Results 261-280 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (24 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The provision of such buildings, and related services, as that referred to by the Deputy is primarily a matter for local authorities, under the Local Government Act 2001. With specific regard to the building referred to by the Deputy, the following funding has been allocated by my Department, from 2019 to date: Fund/Scheme Year Allocated Funding Allocated ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (24 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: My Department recognises the importance of playgrounds in communities throughout Ireland. Applications for the delivery and upgrade of playgrounds are welcome under a number of schemes operated by my Department such as the CLÁR Programme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), the LEADER programme, the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) and the Community Recognition Fund (CRF). ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (24 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Community Recognition Fund (CRF) was first introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Through the 2023 allocation, funding of €50 million was approved for some 900 projects. I was delighted to announce a further €50 million in funding under the Community Recognition Fund on March 15th last. ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: In respect of the information sought by the Deputy, it is set out in the tables below. Unfortunately, my Department does not have a grade breakdown of vacancies at the end of August 2023. At the end of August 2024, my Department held the vacancies tabled below. Vacancy Grade Total AO 3 AO specialist 3 ...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Staff (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 126 to 130, inclusive, together. In 2023 and 2024 to date there have been 18 staff who have been notified of an appropriate vacancy in accordance with paragraph 39 of the 2013 circular Career Break Scheme in the Civil Service from the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. In 2023 and 2024 to date no post in the...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable to a parent / guardian in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and where the level of that disability is such that the child is likely to require this level of...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Departmental Data (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: A total of 7,736 individuals transferred to regular Illness Benefit from the covid-related Enhanced Illness Benefit. This total includes some individuals who transferred due the closure of the Enhanced Illness Benefit scheme in September 2022. Of these, 213 people were on Disability Allowance at the end of September 2024 with a start date after their Illness Benefit claim. 206 individuals...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Social Enterprise Sector (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Trading for Impact, the new social enterprise policy puts forward a vision designed to help cultivate and sustain strong, impactful social enterprises in Ireland. This, in turn, will enrich the social, environmental and economic well-being of people living in our communities, both rural and urban. The policy lays out 57 concrete actions, across five policy objectives: ‘Building...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The regeneration and revitalisation of our rural towns and villages is a key priority for my Department. In support of this priority my Department has put in place a range of supports and schemes, which focus on rural towns. Towns such as Portlaoise and Newbridge which have a population of over 10,000, are not generally eligible for inclusion in such schemes. For example, the Town and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) provides funding for the development and construction of large scale capital projects in towns, villages and rural areas across Ireland. Since 2018, funding of €584 million has been allocated to 243 projects. Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 relates to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future, Ireland's Rural Development Policy 2021 – 2025, represents the Irish Government’s blueprint for the sustainable development of rural Ireland. It sets out a vision for a thriving rural Ireland, and to that end establishes a strategic framework for the delivery of capital investment under my Department's Rural Development Investment Programme. The delivery of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are generally not maintained by local authorities. My Department reintroduced the scheme in 2017 after several years without dedicated funding. Between 2017 and 2024, my Department allocated almost €170 million to local authorities under the scheme. Up to the end of 2023, this has...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as walking trails, cycleways, water-based recreation sites and mountain trails. Since 2020, funding of almost €5 million has been allocated to 58 outdoor recreation projects in County Galway. A table detailing the ORIS projects approved...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR programme provides targeted investment for small scale infrastructural projects in defined rural areas. Since 2020, over 90 projects have been approved in county Galway with almost €5.7 million in funding. To date this year, there have been approvals under Measures 1 and 2 of CLÁR 2024 and I hope to announce Measure 3 projects in the coming weeks The following...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Under the 2022 Community Centre Investment Fund, almost €46 million was committed for the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres across Ireland. There was a huge uptake of this funding and over 860 different projects are being delivered in centres the length and breadth of the country. I am happy to confirm that 61 projects totalling over €4.2 million were...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development, which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities that aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas. From 2020 to 31st December 2023, 151 projects with a value of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Control of Dogs (23 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: The Control of Dogs Acts set out a range of requirements for all dog owners or any other person in charge of a dog. S.I. No. 442/1998, the Control of Dogs Regulations 1998, sets out further requirements that owners of specific breeds of dogs, including strains or crosses of those breeds, have to follow. Such dogs must be muzzled and led, on a sufficiently strong leash or chain not exceeding...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his kind words. It is great to be back in Seanad Éireann to introduce this Bill, my fifth and final budget measure, for approval.The purpose of the Bill is to give legislative effect to many of the very substantial improvements in social protection announced on budget day. I am pleased to say that this year's budget represents the largest social...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Senators for their contributions and their positive comments and engagement. This is an extensive package of supports announced on budget day and many of them do not require primary legislation, which are the lump sum payments I am delivering at a cost of €1.4 billion to assist people with the continuing cost-of-living pressures they are facing.The lump-sum payments will...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage (22 Oct 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I visited the marina talking to various groups. It was great to meet them. I said on the radio that people should not listen to social media because the people who make comments on social media say things on it that they would never be brave enough to say to your face.