Results 26,581-26,600 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Concert Hall (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: I presume the debate to which the Deputy is referring is that of 7 May when the National Concert Hall was the matter of a Topical Issue debate. In that debate the then Minister stated:At this stage, the reason for the disagreement has been outlined in various Sunday and weekday newspapers, so it is fairly well known. There were disagreements among members which focused primarily on a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Concert Hall (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: In February 2014, the Government approved my predecessor's proposal to place the National Concert Hall on a statutory footing. As a consequence, the Department has prepared the general scheme of a Bill, which has been the subject of pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht. It is intended that the Bill will provide,inter alia, for a...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Application Numbers (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: 3,057 applications under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme for raised bog special areas of conservation have been received and acknowledged by my Department to date. A total of 6,437 payments and 650 turf deliveries have been made in respect of the applications received. In addition, 1,330 once-off incentive payments of €500 have been made to applicants who have signed...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Funding (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The Government's policy on the arts is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, to increase access to and participation in the arts, and to make the arts an integral and valued part of our national life. Under the Arts Act 2003, primary responsibility for the promotion of the arts at all levels throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council. The Arts Council is the main...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Monuments (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: My function in this case relates to the buildings at Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, which are the subject of a Preservation Order under the National Monuments Acts because of their association with the events of Easter Week 1916. As a consequence of the Preservation Order, any works affecting Nos. 14-17 require the formal consent of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Hare Coursing (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The control of live hare coursing, including the operation of individual coursing meetings, is carried out under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, which is the responsibility of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Hare coursing is administered by the Irish Coursing Club, which is a body set up under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958. Licences were issued by my Department in...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: While The Gatheringinitiative was successful in generating tourism and trade in Ireland, it is widely acknowledged that the commemoration of the events of 1916 should and will have a different focus. In this regard, I am committed, together with my Government colleagues, to ensuring that the commemorations to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising will be inclusive, appropriate and...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme Data (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: 3,057 applications have been received under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme for raised bog special areas of conservation to date. Of these, 783 applicants have expressed an interest in relocation to non-designated bogs.Relocation is a complex process in terms of - investigating suitable sites for turf quality and quantity; - the infrastructure/drainage works required; -...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Legislative Measures (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: I have a broad remit to protect Ireland’s natural heritage and am of the view that the resources available to my Department for that purpose should be focused on - raising awareness and a common understanding of the richness of that heritage and the issues we face in protecting it; and - securing compliance with EU Directives on nature conservation. The Wildlife Acts, along with...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Heritage Plan (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Following on from the National Heritage Plan 2002-2007, and over the course of recent years, my Department’s responsibilities for the development of policies for the protection and promotion of our built and natural heritage have been met by various ongoing policy developments, responding to the range of challenges in each of the sectoral areas within my heritage remit. Whilst my...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Tourism Promotion (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: My Department has responsibility for the arts, film, built heritage, natural heritage, the Irish language and the islands. In addition to their great intrinsic value, these are central to promoting the image of Ireland and its perception as a rich cultural destination. My Department has taken a number of initiatives in that regard. In 2014, my Department appointed a Cultural Tourism...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: National Archives (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: I am pleased that, after a number of years of funding reductions, I was in a position this year to increase the National Archives budget and, in addition, that sanction has been given to run a competition for additional archivists for the National Archives. I am also very conscious that the storage capacity of the National Archives needs to be improved and, to that end, as part of its...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: While there has been a degree of continuity in the format and scheduling of the annual National Famine Commemoration ceremony, the date of the ceremony, as well as the artistic and cultural elements, may change from year to year. Although it has proved possible in most years to schedule the commemoration on the second Sunday in May, it has not been considered desirable to fix the same date...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Council Funding (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: Primary responsibility for the promotion and support of the arts at all levels, including musical performance, is devolved to the Arts Council. The Arts Council operates under the provisions of the Arts Act 2003, which provides, inter alia, that the Council is independent in the performance of its functions in funding the arts. In addition, my Department funds targeted initiatives for...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Census of Population Publication (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Governmentcontains a commitment to enabling the publication of the 1926 Census records in due course. The digitisation of the 1901 and 1911 Census returns, which in relative terms was a simpler project than the proposed 1926 Census project, took over four years to complete. The 1926 Census is the next full set of Census records, after the 1911 returns, which is available to...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Hare Coursing (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The control of live hare coursing, including the operation of individual coursing meetings, is carried out under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, which is the responsibility of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Hare coursing is administered by the Irish Coursing Club, which is a body set up under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958.Licences were issued by this Department in...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: While there has been a degree of continuity in the format and scheduling of the annual National Famine Commemoration ceremony, the date of the ceremony, as well as the artistic and cultural elements, may change from year to year. It has proved possible in most years it to schedule the Commemoration on the second Sunday in May. However, it has not been considered desirable to fix the same...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Promotion (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: The Arts Council, which is the main channel of State current expenditure on the arts, provides significant support for local authorities, including the network of local authority arts officers. This network plays a major role in making the arts more accessible to everyone. I am also aware that the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers provides a forum for discussion and a support for...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: EU Directives (10 Feb 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 (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs). The Habitats Directive has been transposed into national law under the European Communities (Birds and Natural...

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Commemorative Events (10 Feb 2015)

Heather Humphreys: I have had very positive engagement with the local authorities in relation to the development of commemoration plans at local level for 2016. I have met with the County and Cities Management Association (CCMA) and have written to request each local authority chief executive to lead the development of 2016 initiatives in their own counties. The Ireland 2016Project Team in my Department has...