Results 14,701-14,720 of 15,157 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sports Organisations (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: We can all quote facts. There is a challenge, and I know the challenge in my county. Nevertheless, the CSO figures show a 7% increase in population in highly remote areas between 2011 and 2022. The OECD figures show that many rural and remote areas in Ireland showed some of the highest population growths between 2001 and 2021 within the OECD. I accept that within those figures, there are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sports Organisations (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: We had a discussion on this with an Teachta McGuinness in our first question. We will work with the Minister, Deputy James Browne, on a range of initiatives on rural housing and increasing supply through local authorities, which have been asked to supply more land through the vacant homes scheme, which is opening up closed-up communities in many rural areas. In May 2024, my Department...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy. The town centre first policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. Central to the town centre first approach is a range of capital support funding that includes the rural regeneration and development fund and the town and village renewal scheme. Both schemes facilitate the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I cannot comment on the exact area of Ballynoe but what Deputy Quaide has described sounds exactly like a prime property for the town and village renewal scheme or the RRDF. For instance, in Drumshanbo in County Leitrim I visited a former Garda station that has been acquired and is being developed into a fantastic facility. Throughout Leitrim on a recent visit I saw former State properties...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I cannot comment on the HSE plans for the building as I do not have those details. I will say that this year, the building and land acquisition measure under the town and village renewal scheme allows local authorities to purchase up to three vacant buildings. The total fund available is up to €500,000. I would certainly encourage Deputy Quaide to have a discussion with the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Deputy Collins. The local improvement scheme is a vital support for rural communities to improve non-public rural roads and local laneways. Since 2017 almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities under the scheme. I will repeat that figure of €170 million. In April 2024 €40 million in funding was announced for the LIS for all...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Deputy Collins. I would point out that since 2017 Cork county has received €12.9 million for the LIS. It is the third highest amount nationally. It is not the Department's role to select individual roads. That is a matter for each local authority. We are looking at local authorities on the waiting list and the individual expenditure by local authorities on the scheme. I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I have figures that show that at the end of 2024, 175 roads in Cork were awaiting repair, 264 have been completed since 2017 and 23 will be done in 2025. The full allocation will be used. That gives the Deputy a sense of the demand in Cork, but it is replicated across the country. LIS roads are very much part of my daily work. The scheme is very important to communities. That is why the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Voluntary Sector (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy. This question fits across both of my roles. This Government recognises and values the many contributions made to society by not-for-profit, voluntary and community organisations in Tipperary and I commend the Deputy's work in this space. The Department of Rural and Community Development supports the community and voluntary sector through a number of schemes, most...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Voluntary Sector (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Despite all our GAA talk, we had managed to avoid last weekend until the Deputy's intervention. That suited me anyway. We have made announcements this week under the growing social enterprise fund. Borrisoleigh Community Centre in Tipperary has been awarded €15,000 for solar panel installation. Canon Hayes Recreation Centre, with which the Deputy is familiar, has been awarded...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Voluntary Sector (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The schemes do superb work. I compliment the Deputy and all the volunteers who run them and are on the boards. I have the report into the future of the rural social scheme, which I am considering at the moment. We will be making some announcements imminently around that. Again, on making it easier to get participants, I believe, as I have discussed with the Deputy previously, that the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The issue of rural isolation, especially among the elderly, is relevant to the work of several Government Departments. It is a complex issue and can undermine the physical and mental well-being of people in both rural and urban settings. Loneliness requires a wide range of responses, including health interventions, community policing, rural transport, which we discussed earlier, tackling...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Deputy makes a good suggestion and we will certainly look at it. The potential in the new Our Rural Future document is there to highlight rural isolation and what is happening. I encourage Deputy McCormack to attend the new in-person public consultation event on 17 June in Tullamore for Our Rural Future. As I said, we have a range of schemes and there are schemes within the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: There is nothing I disagree with in either Deputies approach. I met the postmasters last week and the post office report is a very solid report. It is not only about the post office but about the postmen and postwomen who go out to communities and houses. For many people, this is the only contact they may have, and let us be realistic about it. As I said, through the community services...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I thank Deputy Burke. In his previous role as Minister of State, he did much work on rural isolation and rural loneliness role and I acknowledge that. Regarding the Deputy's question, the development and enhancement of community facilities is a priority for me and full details of the capital supports available are on my Department’s website. The community centre investment fund...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Planning issues are a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I agree that there should be a community element to all planning decisions. As regards Blarney, we allocated €204,000 in 2021 for the development of the Inch Park amenity. In 2023, €324,000 was allocated. This includes upgrades for the community centre. There was also €125,000...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: In the overall context of any development such as the housing referred to by the Deputy, first it is a matter for the local authority to put the plans in place. It draws down development levies for all of that construction. It should put the plan in place to have that facility developed. My Department will then be more than happy to work with it to identify potential funding opportunities....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for sustainable rural development. It seeks to ensure that all rural areas are attractive for people to live, work and raise their families in. One of the high-level outcomes set out in Our Rural Future is to increase the number of people living in rural areas. Rural population trends, as we discussed earlier, in line with many of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Absolutely. We will work with all the Departments on this. There is no point in us making this level of investment in rural communities unless we can encourage younger people to come back. I share the Deputy's frustration and agree with what he said about educating younger people. We must ensure they have the opportunities to bring them back. I point to the level of investment in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: As the Deputy says, agriculture is still the core of rural Ireland, not just economically but socially as well in terms of the leadership, skills and supply chain that are provided. I will engage with the farming organisations as we carry out the consultation process on Our Rural Future. We will be looking for their input and support. There have been various iterations of support from...