Results 14,461-14,480 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Telecommunications Infrastructure (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30, 35 and 36 together. On foot of the initial scoping work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce, 40 actions were identified and assigned to the Taskforce’s Implementation Group to pursue. Over the course of the 2016-2019 work programme, the Taskforce delivered more than 70 targeted actions. Among these were the addition of more than 1,000km...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 relates to large scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: A pilot scheme on supporting Town Centre Living, funded by my Department, sought to explore how to encourage increased residential occupancy in rural towns and villages and how to address the issue of vacant properties An independent report on the pilot, published last year, highlighted the value of developing a shared vision or masterplan for individual towns. This was as part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER programme is a key intervention implemented by my Department which will help to underpin the Government's rural development goals as outlined in Our Rural Future. The programme is co-funded by the EU under Pillar II the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is Ireland's Managing Authority for the CAP and thus has lead...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different Measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. My Department reviews the type of initiatives to be funded under the Programme each year. I launched the CLÁR 2021 Programme in March. Measure 3 of this year's...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 61 together. Work is continuing on the development of the new Islands Policy. My Department is currently engaging bilaterally with relevant Government Departments and Agencies to discuss the issues raised by island communities through the public consultation process and to assess how they might be addressed. It is hoped that this element of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 64 together. The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. To date, 164 projects have been approved for funding of €252m for projects costing over €343m. A guidance document detailing the Fund's objectives...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different Measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. My Department reviews the type of initiatives to be funded under the Programme each year. I launched the CLÁR 2021 Programme on 15th March and Measure 2 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Social Enterprise Sector (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: Social enterprises are businesses that work primarily to improve the lives of people. Their core objective is to achieve a social, societal, or environmental impact, and like other businesses, they pursue their objectives by trading in goods and services on an ongoing basis. Surpluses generated by social enterprises are re-invested into achieving their core social objectives, and they...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Government’s national rural development policy, Our Rural Future 2021-2025, was published in March 2021 and is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades. The policy focuses on long-term sustainability and optimising services and opportunities for individuals, communities and businesses in rural areas over a five-year period. ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47, 48 and 78 together. As part of 'Our Rural Future',the Government is committed to ensuring that the Local Improvement Scheme is funded into the future. This reflects the important contribution which the scheme makes to connectivity in rural Ireland. The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme provides funding to support the revitalisation of our rural towns and villages. This year's Town and Village Renewal Scheme places particular emphasis on addressing vacancy and dereliction, supporting remote working, and enhancing town centre living in line with the objectives of “Our Rural Future –Ireland’s Rural Development Policy...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER programme is co-financed by the European Commission under Pillar 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), through the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). In line with the the Government’s Rural Development Policy for 2021-2025,'Our Rural Future’, I announced details of a €70 million Transitional LEADER Programme which came into effect...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different Measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. The Measures to be included in the CLÁR programme are reviewed and revised, as appropriate, each year. The 2020 CLÁR programme was adapted to help rural...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The organisation referred to by the Deputy is the principal body representing communities from all the inhabited islands and my Department recognises that it has an important advisory role in providing input into the drafting of the new policy document. In view of their important role, representatives of the organisation were invited to attend a meeting of the Interdepartmental...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department of Rural and Community Development does not have a specific scheme for the retention of former Department of Social Protection (DSP) scheme participants following the termination of their work placements within local community based organisations and groups. That said, my Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 420 community organisations to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: ‘Our Rural Future,’ the Government’s national rural development policy, is an ambitious blueprint for rural development in Ireland over the next five years which has the potential to have a transformative effect on rural communities. Through the Policy, the Government has a vision to breathe new life into rural areas through delivery of more than 150 policy...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the construction of a new helipad on Inishturk is a project being undertaken by Mayo County Council, with financial assistance from my Department. My Department provided Mayo County Council with funding for the purchase of land for this project in late 2020. Mayo County Council subsequently submitted an initial design however the Department required...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Recreation Policy (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: The Walks Scheme, which is funded by my Department, contracts landholders to undertake maintenance work on National Waymarked Ways and other priority trails that traverse their lands. The landholders receive modest payments for maintenance work undertaken in line with agreed work plans. On 29 September, I announced the 'approval in principle' of 31 new trails to join the Walks Scheme....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Library Services (14 Oct 2021)

Heather Humphreys: My Department funds a Libraries Capital Programme that is investing a total of €29m in 17 projects, as well as the My Open Library service and a Small Scale Capital Works programme, in the period between 2016 and 2022. This programme was developed on the basis of priority proposals submitted by local authorities. My Department approved funding of €1m under the Libraries...