Results 4,281-4,300 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: With regard to SICAP, in comparing any figures with those of 2008 we must remember what happened then. We had one of the biggest recessions since the foundation of the State.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: The social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, commenced again in 2015. I announced that €190 million over five years had been secured, which is a substantial amount of money. We are trying to target disadvantage and the people who have been left behind. The unemployment rate has come down from 15% to under 5%. Now we need to target others. Recently, I was in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: One of the questions raised was about a comparison of the moneys spent since 2008 and under the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, to date. As the first such programme commenced in 2015, there cannot be a comparison. The funding available in every county under the 2018 to 2022 programme has slightly increased. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked what had...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: Deputy Collins asked a question about small farmers. He is quite correct: farmers have had a very difficult year - a difficult few years. SICAP includes a scheme for low-income householders, which would include farmers, so they are targeted as well. There should and can be a scheme for them. As for the issue Deputy Collins raised regarding the CSP, I note the valid point he makes about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: SICAP and the communities programme are valuable programmes. Regarding SICAP, I gave the committee the figures earlier, including the number of people involved. It is not really about volumes; it is more about targeting the people in need. In this particular round, we want to ensure we target the people most in need, the people who need to be targeted now. Before SICAP was announced, we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: Deputy Ó Cuív makes some valid points. I do not disagree with some of them but I must explain where we are in the Department on them. The Deputy is correct in his comments on the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, SICAP. More jobs are being created. One never likes to say it but some people are quite happy to be on schemes, such as the rural social schemes or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: It does. We must ensure the people most in need are targeted and programmes are set up to give them the opportunity to be able to get the education and skills they need. I pointed out the success of the last round of the programme. The Deputy mentioned community employment schemes and we must review them. I would like the committee to invite departmental personnel to speak to this....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: I am not saying that. I can give the figures for the RAPID programme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: The programme will be announced at the end of the month and the information will be made available. I am not hiding information and I have no problem with any of the information going out for any scheme. I can give some figures on the urban and rural parts of the RAPID scheme. We had €5 million last year and €2.5 million was ring-fenced for the Dublin north inner city. If...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: The scheme is there to target disadvantage in urban and-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: -----and provincial towns.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: How can I specify where we want a programme like that? We try to target where the disadvantage is located. We know where it is in inner city Dublin and in other cities.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: Deputy Ó Cuív has been a public representative for a long time. He knows that some local authorities have local economic plans and they know best. On the local community development committees, LCDCs, there are representatives from the local health boards, from the education and training boards, ETBs, and elected representatives. If anybody knows what is happening on the ground,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: I want to take up what Deputy Kenny raised. He talked about farm enterprise in respect of the rural social schemes. I agree that they are very good schemes. I would like to see people staying on them where possible. The difficulty now is to get people to go on these schemes. Where people are on them, they should be left on them. They are giving great value to the community. He is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: It is part of the overall Leader programme and €15 million was left out for this scheme. We announced it last week and it will give people an opportunity to apply if they have ideas on food, or innovation. It is a bit like the food hubs and digital hubs around the country. This one is targeted at rural area and I hope we will see a big draw down of that scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: A total of €5 million of funding will be made available for this year. The criteria will be publicised.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: I will send the Deputy the details on it. We only announced the actual funding and the opening of the scheme last week. I will ask the officials to send that to the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: Which programme Chairman?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Rural and Community Development: Review of Programmes of the Department of Rural and Community Development: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Michael Ring: It is funding that we get from Europe. We administer the scheme and today it was interesting as we had groups from North and South who were displaying what the groups actually do. We really only administer the scheme for them; it is funding that comes directly from Europe.