Results 2,961-2,980 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: That is correct.

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: I hope to do that in the next couple of weeks.

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 is 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 know what the Senator is talking about. The LEADER programme is a joint venture between ourselves and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Some of the funding and projects have been allocated in different counties. I will get my officials to come back to the Senator on the projects around the country.

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 could name them but I do not like to. I could be accused for naming the Mayo ones, so I had better not.

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 rural regeneration scheme is a ten-year programme with €1 billion. We have already had the first round, which was allocated in May this year. The second round has closed for category 1 applications and the approvals will be announced in November. Immediately after that we will announce again for category 2. That is for the funding to get the projects up and ready to make them...

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: On the LEADER programme, the European Commission has proposed a 5% reduction in the CAP. The CAP has now been carried over for another year. The Government does not want that to happen. We will be negotiating with Europe but that will be some time next year. The LEADER projects will be allocated up to 2020. There will be a three-year time gap for the spend on that. I have already...

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 do not want to get into that because we have to negotiate with Europe first on the continuation of the 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: This relates to the continuation of the scheme. The allocation will be made to 2020. This scheme will continue to 2023. The existing contracts are in place and will be up to 2023. That gives us a time span between now and then. I hope that the CAP negotiations work out well. I do not want to see the LEADER programme cut in any way. That is why I will be fighting to ensure that happens....

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: My understanding - I am open to correction - is that they run to 2023.

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: That is my understanding.

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: To be fair, we will get back to the Senator on that. My understanding is that the date is 2023 but I may be wrong. What will happen in 2020 is that the spend will be made. It will take three years to get the spend dealt with. I think the contracts have to be in place up to 2023, but we will confirm 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 let Minister of State, Deputy Canney, respond to that. Some positive things are happening. My Department is supporting broadband officers and area of natural constraint officers. Senator Conway-Walsh will understand that the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment has a vast budget. I do not want those responsible to be using this Department but I am and 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: I want to make it clear that no money has gone back. My capital budget was spent last year, 100% of it.

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 until the end of the year to spend it. We have written to the local authorities to put pressure on them and they have until the end of December to spend that funding. They are all telling us that it will be done by the end of year. Last year, they told me that if they had received the money earlier, they would have it spent, so I gave it in February and gave another allocation in...

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 the Senator for his comments. We have changed the name to Water Safety Ireland because it was getting a lot of calls from people who thought it was Irish Water. Last year, we had a major promotion in regard to water safety which included a major public awareness campaign and work in schools and educational settings. The Department funded the operating costs of Water Safety...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Walks Scheme (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: I propose to take Questions Nos. 586 to 588, inclusive, together. My Department administers the Walks Scheme which was originally launched in March 2008. The Scheme was an innovative response to facilitating the development and maintenance of 39 of Ireland’s key walking trails. The Scheme includes 1,962 landholders as key participants in the provision of high quality walking trails by...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Staff Data (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: The Department of Rural and Community Development was established in July 2017.  The numbers of staff recruited and retirements by grade are set out by year 2017 to 2019 (to date) in the Tables. All staff were recruited on full time basis.  Table A - Recruitment and retirements by grade 2017. Grade Number Recruited Number Retired Secretary General 1 0 Assistant Secretary 0...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Ring: As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has been working for some time to develop a scheme to indemnify private land owners, particularly in upland areas, with regard to the use of their lands for recreational purposes. This is a complex issue and the legal rights of landowners must be respected, while trying to facilitate access to their lands for recreational users on a...