Results 4,901-4,920 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Inland Waterways Development (16 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: Waterways Ireland, which comes under the remit of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is responsible for the development of several of the country’s main canals, including their development from an amenity perspective. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has overall responsibility for the development of Greenways, such as the Waterford...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I thank the Chairman. I look forward to working with the new committee in the next few years. I wish the Chairman and members well and I hope we can work together for the betterment of rural Ireland. I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the select committee my Department's Revised Estimate for 2017. The Department of Rural and Community Development was established on 19 July 2017....

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: The Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, will take some of the questions that cover his area. The first question that Deputy O'Keeffe raised is the most important question of the day because it is the most important issue in planning for the future of rural Ireland. At the moment my officials are working with senior officials within the Cabinet sub-committee on the national framework plan. I...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: We prepaid the schemes last year, and much of that prepaid money has been delivered. A number of the new schemes were launched to support the economic development of rural areas, including the renewable energy support scheme, RESS, the ceantar laga árd-riachtanais, CLÁR, scheme, the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme and the town and village renewal scheme. Funding must...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I wish to respond also to Deputy Canney's question about the Atlantic economic corridor. It is a matter for the committee but I would be happy for the Department to come before it to make a presentation. I would also be happy for the committee to set a date aside for consideration of the action plan.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: We had a LEADER forum involving all of the relevant groups on 17 May of this year in order to explore the issues and concerns around the lags and delays, and to identify potential solutions and ways of streamlining the current LEADER programme. The forum identified a number of areas where it felt procedures could be streamlined and where the burden of project applications could be reduced....

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I will make sure that the Deputy gets the updated figures. He is entitled to those.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: The Deputy is quite correct. There is an overall check from Europe which undertook spot checks in the past following which funding had to be repaid. On the Deputy's point, that is why we made 31 changes in an effort to simplify the process. She is correct. It is something that I inherited. We made the changes and I believe, and the Deputy might check this with her own Leader company,...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I do not have responsibility for the local authorities. They are telling me that the reason they are unable to spend the funding is because they do not have the resources or the staff. All I can do is make the money available. Deputy Ó Cuív will know this. We have very effective and efficient local authorities, and some do very well in spending. I was at this in July, but why...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: We gave out €28 million last year and to date 62% has been spent, that is, €17 million.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: Is that the figure the Deputy has?

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: Later today I will give the Deputy the updated list that I have before me. Deputy Collins is from Cork. I brought in the Cork county manager and spoke to him. I met when I was in Cork recently.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I will consider the checks and balances. I am meeting the officials in the afternoon and we have to see about the underspend. I have to consider the overall budget and see what I can do. I am still hoping the local authorities will respond and that we will see a major increase. I will make one promise to the Deputy, and he will criticise me when it happens, next year, if we are...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I will respond to Deputy Collins first on the local improvement schemes. He is quite correct. While I know that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport was down in the constituency, he did not deliver the local improvement scheme, however. I did that. He was there 17 or 18 months ago and he did not deliver it. I delivered it though and we now have a scheme in place for the Deputy....

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I thank Deputy Penrose for his contribution. I will answer Deputy Fitzmaurice first. He spoke about rural proofing. It is a very valid point. Every other day, we get memos from Government with regard to what has been proposed by other Ministers. My officials and I have to watch these memos come in because these are what will determine the decision. I have to make observations on these...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: It has done more work for rural Ireland than all the local authorities put together. If we had not the rural social schemes, we would have a serious problem. The Deputy is quite correct as there is now the problem of people being able to stay on it longer. I am talking to the Minister in that regard. The Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, will deal with the broadband matters. We spoke...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I want to answer the question.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I covered the issue of the framework for the plan. I have also dealt with the query about the local improvement scheme, LIS. I am sure members have read about public banking. I have answered questions about the matter in the Dáil. The Programme for a Partnership Government envisaged that An Post, the Irish League of Credit Unions and other interested stakeholders would be asked to...

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: My Minister of State will deal with the question about dormant accounts.

Select Committee on Rural and Community Development: Estimates for Public Services 2017
Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development (Revised) (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: The Estimate for current spending in 2016 was €4 million and the outturn was €3,801,000. The Estimate for 2017 was €3.9 million.