Results 5,361-5,380 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments (21 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: 1087. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) will receive an AEOS payment. [13870/17]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: GLAS Payments (21 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: 1090. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a GLAS payment. [13952/17]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: GLAS Payments (21 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: 1106. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a GLAS payment. [14265/17]

Written Answers — Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Tender Process (9 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: The individuals referred to in details supplied are commercial operators who have permission to operate on the lakes on the basis of a competitive tender process. It is intended that the Department will advertise tenders for the coming season shortly.

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I will finish reading the last two page of my speech as it might explain my role. One reason I established the post office hub working group last year was to identify potential models under which the post offices could provide additional services in this new operating environment and act as economic and social hubs in rural areas. The group has finalised its report, which I am bringing to...

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: This is an approach that has proved successful in other jurisdictions. I would like to see a number of pilot projects launched by An Post as soon as possible in order to test the concept ahead of a much wider roll-out of the model, if it proves successful. My officials are also working with the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to examine the potential for...

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: Deputy Ó Cuív spoke about responsibility. He knows about the difference in terms of dealing with semi-State companies and if the Government was to interfere in a semi-State company, he would be the very first one, along with Deputy Mattie McGrath, who would be shouting and roaring telling us what we were doing was wrong.

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: The Deputy should go and talk to his man.

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I want to be very clear and place on the record of the House the fact that I have no statutory responsibility for An Post or post offices. Overall responsibility for the postal services and for the governance of An Post lies with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, while operational matters and commercial decisions are a matter for An Post....

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: Deputy Mattie McGrath is upset because it is an Independent Minister.

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I am telling the Deputy who is responsible.

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I want to put on the record of the Dáil what is factual.

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: As a rural Deputy, I know first-hand just how important the post office is to rural Ireland. I recognise that post offices play a significantly valuable economic and social role in rural, as well as urban, areas. At the same time, we must accept the reality that the postal sector is undergoing fundamental change both at home and internationally. People are increasingly using e-mail and...

Topical Issue Debate: Post Office Closures (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I learned from the Deputy a lot.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Wildlife Control (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I have sympathy for the people affected. We have a different problem in rural Ireland, particularly in the summer months, with hedge cutting on main roads. We get a great deal of criticism for raising the issue. However, this is also an important and serious issue, which is affecting families and children and it is a concern for people. I am...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Wildlife Control (8 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I thank the Senator for raising this issue, which is particularly serious during summer months for families with children. They are concerned that these big birds can injure children. The Department will review the declaration but I hope the community will work with the local authority, which has a role to play. The Department must adhere to the legislation but, at the same time, there are...

Other Questions: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: CLÁR is a targeted investment programme which provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in rural areas which have suffered the greatest levels of population decline. I have secured an allocation of €5 million for CLÁR for 2017 and my objective is to maximise the impact of the funding that is available for the benefit of communities in CLÁR areas. I will...

Other Questions: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I thank Deputy Burke for his comments on the sports capital funding. He is quite correct that we gave a commitment to Government that we would run two programmes but we actually ran three programmes, in very difficult times. I am very proud of the fact that there was nobody giving out about distribution of funds because we did it pro rataand everybody got their fair share of the national...

Other Questions: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I am sorry about that but it was the truth. I was glad to be able to open the programme again, like the sports capital grants. With regard to the modest funds, I got great satisfaction from the number of schools throughout the State that actually wrote to the Department afterwards. The funding was small - €700 or €800 - for road marking, for playgrounds and simple things...

Other Questions: CLÁR Programme (7 Mar 2017)

Michael Ring: I thank Deputy Burke for his comments and he is quite correct and I also compliment the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. When the Minister of State, Deputy Kyne, and I went into the Department this year we fought very hard to get extra funding and I must compliment the Minister. It took a number of weeks to get our funding in place but we have now opened a lot of schemes that had not been open...