Results 25,101-25,120 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

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

Heather Humphreys: I do not agree with the Deputy on that point. I am certainly not trying to be all things to all people. I am trying to find a balance which ensures there is an appropriate network of NHAs which would better contribute to the protection of raised bog habitats and related habitats and species as required under the EU nature directives and wildlife Acts. Drafting of the Wildlife (Amendment)...

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

Heather Humphreys: The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, has shown that rural towns have felt the impact of the economic challenges of recent years more acutely than cities and larger urban centres. This significant deterioration of many small towns and villages throughout the country is clearly visible in the form of empty shops, abandoned buildings, vacant lands and a generally...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Heritage Plan (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for tabling this question. As outlined in A Programme for a Partnership Government, it is the intention to develop and publish an updated national heritage plan. I am currently considering how best to approach its development in the context of ongoing policy priorities across the heritage sector, both built and natural. The National Heritage Plan 2002-2007 was the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Heritage Plan (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I was not in a position to make Heritage Council board appointments for a number of months this year due to the general election and the period that followed before a Government was formed. I have appointed boards to the National Concert Hall and to the National Museum of Ireland in recent weeks, and I will be appointing the new board to the Heritage Council very shortly. Board...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Heritage Plan (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: With regard to the National Library of Ireland, earlier in the year I was delighted to announce a €10 million project in the National Library, which is a magnificent building but needs a good deal of upgrading. Those plans are under way and funding has been provided to the library. Regarding the National Museum of Ireland, we work very closely with the museum and I was pleased...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Regeneration Projects (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Ireland’s towns and villages are the focus of the social, commercial and civic life of their wider communities. Research conducted by the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) has, however, shown that rural towns have felt the impact of the economic challenges of recent years more acutely than cities and larger urban centres. This significant deterioration of...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for a Partnership Governmentcontains a very important commitment to work to progressively increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve. I can 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...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Broadband Service Provision (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The National Broadband Plan aims to conclusively address Ireland’s connectivity challenges, by ensuring that every premises in the country has access to high speed broadband services. This is being achieved through measures to incentivise and accelerate industry investment, and an ambitious investment programme by the State, in areas where industry will not invest. The Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Waterways Issues (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Waterways Ireland has been actively progressing the development of Blueways as a means to attract new visitors to use the waterways and in response to the growth in demand for recreational activities such as walking, canoeing, cycling and stand up paddle boarding. The first Blueway was launched in October 2014 on the Shannon and it has been very successful. It links Drumshanbo with...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is supporting a number of flagship capital projects for the 1916 centenary year, which, combined, will create a lasting legacy of 1916 that will, I believe, be of continuing interest to the public into the future. One of these ‘permanent reminder’ projects involved the restoration and adaptation through a Dublin City Community Partnership of two buildings that...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Hedge Cutting Season (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Section 40 of the Wildlife Acts 1976, as amended, prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or destruction of vegetation, with certain strict exemptions, from 1 March to 31 August. Following a review of Section 40, which involved, inter alia, consideration of submissions from interested parties, I announced proposals in December 2015 to introduce legislation to allow for managed hedge...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Monuments (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: Since works were suspended, the only access to the national monument buildings, which are a construction site, has been by construction professionals with the requisite health and safety training for the purposes of essential maintenance and monitoring. There are a number of potential health and safety issues associated with the site and its layout that render it unsuitable for other...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: My officials are working closely with Dublin City Council to finalise a proposal to commemorate the role of women in the Easter Rising. I will announce details of this in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I announced a new €9 million investment scheme for arts and cultural centres to run over the next three years, focussed on enhancing the existing stock of such centres around the country. The funding is being made available as part of the Capital Investment Framework 2016-2021. My Department’s scheme will target investment at a range of different facilities and will be broken...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Funding (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for a Partnership Governmentcontains a very important commitment to work to progressively increase funding to the arts, including the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, as the economy continues to improve. I can 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...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Cultural Policy (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The full range of investment which my Department makes right across the Arts and Heritage sectors makes a significant contributes to our national image. Much of this investment is also of huge interest and benefit to young people, for example, investment in museums and cultural centres, in creative activity as funded through the Arts Council and through Irish film. TheProgramme for a...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: A large number of events took place over the Easter weekend as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, all of which were very well attended by guests and members of the public alike. The military parade and ceremony past the GPO on Easter Sunday saw approximately 4,500 guests attending - predominantly relatives of those who took part in the 1916 Rising - as well as many thousands of...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Bodies (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: A discussion document on Culture 2025was published in August 2015. The drafting of that document was informed by input from a colloquium of cultural stakeholders organised by my Department in association with the Royal Irish Academy on 25 May 2015. An Expert Group was then established to provide feedback and advice at key points during the consultation and drafting process of the Culture...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: The National Famine Commemoration will take place on September 11th in Glasnevin Cemetery. As in previous years, the ceremony will include the unveiling of a permanent memorial at the site of the commemoration. Meetings between officials from my Department and the Glasnevin Trust in relation to both the arrangements for the commemoration itself and the memorial are ongoing. With regard...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Public Sector Staff Data (7 Jul 2016)

Heather Humphreys: I am advised that over the course of the period, June 2011 to end December 2014, my Department was required to reduce numbers under the Employment Control Framework limits for Civil Servant and Public Servant numbers set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. There was also a moratorium on staff recruitment over this period. The number of staff employed by my Department, and the...