Results 18,161-18,180 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I can confirm that my Department has received correspondence relating to infrastructural issues on Inis Bigil. Officials have contacted Mayo County Council, as the Local Authority with responsibility for such matters, regarding those issues. The works in question relate to the sea wall at the pier, degraded roadways and a missing windsock at the helipad. The works to the sea wall and road...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: LEADER Programmes (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The LEADER Programme is co-funded by the European Commission under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The current programming period concludes in December 2020. Proposals for new regulations for the CAP 2021-2027 were launched in June 2018 by the European Commission. However, given the nature of the discussions on the CAP and the wider EU Budget post-2020, there has been a delay in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: LEADER Programmes (22 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: It is not possible, in the time available, to compile the detailed information requested by the Deputy. My officials are collating the information requested and a further reply will be issued to the Deputy in the coming days.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. I have also received correspondence from those involved and I acknowledge the huge stress many of the affected workers are under at this time. I have received their emails and read their stories, and I accept that some of them are in an awful situation. We have committed billions of euro in funding to support people's income since the onset...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Social Welfare Eligibility (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: This issue only came to the fore in the past number of weeks. My priority is in getting the issue sorted for the workers so they can claim the supports they are entitled to. In order to do that, the employer needs to provide UP80 forms to certify the number of days that employees have worked. We must have confirmation of the days people are unemployed because otherwise we would be paying...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I assure the Deputy I am engaging with the local authorities and will meet shortly with all the county and city managers. It is about working with local authorities and local communities in getting these projects developed and supporting them in doing that, which is what we want to do. People come up with ideas across the country and we want to help and support them. That is what the town...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Broadband Plan (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. The provision of telecommunications services is primarily a matter for commercial providers operating in a liberalised market. Nonetheless, under the national broadband plan, the Government will fund the provision of a high-speed broadband network in areas where it is not commercially viable for service providers to do so. The national broadband plan network, which in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Carey for raising this issue. This year's town and village renewal scheme has been tailored to assist our rural towns and villages to respond to the challenges presented by Covid-19. The scheme includes an accelerated measure which focuses on supporting initiatives that can immediately help towns and villages to adapt to social distancing requirements and provide safe...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Deputy is right that the town and village renewal scheme has been very successful since it was launched in 2016. It has worked extremely well, due to its co-ordinated bottom-up approach whereby local people work with local authorities and different groups to identify the projects and put in applications to get funding to make them a reality. The Deputy was very supportive of this scheme...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Air Services Provision (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. In April 2017, a public consultation process was undertaken, seeking submissions from interested parties in regard to the future use of airstrips and surrounding sites in the ownership of the State on Inishbofin Island and at Cleggan in County Galway. The majority of the submissions received suggested that the sites should remain in State...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Air Services Provision (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I want to tell the Deputy that I do not have a State car, I have my own car. I have visited the islands. Last year, I had the pleasure of attending a wedding on Clare Island and I got an opportunity to see first-hand the difficulties people face. When I was on staycation in Donegal this year, I took the opportunity to go to Arranmore. I took a tour of the island and I saw first-hand...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Air Services Provision (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Of course. I will finish my answer shortly.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Air Services Provision (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am happy to engage with the Deputy on this issue. At the first opportunity, I will go and visit the island. I would be delighted to go and see first-hand again the issues presenting on those islands off the Galway coast. I have not been to any of them but I would be happy to go there and talk to the Deputy about this matter.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I take on board what the Deputies have said but the day-to-day maintenance of piers, including the development and enforcement of by-laws, is primarily an issue for the relevant local authority which in this case is Galway County Council. I am aware that damage was done to the pier in the early part of the year and I understand the Deputies' concerns regarding the volume of passengers and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Costings have been done. There are estimates but I do not want to elaborate because if I give details publicly, the estimate will then become the floor price. I will not do that but we have fairly detailed estimates of what the cost will be.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I know Deputy Carey is a passionate supporter of the work carried out by the local development company in County Clare. The Deputy raised the issue of additional funding with me on a number of occasions. Deputy Carey is right that the former Minister, Deputy Ring, allocated additional funding to the top ten performing LEADER companies countrywide. That additional money was a positive move...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: That funding is available and I believe it is in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I will certainly check that out. If any of the projects are involved with food or food processing through the LEADER companies, they should apply for that specific food initiative. There is money available there for those types of projects. If other groups in County Clare want to look at...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 15 together. It is a strategic objective of my Department to develop and implement various initiatives and measures to support the social, cultural and economic development of the inhabited offshore islands to ensure they survive as viable communities. The provision of safe and regular access by sea is crucial for the maintenance of those island...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I know the pier project at Inis Oírr is long awaited. Deputy Ó Cuív raised this matter on many occasions, he has worked hard on it and is very familiar with it, as are other Deputies. We are making progress. As I said, €0.5 million in funding was secured for upgrade works to the harbour facilities as part of the July stimulus. My officials are working very closely...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: LEADER Programmes (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. LEADER is a multi-annual programme with a budget of €250 million over the period from 2014 to 2020. Some €225 million of this budget has been allocated to the local actions groups, LAGs, which deliver the programme at a local level. The balance of €25 million is provided for specific, thematic projects and is allocated at...