Results 18,101-18,120 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (14 Sep 2022)

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. To date, 191 projects have been approved for funding of €279 million for projects costing €379 million. Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (14 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, Galway County Council is responsible for the development of stage 3 of Caladh Mór Pier on Inis Meáin, which is included in the National Development Plan. As part of the preparatory works, the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) was instructed by Galway County Council to develop a model simulation for the harbour. Galway County Council collated...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Site Acquisitions (14 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has no role in the transferring of property between the HSE and Mayo County Council and therefore has no information on this matter.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I was delighted to welcome the recent announcement that the European Commission has confirmed its approval of Ireland's Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, strategic plan for 2023 to 2027, which includes the LEADER programme. This approval is a key step in the delivery of the next LEADER programme. A number of further steps will now be completed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: We will have the same amount in this LEADER programme as we had in the last, which is a total of €250 million. Some €70 million has already been provided to fund the transition programme from 2021 to 2022. A further €180 million has been committed to for 2023 to 2027. We will be funding that. On top of this core funding, additional administration Exchequer funding has...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I will be addressing the issue of the islands local action group, LAG, because there is a full question tabled on it. I will be happy to give further details at that stage. On the issue of steps, the first step is the expression of interest, which we hope to put out in the coming weeks. When expressions of interest come in, I want stakeholders to collaborate and put together their...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Earlier this year, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage launched the Croí Cónaithe fund. The fund is initially focused on supporting the refurbishment of vacant homes in regional towns and villages and is a key funding support under the town centre first policy which was jointly developed by my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I am sure there will be more cases like the one she has just outlined. The criteria were set as towns and villages with a population of over 400 people. First of all, this is a great scheme and I think everybody agrees with that. I am getting a lot of calls from Fine Gael Deputies in particular. Even last night at a meeting it was raised with me. I have been asked...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. She is right that the fund is being rolled out through the local authorities. As to the flexibility, I am not all over the detail but you can get €30,000. If the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of €30,000 then a maximum top-up grant of up to €20,000 will be available where the property is confirmed to be derelict. This...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. Funding of €279 million has been approved to date under the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, for 191 projects nationwide costing over €379 million. Calls for applications to the fund are sought under two categories, namely, category 1 and category 2. Category 1 relates to large-scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Tipperary as a county has done extremely well to date and has received the fourth-highest total county funding allocation from the fund since it began in 2018. Over €15.1 million in funding has been allocated to projects in Tipperary in that period. The Deputy was with me when I was down there and the work that is going on is wonderful. I was in Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir and I was on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. He is right that good applications have to come in. I cannot give them funding unless I get the applications. For those towns in Tipperary that have not got any funding, they should work with the local authority. The applications come in through the local authority, as the Deputy knows. If I do not get an application, there is no chance of getting funding. I see here...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland's rural development policy, recognises the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our regional towns and villages. Therefore, in May 2021, I launched the national hub network and its online platform, namely, connectedhubs.ie. The network brings together a. range of hubs catering for a wide variety of enterprise, community, remote and co-working...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I know the Deputy is very familiar with the Creative Spark in Louth and The Mill in Drogheda. Those are two outstanding centres in terms of what they are doing there. I recall it was in The Mill in Drogheda that I launched the remote working app. I have been in both places this year. The connected hubs fund is there to support centres, whether they are private or publicly owned, to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I launched that voucher scheme earlier in the summer. It was designed to encourage those who have never used a hub to try it for free. It was like a sample or taster. A person could go in and use the hub for three days, free of charge. I was encouraging people to go in, try them out and see what they thought, because sitting at home is not a good idea. At least in a hub one can have a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am well aware of local improvement schemes because there are many lanes where I live that have benefited as, indeed, I am sure the Deputy is aware of many in his area as well. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the local improvement scheme, LIS, is funded into the future. The LIS supports the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The eligibility criteria with regard to at least two separate landowners being engaged in agricultural or harvesting activity remains a key component of eligibility for the scheme. My priority is to deal with the applications on hand in the local authorities based on the current criteria and to continue to support the rural farming community. Once this backlog of applications is addressed,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I have stated here on numerous occasions that it is up to Cork County Council and Cork City Council to come together and find a solution to this. The money has been allocated to the county. I would love to give every county more money for the LIS, but if I were to do so, I would be taking the money out of other schemes. I have to try to balance these budgets. The point is Cork County...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Island Communities (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to publishing a ten-year policy on island development, with associated three-year action plans. Indeed, the programme for Government includes a commitment in this regard and, as Minister with responsibility for the islands, I am determined to ensure the policy is delivered. I have received an initial working draft of the policy, which...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Island Communities (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I will have to go through the document as I have not yet read it, but I was at the AGM and the issues relating to the islands are clear to me. There is the need to attract young people back to the islands. Planning permission is a significant issue. The islanders are concerned they cannot get planning that would allow young people to return. I was given the example of a young man who was...