Results 2,941-2,960 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: We have 13 social inclusion units. They are provided to the local authorities and we meet 50% of the costs involved. The allocation of €550,000 for them will be fully used this year but I plan to review that programme also. Substantial money is being allocated to it and we need to know where it is being spent. We will carry out a review of that programme. I want to establish if we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: They have their own resources. We also support the local authorities in that my Department covers the salary of a broadband officer. We also fund a staff member to develop the Atlantic economic corridor which covers ten counties. We plan to do a review of that scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: We give them one overall payment from which they draw down funding. The local authorities tell me that they find it difficult to provide matching funding in respect of every scheme. I am in a particular position and I had better not make a comment on that matter. They take in major resources in the form of moneys levied from rates and planning charges. They provide services and are able...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I have been accused all year of having an underspend in the Department. What I am hearing from members on all sides here is that my Department is overspending. I will have to wait and see what is the position. The Senator asked me about the local improvement scheme and I can tell her we gave the local authorities €10 million in February.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I will come back to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I will answer that, as it will come up. Because of the weather we had last year and everything else, I made a conscious decision for this year to make money available for the local improvement scheme, LIS, at the end of the year. I allocated €10 million nationally to the local authorities in February; we are almost at the end of October and to date, only €5.6 million has been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I will get my officials to send the Chairman and the committee an up-to-date list of who has drawn down what in the LIS and how much they were allocated since February. The Chairman is correct; the rural regeneration scheme is a game changer. It will give communities the opportunity, particularly with digital hubs, food hubs and different projects where there would be an allocation from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I thank Senator Coffey for his comments on the rural regeneration scheme. He asked a few questions and spoke about individual cases. Naturally enough, I will not comment on individual cases. To be fair, many applicants under the first round of the rural regeneration scheme did not really know what was expected of them. I will outline the process, the funding, where we are going and what...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: Kilmacthomas. I love that place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: It is a lovely spot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: Yes. It is a lovely place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: It is a fantastic place. I think the number of allocations made during the first round represented a great achievement on the part of the Department. They are now progressing. The Senator asked about giving guidance to applicants. We have done that. To be fair to my officials and staff, they went around the country. They had meetings. They brought in the local authorities and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Senator is quite correct in what he says about ambition. That is why we have asked for collaboration. We have allowed local authorities, LEADER companies, State agencies and Fáilte Ireland to collaborate with groups. The Senator has asked a question. We want to get projects that involve collaboration. We do not want to fund projects that do not have a chance. That is why the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth for her comments on the Department and acknowledging that the funding provided is helpful to rurar communities. The CLÁR programme was the big issue raised by Deputy Fitzmaurice. As I stated, we received 490 applications last year but were only able to fund 179. I suppose the programme is a victim of its own success. Last year there was a second round of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: What I have said to the Chairman, and he will give the members a report on it, is that an up-to-date list of the funding will be sent on to him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: Deputy Smyth also raised this issue. I could do with a bit of support with LIS on the basis of the demand for it. The Deputies said that councils do not have a lot of money but they have a responsibility. They will have their estimates processed in the next few weeks. I was a Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and when councils were spending money on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The LIS is a statutory scheme with regulations on how it works. It would take legislation for me to be able to change the rules of the scheme. The rules are there and the scheme is working around the State. We have had a few problems, but it is fine; these things happen. The LIS is a good scheme. The committee could make a suggestion. I have asked the LEADER companies, Údarás...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I have allocated €1.4 million to Tidy Towns this year. As I said earlier, it is the first time that any Government has given Tidy Towns recognition. We would like to give it more money but we do not have it. It is a recognition of the fantastic work done by Tidy Towns. It goes down well as people all over the country appreciate it. The funding will help Tidy Towns with projects so...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Departmental Outputs and Expenditure - Vote 42: Minister for Rural and Community Development (16 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: There will be an extra €5 million.