Results 601-620 of 15,365 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: We get a sense of the national planning framework now as local authorities are being invited to submit new proposals for housing in terms of rezoning land. I would also point to the vacant property refurbishment grant, which has opened up houses. The Deputy is a rural TD as well; he can see that houses that were closed for generations have been opened up. In Waterford City and County...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Within my Department, the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, is the primary social inclusion programme. It aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality in Ireland through supporting communities and individuals using community development approaches, engagement and collaboration. I thank and commend our SICAP teams all over the country for their...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: With my other hat on, we are absolutely focused on those child poverty figures. I am not happy with them. We will be bringing forward a number of initiatives in this year's budget. The Deputy touched on something we need to do a lot more work on, namely, rural poverty, in particular, and hidden poverty. The area of transport is one the Deputy has identified. Under the current CLÁR...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child Poverty (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: As I said, it is not a specific focus, but it is very much part of SICAP's work through all its engagement with organisations. Many of the SICAP teams give specific local responses to specific situations and children or family situations in communities, depending on what they work with. They work closely with the Child and Family Agency and the area school completion units. That is one...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht a cheist. Our Rural Future is the Government policy for sustainable rural development in Ireland, putting forward a vision for vibrant rural places that are attractive to people, particularly young people, who wish to study, live, work and raise their families in rural Ireland. More than 170 measures are outlined in the policy to support...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Provision (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I agree with the Deputy in many respects that there is a rural housing challenge. However, planning permissions have been granted for almost 6,000 one-off homes on average every year since 2020. Over 90% of those are built in rural settings. Within our Department, we have put in place a large number of policies to support the communities around that. Funding of €164 million for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Local Improvement Scheme is an important support for rural communities in improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, the government has provided almost €170 million to local authorities under the scheme. In April 2024, €40 million in funding was announced across all local authorities to...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. This programme has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Almost €14 million was approved for over 320 projects across the country under last year's scheme. This was the largest allocation under the scheme since it was...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department supports rural development through a wide range of schemes including the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. It also delivers programmes which seek to address social and economic deprivation in communities throughout the country such as the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, and the Community Services Programme. ...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Men's Sheds (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: I believe that the emergence of Men’s Sheds and Women's Sheds has been a very positive development for communities across Ireland and I am fully committed to supporting Men's Sheds and Women's Sheds in the valuable work they do. My Department provides funding to Men's Sheds and Women’s (Sister) Sheds under various funding supports, including: The €7 million Local...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Town and Village Renewal Scheme, is one of a number of schemes delivered by my Department as part of its Rural Development Investment Programme. The Scheme was introduced in 2016, and has to date allocated over €177 million to almost 1,800 projects nationally. Of this, Cork has been allocated over €9.5 million for 94 projects. The 2025 scheme is intended to support...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Water Safety (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: First, I wish to express my condolences to the families and friends of the three young people who tragically drowned recently off our coasts. Water Safety Ireland (WSI), which comes under the aegis of my Department, is the statutory, voluntary body established to promote water safety and reduce drownings in Ireland. WSI has statutory responsibility for the promotion of public awareness...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: As the Deputy is aware, my Department supports rural development through a wide range of schemes including the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the LEADER Programme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. It also supports programmes which target and address social and economic deprivation in communities throughout the country such as...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Cuanta agus Céanna (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Mar is eol don Teachta, is í Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe atá freagrach as cothabháil agus forbairt na gcéanna ar na hOileáin Árann, Inis Oírr san áireamh. Maidir le forbairt ché Inis Oírr, is í Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe an ghníomhaireacht urraíochta agus údarás conarthach agus dá bhrí sin tá...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: A combined budget of €100 million has been made available across two iterations of the Community Recognition Fund, or CRF, announced in 2023 and 2024. CRF 2024 is being delivered across 3 separate tranches. The successful projects have been announced under two of the tranches, and I expect to announce the third tranche shortly. I have provided the Deputy with a table setting out...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Our Rural Future 2021-2025 has provided vital investment and supports, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people in rural communities across Ireland. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026. The process of developing this successor policy has already begun. The new policy will be...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Urban Development (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: Launched in 2022, ‘Town Centre First’ (TCF) is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. In line with its remit, my Department has supported the development of Town Centre First Plans for Dublin towns in areas such as Rush and Lusk. The Town Centre First policy supports the vision outlined in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Road Projects (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, the government has provided almost €170 million to local authorities for LIS. In April 2024, €40 million in funding was announced for LIS across all local authorities to cover 2024/2025. This figure includes...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Technological Universities (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: A key focus of Our Rural Future - the Government's Rural Development Policy 2021 to 2025 - is to optimise digital connectivity to support vibrant, sustainable rural communities, ensuring equality of access to digital services. Our Rural Future committed to the establishment of a network of 400 remote working hubs across the country by the end of 2025. Connectedhubs.ie was launched in mid...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (22 May 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Community Recognition Fund (CRF) was first introduced in 2023 with funding of €50 million to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Further funding of €50 million was provided under the 2024 fund. Last August, €16.4 million was approved to deliver 185 community projects across the country under the...