Results 61-80 of 4,756 for more speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Vacant Sites (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...and since then over €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects. The 2023 Scheme placed a particular emphasis on projects that bring economic and social vibrancy to town centres, and to encourage more people into town and village centres to work, shop and socialise. In April I announced €20.4 million in funding to support 82 successful projects under the 2023...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Policies (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...under the 2023 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The 2023 scheme placed particular emphasis on projects that bring economic and social vibrancy to town centres in line with TCF and Our Rural Future, and encourage more people into town and village centres to work, shop and socialise. My Department remains committed to the success of the Town Centre First policy to deliver on the goal of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (14 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...million in funding is allocated to the CLÁR 2024 programme. Measure 1 is administered by the Local Authorities that provides grants from €5,000 to €50,000 to support the development of community and sports facilities, youth clubs, playgrounds, sensory gardens, walking tracks and much more. This grant scheme is open.€16 million has been secured for the next...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Library Services (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...new ICT equipment in public libraries. This investment in 1,685 devices, including PCs, laptops and Apple devices, supports the public library strategy commitment to provide up-to-date ICT infrastructure which makes our public libraries more accessible and digitally inclusive. In July 2022, I announced funding of more than €3.1 million to support the provision of the My Open...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...not doing something with these. They are a resource now because they are serviced, they have electricity, sewerage and water. We have been doing a lot of work with local authorities trying to get more people back living in the centre of towns. I am a great supporter of that because I believe there are huge opportunities. In fairness, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has been doing a huge...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...and Cork county got €7.9 million. There has been considerable investment in both counties. The town and village renewal scheme provides grants of up to €500,000 for large-scale projects. If you need more funding for bigger projects, there is the rural regeneration fund. The town centre first officers are making a difference, as is giving extra funding to town teams, which...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Control of Dogs (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...of issues. I am happy to hear what their views are. It is a diverse group and I will take on board the recommendations they put forward to me. Going back to the dog wardens, I have given more funding - an extra €2 million - to local authorities to upgrade the dog shelters and buy more dog warden vehicles and such things. Staffing of the dog wardens is for the local...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...Department implements a range of schemes and supports which have seen record levels of investment in recent years. For example, the town and village renewal scheme was launched in 2016, and since then more than €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects. The 2023 scheme placed particular emphasis on projects that bring economic and social vibrancy to town centres and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Control of Dogs (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...I recently increased on-the-spot fines for offences under the Control of Dogs Act, including trebling the fines for most serious offences from €100 to €300. Multiple fines can be issued where more than one offence occurs. It is important for dog owners to be aware of their responsibilities, not just to the general public but also to their dogs. For this reason, I have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I was reared in a lane that is nearly a mile long. I know all about these lanes, and I have to say that nobody has been more committed to providing LIS funding than me. At the end of each year, if I had any extra money I lorried it into the LIS because I know how important the latter is to support people who live in rural Ireland. Since 2017, €170 million has been invested in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rural Schemes (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...to ensuring that improvement and upgrade works continue on eligible roads under the terms of the scheme. The announcement of the funding for both 2024 and 2025 will also allow local authorities to plan more effectively for work to be carried out in the medium term, thus facilitating better delivery on the ground. While my Department provides funding for the scheme, it is administered...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tidy Towns (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...for his comments. I recognise that this is a very busy time of the year for the Tidy Towns committees and everyone is putting their best foot forward. They want to make their town or village more attractive. For as long as I have been involved in politics, there has been a debate around posters. Personally, I would not lose any sleep if no posters were put up, but I recognise that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Development Projects (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...community amenities through other funding programmes such as the town and village renewal scheme, the CLÁR programme, LEADER and the local enhancement programme. Only last month I announced funding of more than €20 million for 82 projects under the town and village renewal scheme. Many of these projects involved works to community centres and other community facilities. The...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Community Development Projects (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...schemes, including the new community centre investment fund that I introduced two years ago. Under the 2022 fund, over €45.8 million has been committed for improvement and refurbishment works to more than 860 existing community centres. I am happy to confirm that approximately 600 of these projects are now complete or have submitted their final progress reports. These progress...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Recreation Policy (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...of interest in the sector. Once approved, there is a process involved in bringing individual landowners onto the scheme. To date, 73 trails are now fully on the scheme supporting 2,427 land-holders. Landowners on 4 more trails will be joining the scheme very shortly and work is ongoing to bring the remaining approved trails onto the scheme as soon as possible. This expansion reflects...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...Village Renewal Scheme, LEADER and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, the multiannual funding approach ensures a strong pipeline of projects, and that our delivery partners can progress projects over more than one calendar year. Given this multiannual funding approach, the funding made available to my Department in 2024 will be mainly be used to fund programmes and schemes...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Control of Dogs (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ..., I increased ‘on-the-spot’ fines for offences under the Control of Dogs Act, including trebling the fines for most serious offences from €100 to €300. Multiple fines can be issued where more than one offence occurs. Finally, in addition to these measures, I also announced the establishment of a €2 million fund under a new Dog Control Support...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for sustainable rural development in Ireland. The policy was published in March 2021, and contains more than 170 commitments for delivery by government departments and their agencies. These measures support the economic, environmental, cultural and social development and wellbeing of rural communities. Policy updates are provided through...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Widow's Pension (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...person, one payment” across the social welfare system, which is a common principle in social security systems globally. Given the contingency-based nature of this system, even if a person experiences more than one contingency at the same time, generally, they can receive only one payment to help meet their income needs. Seasonal and part-time workers can apply for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Recreation Policy (9 May 2024)

Heather Humphreys: ...of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as walking trails, cycleways and blue ways throughout rural Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme in 2016, funding of over €113 million has supported more than 1,700 projects across the country. Cross-country walking trails across rural Ireland have seen significant funding allocations under ORIS since the launch of the scheme....