Results 2,861-2,880 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fire Safety (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I have been in and out of many areas in urban as well as rural locations. This is a new problem that has developed. While the Deputy says it is a Government problem, the Government does not own some of the community halls. They may be owned by the church, local authorities or communities. A lot of the schemes and community organisations operating in them are being funded by the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Development Initiatives (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: In August 2019 I launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: a five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. The strategy was co-produced by the Government and the community and voluntary sector through a cross-sectoral group established for that purpose. The strategy sets out 11 high level objectives and associated actions which will empower...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Development Initiatives (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I do not agree with the Deputy that it is a top-down approach. It is from the bottom up. I am someone who very much believes in that. On social enterprise and specifically this strategy, many people have talked about this for 20 years; I am the only Minister who has actually brought it in. Moreover, I put my money where my mouth is. I have allocated some funding this year for the public...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: RAPID Programme (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: Under the original RAPID programme, funding was ring-fenced for areas designated as RAPID. The key difference with the new community enhancement programme is that funding is allocated to every local authority area, on the basis of the deprivation level in each area. This is done using the Pobal Haase Pratschke, HP, deprivation index, which measures the wealth or disadvantage of a particular...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: RAPID Programme (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: On the RAPID programme, to be fair it was closed in 2003 and reopened again in 2011. A value-for-money report was done on that programme, which stated that if we were ever to do another RAPID programme again it must be done a different way. There was a community facilities programme and a RAPID programme so I amalgamated both of them and brought it into the community enhancement programme....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: RAPID Programme (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Deputy is on the same hymn sheet as I am. I want to make sure this funding is targeted to the areas where it is needed most. The Deputy asked about consistency. This is the reason I asked for the review. I went through a number of counties looking at the way they were allocating the funding. Some counties seemed to have a different way than did other counties. I needed to get...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: -----that LEADER would not ramp up, and that we would not be able to spend the LEADER money. The Deputy told me last year that I would not spend my budget. Some 100% of the capital budget and 99.9% of the current budget has been spent. I wanted to take the opportunity to say that because I was sick and tired of hearing this from every Fianna Fáil Deputy over the summer. I know they...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I was on about LEADER. I did spend it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I am very confident that all of our programmes are on profile. The Deputy will know that projects in his own county have started and I am told they will be completed by the end of December. I expect they will draw down the funding. That is happening all over the country. I do not yet know the amount I will not spend. Earlier in the year, I had thought that I might have money to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The rural regeneration and development fund seeks to support ambitious and strategic projects which have the potential to transform rural economies and communities. The Government has committed €1 billion over ten years to the fund and €315 million is allocated to the fund for the period from 2019 to 2022. A total of €52 million was allocated to the fund for 2019. ...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: We had to carry out due diligence in respect of the category 1 schemes. We had to make sure that the contracts were ready and confirm the funding that they said would be in place. I am pleased that many projects are up and running. In fact, I am due to be in Galway tomorrow to open projects that have been funded under the rural regeneration scheme. The Deputy asked about the spend. We...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Reviews (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: Pobal is a not for profit company which was originally established by Government in 1992 as Area Development Management (ADM) Ltd.  Charitable status was granted to the company by the Revenue Commissioners on the 20th November 1996.  In 2005 ADM was re-named Pobal.  In accordance with Section 40 of the Charities Act, 2009, Pobal was entered onto the Register of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: CLÁR Programme (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 15 together. The CLÁR programme provides funding for small infrastructure projects in rural areas which have suffered high levels of population loss.  The programme was closed for new applications in 2010.  However, I re-launched CLÁR in 2016 and since then, almost €33 million has been allocated to over 1,400 projects...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: LEADER Programmes Data (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: LEADER is a multi-annual programme with a budget of €250 million over the period 2014-2020.  €225 million of this budget is allocated to Local Action Groups, or LAGs, who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level. This allocation includes €5 million in additional funding which I have allocated to the top 10 performing LAGs this week. The balance...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme forms an important part of the Action Plan for Rural Development and the Government's Project Ireland 2040 Programme for Rural Regeneration. I launched the 2019 Town and Village Renewal Scheme on 16th April last.  The closing date for receipt of applications from Local Authorities under the Scheme was 28th June. Over 300 applications for funding...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund Eligibility (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund seeks to support ambitious and strategic projects which have the potential to transform rural economies and communities. The Government has committed €1 billion over 10 years to the Fund and €315 million is allocated to the Fund for the period 2019-2022.   The second call for Category 1 applications for the Rural...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Town and Village Scheme has become a hugely significant funding stream for the regeneration of small towns and villages throughout Ireland.  Since the scheme was introduced in the second half of 2016, almost €53 million has been approved for more than 670 projects across the country. This includes funding of just over €1.3...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Regeneration and Development Fund Data (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund seeks to support ambitious and strategic projects which have the potential to transform rural economies and communities. The Government has committed €1 billion over 10 years to the Fund and €315 million is allocated to the Fund for the period 2019-2022. The second call for Category 1 applications for the Rural Regeneration and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local and Community Development Programme (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: Local Community Development Committees were established in mid-2014 to bring about a more joined-up and integrated approach to local service planning and delivery. I recently approved a comprehensive review of the LCDCs which was underpinned by extensive consultation and highlighted the significant progress made since LCDCs were established.  The review also recognised a number...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The CLÁR programme provides funding for small scale infrastructure projects in rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population.  I launched the 2019 programme on 28 February last, with a closing date of 25 April for applications.   Almost 500 CLÁR applications were received by my Department this year and I have allocated funding of...