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Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Business of Joint Committee (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: I ask members to, please, turn off their mobile phones as they interfere with the sound system and, therefore, the broadcasting of the meeting. Apologies have been received form Deputy Michael Collins who is trying to make it to the meeting. I hope we will see him shortly. Apologies have also been received from Deputy Martin Heydon and Senator Fintan Warfield.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: We will now resume consideration of the topic of work of the Western Development Commission within the context of the committee's current project on what it takes to sustain a viable rural community with Mr. Paddy McGuinness, former chairperson of the Western Development Commission. Cuirim fáilte roimh Mr. McGuinness. Táimid ag tnúth lena fhianaise. By virtue of section...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: No. Mr. McGuinness may continue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: Tá sé sin an-simúil ar fad. We agreed at the start of the meeting that we would give an opportunity to Senator Rose Conway-Walsh to start the questions, because she has to attend the Seanad to deal with legislation shortly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: Would Mr. McGuinness like to answer now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: Yes, back and forth.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: There is a new Department being created dealing with rural development and it will have its own secretariat and Secretary General. It will be completely separate from the Department dealing with arts, heritage and the Gaeltacht. We do not know what the name of the Department will be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: It may be but there has been no decision on whether the Gaeltacht will feature as a separate name. All of this must be fleshed out and we must wait for the Government to come back with its picture.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: I will ask a few questions but I concur with Senator O'Donnell both on the points she made and how she made them. Mr. McGuinness is a brave man who has made a stand of conviction, which is not regularly visible in this country, unfortunately, and in these spaces. When the witness was here representing the Western Development Commission with some of the staff, I was so impressed with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: I do not wish to be political and the witness states he does not wish to make this overly political either. A Minister of State asked if a turf war was being sought when Mr. McGuinness simply sought to identify what exactly would constitute an enhanced role. It seems we cannot necessarily ask the Civil Service to reform itself, but elected representatives have the responsibility to reform...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: Okay. With regard to the Departments, would it be a good idea to have a recruitment policy that would bring in far more people from outside the Civil Service on a regular basis? This could lead to a churn of people developing in the system and those coming from outside who may have different types of experience, perspectives and approaches.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: The Western Development Commission stated before that it wanted to have a presence in Brussels so as to be able to draw down European funds or be involved with the development of funding or development programmes. That also seems to have been prevented.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: It is a farce if funds that are identified to help materially individuals struggling with regard to income, job prospects and enterprise development have a bureaucratic line drawn around them to prevent them being spent. It is shocking. People outside the political world ask me and, I am sure, other elected representatives every day how the State can be so impractical in its delivery of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: Ba mhaith liom freisin míle buíochas a ghabháil le Mr. McGuinness. Beidh an t-eolas go léir curtha isteach inár gcuid tuairisc. We really want to thank him sincerely for coming in and for taking the stand he has taken and highlighting and putting a red line under this matter. It is our job, and the job of the political parties represented on the committee, to make...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs: Sustaining Viable Rural Communities: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: Go raibh míle maith agat. We will suspend for two minutes and on resuming we will go into private session to discuss committee business.

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: Tá dhá rud sciobtha agam. Inné, bhí Aire Stáit an Rialtais in easnamh sa Teach i rith cheisteanna ar ealaíona, oidhreacht agus an Ghaeltacht. An fáth go raibh sé ar iarraidh ná go raibh sé ag freastal ar an gcoiste gnó. Bhí sé ag freastal ar an gcoiste gnó mar gur thug an Taoiseach dhá phost dó. Ní...

Questions on Promised Legislation (21 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: An bhfuil an Rialtas chun "Gaeltacht" a fhágáil i dteideal na Roinne?

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: National Monuments (20 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: The consultative forum was an excellent idea. It was one of the best things Fine Gael and the Independents did on this issue. However, that forum highlighted a number of actions that need to be taken and those actions place responsibilities on Ministers concerned. That is why Deputy Joan Burton is correct in stating that it is necessary that it gets the full stamp of the Department so that...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Wild Fires (20 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: Gabhaim mo chomhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Joe McHugh, mar gheall ar an bpost nua atá aige. Tá súil agam go n-éirí go geal leis ina phost. Ní raibh gearán ar bith agamsa mar gheall ar an gcumas Gaeilge a bhí ag an Aire Stáit ag an am. Ba é an gearán a bhí agam, agus a bhí ag go leor san earnáil Gaeilge...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions (20 Jun 2017)

Peadar Tóibín: We get an opportunity once every six weeks to ask a Minister questions and to hold a Department to account. It is the small opportunity we get in an open democracy to determine whether we can obtain the truth concerning the areas we represent. I understand that the Minister, Deputy Michael Ring, is filling in and doing his best in this scenario. Surely, however, someone has gone to the...