Results 4,941-4,960 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

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 criticises me when we cannot spend money. I tried to get schemes up and running. I asked local authorities to meet local communities. Local authorities submitted the applications and we adjudicated on them.

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 current position arose following the first round of submissions. In the first round, local authorities were asked to submit four projects and when they submitted them we allocated grant aid. In the next round we had a competition and examined the schemes. The situation was similar to what happened with regard to the hub in Skibbereen. We examined hubs where jobs could be created and...

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

Michael Ring: As I said, I am monitoring the situation. To be fair, a 15-month period is involved. Some of the funding will be spent this year, but most will be spent next year.

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 look for-----

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 seek to carry over some of the allocation for the Department. I will have a €7.7 million carryover. As I stated, I am monitoring the local authorities and I will also announce a number of schemes in the coming weeks. As with all Ministers, I do not want funding for my Department to be returned to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. I want to spend my allocation...

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

Michael Ring: Last week, under the RAPID programme, the Department made an allocation of €2.5 million to inner city Dublin and at least the same amount to the rest of the country. The scheme is up and running again.

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 target areas of serious disadvantage. The local authorities and local community development committees, LCDCs, will identify where the needs are. This is a good idea as it gives the LCDCs a degree of autonomy. We will wait to see how it works.

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 two points on the RAPID programme. I visited Dublin's inner city two weeks ago where I saw money being targeted in an area that needs it. I also saw the results of the targeted funding and I was very happy with them. As the Deputy is aware, a value for money policy review was done on the RAPID programme in 2011. The review recommended that we should no longer use the...

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

Michael Ring: This has come down to the LCDCs and local members. I expect they will know what is happening on the ground and will be able to identify the areas of need.

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 should at least give it a try.

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 should not raise that issue given what his party did in County Mayo last week.

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's party appointed someone in County Mayo who was from outside the Gaeltacht area.

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 hope the LCDCs will identify the areas of real need. That is the whole point of the change and the groups deserve a chance to do their work. I believe they will identify the areas of real need.

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Road Improvement Schemes (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: My Department wrote to Local Authorities last August to establish the level of demand for an LIS scheme this year. This is a nation-wide scheme which supports improvement works on private and non-public roads. The Local Authorities were advised that any requests for funds would be subject to their capacity to complete any proposed works in 2017, and funding availability. On 21st...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Local Improvement Scheme (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: My Department wrote to Local Authorities in August to establish the level of demand for an LIS scheme this year. The Local Authorities were advised that any requests for funds would be subject to their capacity to complete any proposed works in 2017, and funding availability. On 21st September, I announced the provision of €10 million for a Local Improvement Scheme which supports...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Expenditure (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: The total amount of capital funding allocated to my Department upon its creation was approximately €77 million. To date payments totalling €19.6 million have been made, as shown in the table below. It has been impressed upon Local Authorities the need to accelerate spending on their 2017 projects as a matter of urgency, and capital spend in the final quarter typically...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme Data (15 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is a key intervention for disadvantaged communities, the delivery of which is overseen and managed by the relevant Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) in each Local Authority area.  Whilst complying with the programme’s aims, objectives and requirements, Programme Implementers are...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Severe Weather Events Response (14 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: Once the decision was taken to issue a status red alert weather warning, officials from my Department contacted all staff by phone, text and email to inform them that the office would not open the following day and that staff should not attempt to travel to work. A very small number of employees who could not be contacted were advised to return home on arrival at the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Action Plan for Rural Development Funding (14 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: The Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development contains a number of measures which have the objective of rejuvenating Ireland’s rural towns and villages to make them more attractive places in which to live and work, and to increase their tourism potential. On 4th October last, I announced details of funding of €21.6 million for 281 towns and villages in rural...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (14 Nov 2017)

Michael Ring: I would like to refer the Deputy to my recent response in relation to PQ Reference No. 45886/17 regarding future transitional funding to the Dublin Inner City Community Co-operative Society outlining that I am aware of the issues regarding the transitional funding arrangements in place since 2015 for the organisation concerned. I am also aware of the timelines involved and my Department is...