Results 9,441-9,460 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. She is right that the fund is being rolled out through the local authorities. As to the flexibility, I am not all over the detail but you can get €30,000. If the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of €30,000 then a maximum top-up grant of up to €20,000 will be available where the property is confirmed to be derelict. This...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. Funding of €279 million has been approved to date under the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, for 191 projects nationwide costing over €379 million. Calls for applications to the fund are sought under two categories, namely, category 1 and category 2. Category 1 relates to large-scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Tipperary as a county has done extremely well to date and has received the fourth-highest total county funding allocation from the fund since it began in 2018. Over €15.1 million in funding has been allocated to projects in Tipperary in that period. The Deputy was with me when I was down there and the work that is going on is wonderful. I was in Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir and I was on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I was delighted to welcome the recent announcement that the European Commission has confirmed its approval of Ireland's Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, strategic plan for 2023 to 2027, which includes the LEADER programme. This approval is a key step in the delivery of the next LEADER programme. A number of further steps will now be completed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: We will have the same amount in this LEADER programme as we had in the last, which is a total of €250 million. Some €70 million has already been provided to fund the transition programme from 2021 to 2022. A further €180 million has been committed to for 2023 to 2027. We will be funding that. On top of this core funding, additional administration Exchequer funding has...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I will be addressing the issue of the islands local action group, LAG, because there is a full question tabled on it. I will be happy to give further details at that stage. On the issue of steps, the first step is the expression of interest, which we hope to put out in the coming weeks. When expressions of interest come in, I want stakeholders to collaborate and put together their...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Housing Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Earlier this year, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage launched the Croí Cónaithe fund. The fund is initially focused on supporting the refurbishment of vacant homes in regional towns and villages and is a key funding support under the town centre first policy which was jointly developed by my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Future is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades. The policy contains more than 150 measures for delivery across the whole of Government, with the underlying theme of economic, environmental and societal sustainability. The policy commits to developing an effective rural proofing model within the lifetime of the policy. This...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Town Centre First Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres, making them a better place to live, work and visit. The policy is an important deliverable under Our Rural Future, the Government's Rural Development Policy for the period to 2025. A key step in delivering the Town Centre First Policy is...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The new CAP Strategic Plan, which includes the LEADER programme, was recently approved by the EU Commission. The details of the delivery model for the new LEADER programme are based on extensive consultation with stakeholders in relation to all aspects of the programme including the LAG structure. The process of selecting a LEADER group for the new programme will be open, transparent...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Sports Funding (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The funding of sports clubs in the first instance is a matter for the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Through the Dormant Account Fund, which my Department manages across government departments, €12 million has been provided to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in 2022 for various sporting measures. My...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Flexible Work Practices (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Our Rural Futureclearly recognises the transformative role that remote working can have on rural communities. In the context of quality of life indicators, carbon reduction and sustainable regional economies, remote working has much to offer. The National Hub Network interdepartmental group, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, was established in 2020. The working group...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 141 together. The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund has to date approved funding of €279 million for 191 projects nationwide costing over €379 million. Projects which emerge as successful from calls for applications to the Fund are initially approved for funding in principle and then progress through a further comprehensive...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The Community Centres Investment Fund was launched in April and the application closing date was Thursday 14th July 2022. The appraisal process is currently ongoing and all applications will be subject to a competitive assessment process based on the assessment criteria as set out in the fund guidelines. Due to the high level of applications to the fund, it is expected to be quarter 4...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Broadband Infrastructure (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The roll out of the Broadband Connection Point (BCP) network is progressing well. My Department continues to work closely with Local Authority Broadband Officers, colleagues at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, and the two commercial partners, National Broadband Ireland and Vodafone, to complete each connection. There are currently 282 Public BCPs live across the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It is a multi-annual programme for rural development co-funded by the EU through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). I was delighted to welcome the recent announcement that the...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Harbours and Piers (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As the Deputy is aware, Galway County Council is the responsible authority for the maintenance and development of pier infrastructure on the Aran Islands. A steering committee consisting of representatives from my Department, Galway County Council and the Consulting Engineers meets regularly to monitor progress. Earlier this year Galway County Council sought quotations from environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Budget 2023 (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: Firstly, I want to acknowledge the importance of community centres, they are the cornerstone of community life in many places around the country. While community centres and facilities are funded under a number of national and local Government funding streams – there was no dedicated standalone funding stream until I launched the new Community Centres Investment Fund earlier this...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Broadband Infrastructure (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: As Minister for Rural and Community Development, it is obvious to me that there is no limit on the ambition and creativity of rural communities. Through my engagement in a number of projects supported by my department, I have seen first hand the impact of innovative new technologies applied to rural settings. My department's Digital Innovation Programme has invested almost €3M into...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (15 Sep 2022)

Heather Humphreys: The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. The programme was re-launched in 2016 following a number of years when the scheme was closed to new applications. Measures to be included in the CLÁR programme are reviewed and revised, if appropriate, each year. CLÁR has made significant...