Results 12,861-12,880 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I hope to do that in the next couple of weeks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: What is that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I know what the Senator is talking about. The LEADER programme is a joint venture between ourselves and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Some of the funding and projects have been allocated in different counties. I will get my officials to come back to the Senator on the projects around the country.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I could name them but I do not like to. I could be accused for naming the Mayo ones, so I had better not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The rural regeneration scheme is a ten-year programme with €1 billion. We have already had the first round, which was allocated in May this year. The second round has closed for category 1 applications and the approvals will be announced in November. Immediately after that we will announce again for category 2. That is for the funding to get the projects up and ready to make them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: On the LEADER programme, the European Commission has proposed a 5% reduction in the CAP. The CAP has now been carried over for another year. The Government does not want that to happen. We will be negotiating with Europe but that will be some time next year. The LEADER projects will be allocated up to 2020. There will be a three-year time gap for the spend on that. I have already...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I do not want to get into that because we have to negotiate with Europe first on the continuation of the scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: This relates to the continuation of the scheme. The allocation will be made to 2020. This scheme will continue to 2023. The existing contracts are in place and will be up to 2023. That gives us a time span between now and then. I hope that the CAP negotiations work out well. I do not want to see the LEADER programme cut in any way. That is why I will be fighting to ensure that happens....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: My understanding - I am open to correction - is that they run to 2023.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: That is my understanding.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: To be fair, we will get back to the Senator on that. My understanding is that the date is 2023 but I may be wrong. What will happen in 2020 is that the spend will be made. It will take three years to get the spend dealt with. I think the contracts have to be in place up to 2023, but we will confirm that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I will let Minister of State, Deputy Canney, respond to that. Some positive things are happening. My Department is supporting broadband officers and area of natural constraint officers. Senator Conway-Walsh will understand that the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment has a vast budget. I do not want those responsible to be using this Department but I am and we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I want to make it clear that no money has gone back. My capital budget was spent last year, 100% of it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: They have until the end of the year to spend it. We have written to the local authorities to put pressure on them and they have until the end of December to spend that funding. They are all telling us that it will be done by the end of year. Last year, they told me that if they had received the money earlier, they would have it spent, so I gave it in February and gave another allocation in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I thank the Senator for his comments. We have changed the name to Water Safety Ireland because it was getting a lot of calls from people who thought it was Irish Water. Last year, we had a major promotion in regard to water safety which included a major public awareness campaign and work in schools and educational settings. The Department funded the operating costs of Water Safety...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Correspondence (17 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: My Department is currently working on the Deputy's request. Any material identified will be forwarded to the Deputy when that process is complete.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Capital Expenditure Programme (17 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I propose to take Questions Nos. 300 and 301 together. Since its establishment in July 2017, my Department has not been responsible for delivery of any projects costing in excess of €100 million; and I do not anticipate that any such projects will arise in the next five years.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Capital Expenditure Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Further Revised Estimates for 2019 in respect of the Department of Rural and Community Development provides for gross capital expenditure of €138 million. There was no carryover from 2018 as the provision was fully utilised. €76.3 million of my Department's capital allocation has been spent to date. I have set out expenditure allocations by subhead, and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff Data (22 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Regional Development and Innovation Unit of the Department of Rural and Community Development is tasked with identifying and mitigating barriers to the rollout of telecommunications infrastructure, including the National Broadband Plan. The Unit works closely with Broadband Officers, who are co-funded by the Department, and based in each local authority, in support of this objective. The...