Results 7,241-7,260 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: Yes.
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 37 - Social Protection (Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: Some 47,000 families benefit from the change I made in the budget.
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: I thank the committee for the invitation to attend here today to discuss and seek approval for the Revised Estimate for the Department of Rural and Community Development. When I was here very recently for a Supplementary Estimate, I noted how important it is that the Department of Rural and Community Development exists as a stand-alone Department. By taking that decision, the Government has...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: I thank the Cathaoirleach and the Deputies for their questions. I will speak first on the community recognition fund, after which the Minister of State will comment. I will then respond to Deputy Kerrane on the issues she raised. The community recognition fund amounts to €50 million. We want the local authorities to consult the people on the ground because these are the...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: The strength of the men's sheds is probably in the national organisation and the whole network it has. I was not aware that there were men's sheds outside of it. I had the same experience as the Deputy. I do not know if it was the same one but representatives from one men's shed in west Cork contacted to me to say they were not in it. I encouraged them to join the national association...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: As somebody who does not have the luxury of a water scheme, I know all about what the Deputy is talking about in terms of using a well and all the filters one must use try to make sure the water is reasonable, but anyway, it works. We cover a number of different things in the CLÁR programme, which is a very useful scheme. I believe Deputy Ó Cuív set it up himself. It is a...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: They are still extending the schemes to some parts. Different small grants are available in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to extend the schemes. I am happy to have a conversation with the Minister about it. At the minute, however, the Department of Rural and Community Development has a relatively small budget in comparison to the Department of Housing, Local...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: It has great pressure.
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: We cannot afford it.
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: I take the Deputy's point. I had to get a new well only recently so it would be great if we could connect to the mains. I take the Deputy's point, however. I will have a conversation with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and we will see what we can do.
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: Some of the new centres are ambitious. The applicants will have to have their ducks lined up - they will need to own the land and be ready. A great deal of preparatory work must be done before someone makes an application. The new community centres fund will be coming. Many new communities have developed in urban areas and they have no community centres. The fund will target them. I...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: Yes. The other scheme was oversubscribed. Some of the applications were ineligible, but just about anything that was eligible got funding. We know from experience that it will take time for some of the funding to be drawn down from the time communities get contractors to when they get the work done. The new fund will be a rolling fund for a number of years.
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: The Deputy has raised this matter with me many times. Regarding Inis Oírr, Galway County Council has received quotes, the gap analysis has been completed and submitted to the Department, and the council is in regular contact with the foreshore unit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which has agreed to assist the local authority with mapping the area where the...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: To be fair, it must be driven from the ground up. With every scheme, the Department tells people to submit their applications and prioritise what they want. There is an onus on the local authority in this instance to work with the island communities and get the process completed. Our first priority is to progress the projects in the national development plan, NDP, including Inis Oírr...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: I do not see a price in my information, but at least it is finished.
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: I do not know. There is no figure in my information for that. When we send projects out to tender, the tenders sometimes fit the amount of money that is available. The Deputy knows how it is. The price is commercially sensitive. In the next phase, Galway County Council will start preparing a draft business case based on the findings and data from the simulation for presentation to...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: Yes. I have no doubt that film will bring loads of visitors to the islands over the summer. I hope our Irish actors will be very successful on Oscar night, along with the Irish-language film, but as we are talking about the islands, "The Banshees of Inisherin" was filmed on location in the Aran Islands. I have no doubt that it will bring the islands a great deal of attention. What we need...
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: I was going to say. The Deputy is the man who separated them.
- Select Committee on Social Protection: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 42 – Rural and Community Development and the Islands (Further Revised) (1 Feb 2023) Heather Humphreys: Rightly so is right.