Results 701-720 of 1,441 for speaker:Ann Phelan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: There are challenges arising from the CEDRA report. In dealing with rural areas and issues, it is not a case of one size fits all, so different communities have nuanced requirements. Even if I decide on a certain priority, it may not necessarily be what communities want. There is an interdepartmental group and all Departments are extremely committed to implementing the CEDRA report...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: I thank members for their questions. While I have been given responsibility for the portfolio for rural affairs, the issues are challenging. I believe that if we identify the issues and try to deal with them in a realistic manner, we will make progress. Deputy Cowen spoke about the demise of rural towns and villages. I am hugely conscious of this issue. We have a rural towns stimulus...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: I will deal with Deputy Stanley's issues first. I will address the broadband issue first. There is much happening in this area. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Alex White, and his Department are very determined that broadband is rolled out. I draw the committee's attention to the monthly magazine issued on the Department's website that provides...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: That is exactly what I mean. The Deputy also raised the diminution of services in rural Ireland. I am exercised about this. I know the services to which he referred. We are coming up with a protocol on the provision of services, be it Government or private services. We propose to introduce provision for a protocol whereby the service provider has a conversation with the community on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: Deputy Dowds initiated the Access to the Countryside Bill 2013.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: On the bus service, I take the Deputy's point about how we learned about it. To put it mildly, I have expressed my concern about that. This is exactly what I am talking about. In rural communities, one does not go in and pull the rug out from under their feet. This caused considerable concern, anxiety and stress merely due to the lack of coming to the community and saying that we must...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: Deputy Dowds's walking Bill is important to him. On access to the countryside and walking Bills, there is a lot going on in the Department and we are making a lot of progress on this issue. The former Minister, the Commissioner, Mr. Hogan, wrote to this committee stating that he did not have a difficulty with the committee having a specific session to do with this Bill. I would go along...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: It is in the committee's work programme. I will make myself available for that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: I will speak on the subject of rural proofing. When I was given this role, among the first groups I met were IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. I used to hear that the role of IDA and Enterprise Ireland was just to get the jobs into the country and that where the jobs went after that was not entirely their responsibility. I was very pleasantly surprised when they told me that rural...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: I am not necessarily very prescriptive with the particular Departments, but the interdepartmental group is working in a parallel process on developing a strategy for rural Ireland. It is happening within the timeline for 2015 and the approach is one of "suck it and see". The evidence from the pilot programmes will inform the policies. I not being hugely prescriptive at this point. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: We understand completely about the situation with regard to the islands. I have met people from the islands and I have heard their concerns. It is proposed that the islands will be looked after under the local authority and the LCDC structure. The alignment process will mean that everything has to fit into this local authority structure. The local authority will be responsible for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: We envisage actions around the development of the rural economic development zones, REDZs. These will designate parts of the country as areas that need to be energised, which will get all the required government supports. We will bombard an area with government supports, working with the local authorities and with the State agencies to see how we can deliver jobs in that area. We will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: I will have to revert to the Deputy on passenger numbers and subventions for Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus. To respond to his question on whether the Government is promising a fibre connection to every home, the answer is "No". The national broadband plan envisages dealing conclusively with the rural connectivity issues in order that the current generation and future generations will have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Rural Communities: Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: My apologies. The Deputy was referring to the Leader programme. These matters are being addressed under the local community development committee, LCDC, structure. Given that the relevant legislation has been passed, this is a done deal and these matters will be addressed by the local authorities. I am not in the business of getting rid of anything or doing down anybody. We have...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Seniors Alert Scheme (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: My Department manages the Seniors Alert Scheme which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms to enable older persons, of limited means, to continue to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. The scheme is administered by...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: A scheme covering trail maintenance on National Way Marked Ways and other priority walks of national or regional significance was operated by my Department in both 2013 and 2014, and the recipients of funding under the schemes are listed in the tables below. A decision regarding the implementation of a similar scheme in 2015 will be made later this year. Trail Maintenance Scheme Recipients...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Departmental Schemes (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: The funding Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO) in the community and voluntary sector aims to provide multi-annual funding to national organisations towards core costs associated with the provision of services. Applications for a new round of funding, which commenced on 1 July 2014, were subject to an appraisal process. 55 applications were approved for funding for the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Redundancy Payments (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: My Department has no role in the internal operations of any private organisations and, therefore, does not have a role in relation to staff or employment matters, which are for the Board of the company, as the employer, to manage. In relation to the Deputy’s query regarding the payment of redundancy in the community and voluntary sector, discussions between my Department and the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Voluntary Sector Funding (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: The funding scheme to support national organisations in the community and voluntary sector aims to provide multi-annual funding to national organisations towards core costs associated with the provision of services. My Department is providing funding under the scheme of in excess of €8 million over a two year period to mid–2016. This represents an increase in funding of more...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (24 Feb 2015)

Ann Phelan: My Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) superseded the Local Development Social Inclusion and the Community Development Programmes in 2010. LCDP is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State and is being implemented on a transitional basis until the end of March 2015, pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community...