Results 13,061-13,080 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: The Department's funding allocation-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: One moment. I did not interrupt the Deputy.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: I know Deputy Aylward does not want to hear this but my Department's funding allocation is increasing from €291 million in 2019 to €308 million in 2020. To date the rural regeneration scheme has provided €148 million, plenty of which went into Deputy Aylward's county, for 110 projects worth a total of €212 million. Almost 2,500 LEADER projects will have been...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: Kilkenny is a great place.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: I would need more than a minute to answer but I will do my best. Fianna Fáil took away most of the services when it was in government but its members forget that. Post offices-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: Fianna Fáil took away most of the services when it was in government-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: It ran the economy into the ground.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: I have one question for the Deputy opposite. Is he going to support this Government's broadband plan or is he going to say one thing here in Dublin and another in Kilkenny? Is he going to support us? We have signed the contract. Will Fianna Fáil support us on broadband?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects Funding (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 28 together. I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am aware of the situation regarding Hartstown and Huntstown community centres and know how important the centres are to the people there. Community facilities are funded from a range of sources across various Departments and agencies. For example, my Department has provided...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects Funding (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: I have made clear that I am prepared to support the two communities in question, but my Department does not have the required amount of funding. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the local authorities must play their part. Deputy Calleary earlier raised the issue of other Departments running to my Department when there is a crisis. I do not have enough funding to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects Funding (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: I have responsibility for community affairs, including the community services programme, from which the areas to which the Deputy refers are benefiting. My Department is responsible for the community enhancement programme and the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP. However, I will not take responsibility for the repair of halls all over the country. I do not have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: The pilot scheme to encourage increased residential occupancy in rural towns and villages was launched in October 2018. Funding of up to €100,000 is being made available to each of the six towns involved in the pilot to assist them in developing innovative proposals to encourage town centre living. It is intended that the lessons learned through the pilot will help to inform the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Development Policy (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: 12 o’clock It will be published in the new year. Galway was not ignored. I picked six towns, but I could have picked 60. They are Boyle, Callan, Ballinrobe, Banagher, Castleblayney and Cappoquin. I tried to spread it around the country. The most important thing is that the report is being done. We want to see what it will contain and then I will have to go to the Government...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: A total of 53,000 people have pendant alarms under the seniors alert scheme. Eir wanted to take on the broadband scheme after it had pulled out of it. How could we give Eir the broadband scheme when it is unable to run the services it provides at the moment? I will get my Department to talk to Eir but it is a bit rich of Eir to tell us all how it was going roll out broadband when it cannot...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: I will give a very simple figure. I was delighted to allocate a further €5 million to ten LEADER companies. The criteria were people who had allocated funding or schemes that had been approved. We notified them earlier in the year. We gave the top ten €500,000 extra. Regarding ten to 15 companies, there were only about two or three points between them. I will review the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: LEADER Programmes Funding (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 42 together. LEADER is a multi-annual programme with a budget of €250 million over the period 2014-2020.  €220 million of this funding was allocated to the 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) who deliver the programme in LEADER areas across the country.  The remaining €30 million was allocated for projects which are approved at...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Improvement Scheme Funding (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas. It is funded by my Department and administered through the Local Authorities. Since I reintroduced the LIS in 2017, I have granted over €48 million to the Local Authorities to deliver the scheme.  This has resulted in over 2,000 road...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: There has been a strong level of  interest in the Town and Village Renewal Scheme since it was introduced in 2016. In 2018, I approved 224 projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, with 66 applications being unsuccessful. In 2019, 309 applications were received by my Department under the scheme, seeking funding of over €31 million.  The selection of projects was...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund Administration (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund seeks to support ambitious and strategic projects which have the potential to transform rural economies and communities. The Government has committed €1 billion over 10 years to the Fund and €315 million is allocated to the Fund for the period 2019-2022.   The first call for applications to the Fund closed in September...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (5 Dec 2019)

Michael Ring: Pobal is a not for profit company that works on behalf of Government to support communities and local agencies toward achieving social inclusion outcomes.  Pobal does this by managing funding and providing supports for relevant Government funded programmes. Pobal established a temporary office in Mullingar during September 2019 and 17 staff are currently working from this location. ...