Results 25,661-25,680 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Artists' Remuneration (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The Government appreciates the importance of the arts, culture and the creative industries to Irish society and to the international artistic reputation of this country. Ireland has a reputation for being supportive of artists through the provision of the tax exemption for artists.Income and pension arrangements for artists can vary widely across the sector. Employment in the arts sector...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Heritage Schemes (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: My role, as Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with regard to the protection and management of our built and natural heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation. Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the protection of the architectural heritage. The Act gives primary responsibility to planning authorities to identify and...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Funding for the protection of built heritage will continue to be provided by my Department via a number of schemes, which will be either directly administered or delivered through local authorities and agencies such as the Heritage Council.This year my Department operated a Structures at Risk Fund to enable conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership,...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Special Areas of Conservation Management (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Ireland, like all EU Member States, is bound by the requirements of the Habitats Directive. This Directive aims to ensure the protection of habitats and species which have been selected for conservation within special areas of conservation and special protection areas. The Habitats Directive has been transposed into national law under the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats)...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Wildlife Protection (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No 66 today. The issues affecting the long-term survival of golden eagles re-introduced over the last 15 years are complex. My Department and the Golden Eagle Trust will meet in the coming weeks to review the performance of the project to date and will examine what genuinely effective options are available in the short and medium...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Easter Rising Commemorations (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, which was launched on 31 March last, includes a rich diversity of programmes and events, complementary and additional to the formal State occasions, which will run throughout 2016 to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. The Programme is an invitation to everyone on the island of Ireland and to the global Irish community to shape and engage...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Easter Rising Commemorations (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Under the Community Participation strand of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, some 84 public consultations, facilitated by the local authorities with support from my Department, have taken place nationwide. Each of the local authorities has developed a rich and diverse series of events and projects that will take place next year. I was very pleased to participate with An Taoiseach and...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Library (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The National Library is one of our foremost National Cultural Institutions, charged with collecting, preserving, promoting and making accessible the documentary and intellectual record of the life of Ireland.I am acutely aware of the challenges facing the National Library, and indeed other cultural institutions, following the reduction in resources available to the Exchequer as a result of...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: State Papers Issues (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Under the National Archives Act 1986, Government Departments, Offices and the Courts have an obligation to transfer records older than 30 years, subject to certain exemptions, to the National Archives. The Government has now agreed to amend the legislation to reduce the period for the transfer of records to the National Archives from 30 years to 20 years. Given that the United Kingdom and...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Funding for the protection of built heritage will continue to be provided by my Department via a number of schemes, which will be either directly administered or delivered through local authorities and agencies such as the Heritage Council.This year my Department operated a Structures at Risk Fund to enable conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership,...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Heritage Projects (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: As Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, I am aware of the growing risk to the sustainable future of the remaining stock of Irish Historic Houses in private ownership, where owners have consistently struggled, throughout the last century, to find sustainable alternative means of meeting the on-going costs of their maintenance. I have also recognised that these Houses are often a...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Wildlife Protection (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The Golden Eagle Reintroduction Project is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust in partnership with, and with funding from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which, as the Deputy will be aware, is a section within my Department. The purpose of the reintroduction project was to bring back eagles to Ireland, restoring a species that had been persecuted in the late 19th Century. The golden...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Wildlife Protection (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: An Inter-Departmental Steering Group was convened in July 2014 to assist in the development of a Hen Harrier Threat Response Plan. The Group is examining all of the issues at hand, including forestry and financial supports for farmers, with a view to determining the appropriate course of further action. A Consultative Committee with representatives from all the relevant sectors was also set...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Parks and Wildlife Service (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Significant environmental damage is caused by wildfires. This issue has become more acute in recent years, as evidenced by the spate of fires in various parts of the country, including Co. Kerry, last spring. The main source of such wildfires is thought to be the deliberate starting of fires without concern for the...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Cultural Policy (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: In Ireland, the Arts Council is the agency which is charged with the development of the arts, including music. I have no plans to create a new agency for music.The issue of the music industry has also been raised during the public consultation process which I put in place for the development of Ireland's first national cultural policy, Culture 2025. This will be reflected in the policy...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Monuments (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: My Department’s National Monuments Service arranged for initial archaeological investigations in this case in 2006, which confirmed the existence of the Bronze Age trackway. Significant remains of the trackway still survive within the developed bog and it is likely that substantial parts also survive in adjacent intact areas of the bog. My Department, through the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Waterways Issues (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: I have been informed by Waterways Ireland that the Royal and Grand Canals and Barrow Navigation comprise over 400 km of canals which are under its management. These are important publicly owned recreational corridors which support a wide range of boating and water sports. The canal towpaths represent opportunities for both local communities and tourists to enjoy off-road cycling and walking...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Easter Rising Commemorations (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Together with my Government colleagues, I am committed to ensuring that the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme engages with children and young people to the greatest extent possible.My Department’s Ireland 2016 Project Team has been working with the Department of Education and Skills to ensure that the Youth and Imaginationstrand of the Programme reaches every school in the country. The...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Funding (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Expenditure on the arts in Ireland comes from multiple sources, both public and private. I understand that the CSO does not produce national statistics that capture the totality of this expenditure as a percentage of GDP. My Department’s expenditure on the arts is, in the main, directed through the Arts Council. That expenditure is published annually in the Revised Estimates Volumes...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Funding (8 Dec 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The Government appreciates the importance of the cultural and creative industries to Ireland. The Arts Council is the main mechanism through which the Government directs funding to the arts and to artists. The Council provides significant support to individual artists through bursaries as well as individual grants. It also funds means-tested payments to members of Aosdána. The Arts...