Results 3,181-3,200 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: To be clear, the Wildlife Acts dictate when hedge cutting takes place, which is September to February, and the Minister, which is me at the moment, has no discretion. Roadside hedge cutting is always allowed for road safety purposes and other hedge cutting is allowed for agricultural and forestry purposes.

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Deputy. Unfortunately, I will have to disappoint her and say it is allowed all year round for road safety purposes and that I do not have any discretion. The dates for the cutting of hedges are set down in primary legislation under the Wildlife Act 1976, as the Deputy knows. Section 40 of the Act prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or destruction of vegetation with certain...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Deputy has a good memory. I had a meeting with the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and the German minister on climate change in general. Most of the matters discussed fell under the remit of the Minister, Deputy Bruton, but I dealt with the biodiversity aspect. Under the EU Green New Deal, member states must ensure that at least 30% of the EU's land and marine areas are protected by 2030 and...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Targets are necessary. Some 14% of our land is already designated, which is quite substantial. We have 440 SACs, 150 NHAs and 154 SPAs. One quickly gets used to anagrams in this Department. We will look at the EU targets. It is recognised that in order to meet the needs of the EU strategy at least €20 billion per year should be unlocked for spending on nature and that a...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I will do my best. My Department has done a significant amount of work to maintain departmental leadership in this space. The Deputy referred to electric vehicles. The National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department has been a leader in deploying electric vehicles through its fleet by piloting the use of commercial electrically operated vans in the Wicklow Mountains and Killarney...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Deputy asked a number of questions and I will do my best to answer them in the two minutes available. On retrofitting, the built and archaeological adaptation plan helps reduce the vulnerability of built and archaeological heritage against climate change. On the funding the retrofitting of heritage buildings, we are piloting a scheme this year to allow local authorities to grant aid...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I thank Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Feighan acknowledged the work being done on peatlands and the bogs. I acknowledge his contribution. Deputy Carroll MacNeill mentioned built heritage. Along with the historic structures fund, this year's funding for historic buildings came to €4.3 million which will fund 449 projects with the aim of carrying out repairs to buildings...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I will try to work backwards and answer all the Deputies' questions. Deputy O'Rourke mentioned Tara, Brú na Bóinne and Skellig Michael. My Department has responded to climate change risk to our built and archaeological heritage with a comprehensive adaptation plan, which I outlined earlier. This aims to reduce vulnerability to developing risks and monitoring climate change...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: It is a challenge and we are fully aware of it and dealing with it all the time. One of Deputy Mairéad Farrell's questions relates more to the cultural capital scheme, which runs up to 2022. It would be worth looking at that to address some of the matters she is talking about. The Minister of State, Senator Kyne, will be in front of the Covid-19 committee tomorrow to discuss...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Deputy Niamh Smyth raised a number of issues. On the documents, they are effectively organic and they will be continuously updated taking into account some of the changes mentioned by the Deputy, including the EU Green New Deal and Covid-19. I welcome all the very extensive provisions delineated in the programme for Government. It is really comprehensive around biodiversity in particular...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: Yes. There are departmental capital grant schemes under which the committee could make an application. My officials can meet and liaise with them in regard to their application. The other places mentioned by the Deputy are not under my remit but they would be subject to the guidelines of the roadmap in terms of reopening. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan mentioned local arts centres....

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I am pleased to make the annual sectoral adaptation transition statement to the Dáil on the steps taken by my Department in 2019. As part of the Government's climate action plan and in accordance with the national adaptation framework in October 2019, my Department published two sectoral adaptation plans, one addressing biodiversity and the other on built and archaeological heritage....

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: In accordance with the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Businessannounced on the 5th June, there are now two remaining phases instead of three, with Phase 3 starting on the 29th of June, and Phase 4 on the 20th of July. Further work is being carried out in the coming days and weeks to determine which actions will take place in each phase. Updates to the roadmap can be...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Inland Waterways (16 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: In November 2019, funding of €5m was awarded under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to Waterways Ireland and its partners, Kildare and Laois County Councils to progress the Barrow Blueway from Lowtown to Athy.  As part of indicative timescales in relation to the project, Waterways Ireland has informed the Department that detailed analysis and design of the route and...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Arts Council is statutorily independent under Section 24 of the Arts Act 2003 and I as Minister have no function in relation to the Council’s funding decisions.  I understand that the Arts Council decided that work created by the recipients of the Covid-19 response award will be presented on the  Arts Council website and other platforms including those of media...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Architectural Heritage (16 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: My role with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the roles of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners.     Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility, however, to local authorities to identify and protect...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Wildlife Protection (16 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department is aware of an incident of poisoning involving the death of a number of buzzards in West Cork a number of months ago.  Testing of the carcasses was carried out by the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Cork which confirmed that the cause of death was the banned insecticide Carbofuran.  I would refer the Deputy to my...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (16 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise that a reply to the correspondence referred to by the Deputy has issued. In accordance with the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Businessannounced on the 5th June, there are now two remaining phases instead of three, with Phase 3 starting on the 29th of June, and Phase 4 on the 20th of July. Further work is being carried out in the coming days and...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Arts Council had undertaken surveys of arts organisations and artists to identify the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on audiences, employment and finances.   The Arts Council has published the results of the surveys on its website.  They are available at the following link www.artscouncil.ie/publications/?&Year=2020#search. Among the findings to emerge from the...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Arts Council (16 Jun 2020)

Josepha Madigan: The Arts Council is the principal agency through which current funding is channeled to artists and arts organisations. The Arts Council provides funding for a number of bursaries including dance as well as travel and training awards to support professional artists to develop their art practice. Applicants are eligible to apply for such funding on reaching 18.  Under Section 24 of the...