Results 25,081-25,100 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Other Questions: National Heritage Plan (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Heritage Bill was ready to go into Committee Stage during the term of the previous Government and stopped in the Seanad on Committee Stage. I have requested of the Seanad that we recommence the Bill there. I am waiting on a date to continue with the Bill. It covers the canal by-laws, about which there has been consultation. Other Deputies have raised this with me. It is on Committee...

Other Questions: National Heritage Plan (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: It is part of the Heritage Bill, which addresses many of the issues raised with me. I do not have any plans to produce a separate stand-alone Bill. It has yet to come to the Dáil and go through Committee Stage in the relevant select committee. I will be happy to hear the Deputy's views on the Bill at that stage. It falls under my remit under Waterways Ireland and a tremendous amount...

Other Questions: Leader Programmes (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I will be seeking an increase in Leader funding under the budgetary process, as per the commitment in that regard in the programme of Government. There are many good schemes in rural Ireland. The Minister of State, Deputy Ring, and I will review the schemes and we will do all we can to ensure this funding goes to rural Ireland. The regional employment development scheme piloted last...

Other Questions: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 13 together. I am delighted with the success to date of the Ireland 2016 centenary programme, which I was very pleased to launch with the Taoiseach last year. The citizens of Ireland and our young people in particular have engaged with the programme in huge numbers through its various elements. The programme particularly resonated at local level...

Other Questions: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Yes. We had a successful diaspora programme within the 2016 commemoration programme which I would like to build on. It gave us an opportunity to showcase our tremendous wealth of culture and arts abroad. I want to continue that engagement, which was overseen by Culture Ireland, which developed the Mise Éire/I am Ireland programme. A huge amount of work was also undertaken by our...

Other Questions: Leader Programmes (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am pleased to note that I will launch the Leader programme at an event in Virginia, County Cavan, tomorrow morning. My Department has issued funding agreements to local action groups in 21 of the 28 sub-regional areas designated under the Leader programme and I expect that most, if not all, of these local action groups will be in a position to...

Other Questions: Leader Programmes (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy mentioned funding that we have set aside for Leader this year. As savings emerge, it is my plan to build on the success of the rural economic development zones pilot scheme. I hope to announce details of a REDZ scheme to facilitate the initiation of the new REDZ project. If there are savings I will be keeping in close contact with my colleague, the Minister for Public...

Other Questions: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The programme for a partnership Government contains a very important commitment to work progressively to increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve. I assure the Deputy that I will be engaging with my colleagues in Government and with the Oireachtas to seek to advance this commitment in the context of the forthcoming...

Other Questions: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: What I can confirm to the Deputy is that almost 50% of my entire budget in arts, heritage, regional, rural and Gaeltacht affairs is for the arts. As I said in my reply, the programme for a partnership Government commits to increasing funding for the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy improves. This is the most effective way to provide support for...

Other Questions: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I have met the National Campaign for the Arts. We had a very positive meeting and I look forward to working with them. I recently met the Arts Council and had another positive meeting there. Everybody who comes into my Department is looking for increases in budgets. I would like to give everybody the increase they want. However, that is a matter that I will be pursuing in the budgetary...

Other Questions: Film Industry (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I have met with the chairperson of RTE and we had a very positive meeting. RTE wishes to work in a collaborative manner. We had significant collaboration with RTE for the 2016 commemorations. I note what the Deputy said about the expenditure by film companies, which is very good news for this country. The tax value of the Government's support for the film industry is €85 million...

Other Questions: National Monuments (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I fully understand that Moore Street is a location of great importance for many people and for many different reasons. There is a range of views about what is the best way forward for the street and what can be done to retain its historic character and to reflect the part it played in the events of Easter 1916. In a bid to bring together those views and seek positive progress on the future...

Other Questions: National Monuments (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The High Court decision has much wider implications than Moore Street. I took advice from a number of Departments and brought a memo to Cabinet, where it was decided that it was necessary to appeal the decision. To clarify, I will ask Dublin City Council to nominate a representative councillor to sit on the stakeholders' group. I also intend to have representatives of the 1916 relatives...

Other Questions: National Monuments (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The committee will be formed and a meeting will be held within the coming weeks. A chairman has been appointed and we will work with the Dáil reform committee to assist in the selection of Dáil Members to sit on the forum. I anticipate that Members who have an interest in the issue will put themselves forward to the consultative group. This is a genuine attempt to get all the...

Other Questions: Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Applications for the scheme will be open to all towns. I want to run the scheme through local authorities, in conjunction with local community groups. It will be up to towns to identify their priorities, in terms of what they feel is best suited to improve them. A REDZ programme was rolled out last year and a number of towns benefited. Some towns had different ideas about how they wanted...

Other Questions: Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: As I said, I very much want this to be a bottom-up approach. I am quite happy to consider the different initiatives local authorities bring to me. Some local authorities have established town teams and they will establish their priorities. Under the REDZ pilot scheme that was introduced last year, Limerick received €192,000. I am familiar with a project in my county, where funding...

Other Questions: Film Industry (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Irish Film Board has primary responsibility for the support and promotion of film-making in Ireland, in respect of the indigenous sector and inward productions. Its aim is to help film-makers to make Irish films and provide production and development loans for features, television programmes, animation projects, documentaries and short films. The board supports and promotes the Irish...

Other Questions: Film Industry (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The success of the Irish Film Board is tremendous in terms of the level of funding it receives. The Deputy is correct. It supports productions. It secured seven nominations at this year's Oscars. Lenny Abrahamson was nominated in the best director category for "Room". "Room" and "Brooklyn" were nominated in the best picture category and Emma Donoghue who was nominated in the best adapted...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Environmental Policy (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Review of Raised Bog Natural Heritage Area Network was published in January 2014. It sets out a series of measures to ensure that Ireland meets its obligations under the EU Habitats Directive to maintain or restore raised bog habitat to favourable conservation status, as well as its obligations under the EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive relating to the regulation of turf...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Environmental Policy (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: To reassure the Deputy, this process started in 2004. I am very conscious that I have to respect the environment and the European directives. This is a win for the people it impacts and it is a better outcome for the environment. We brought in consultants to examine 79 bogs. It was all done scientifically and the worth in heritage and environmental terms of the designated bogs was...