have responsibility for it. It is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (25 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: Wait a minute now. More than 75% of the people in the country now have high-speed broadband.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (25 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: Deputy Ó Cuív is correct that the commercial sector did that and I compliment it. We are now going to deal with the rest and that is why the Government is putting a package and a tender in place. I am glad to see there is competition within that tender to make sure the rest of the country will get high-speed broadband. The Deputy has travelled the world. I represented the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (25 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: It is a world-wide problem but people are looking at Ireland and are seeing what we are doing. They are saying well done on having 75% of the population with high-speed broadband. As I said, the 25% who do not have it want to have it. I am one of the people provided with it, where a commercial operator came in. That happened because the Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, the Minister, Deputy...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Action Plan for Rural Development Implementation (25 Sep 2018)

Michael Ring: In fact, if we had not drawn that map we might have had up to 80% because there were areas where the commercial sector could not go ahead because someone would have had us in the High Court because we did not put it out to tender. I say well done to the commercial sector. It is doing its job and has rolled out as much as possible. I hope with the new tender that many corners of Ireland...