Results 18,181-18,200 of 27,613 for speaker:Heather Humphreys

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We increased it. There is still money left in the pot. It is targeted at the larger towns but there is nothing to stop the villages applying under the standard town and village scheme which is still open for applications until 30 September. I will leave it to places that have not been successful to continue to engage with the Department and put in amended or adjusted applications that may...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Ithank the Deputy for raising the issue, in which I have a great interest. The pilot town centre living initiative was launched in October 2018 to explore in a holistic way how to encourage increased residential occupancy in rural towns and villages. The pilot focused on six towns with different characteristics in different parts of the country. Funding of up to €100,000 was made...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The point is that it is a complex issue, there is no doubt about that. If it was easy it would have been solved years ago. I want to see more people living in the centre of towns. It is about more than buying a house and moving in, many more issues need to be considered so that it is attractive for people. There are significant costs associated with repairing older buildings which are in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: We are learning from it. There are really good findings that can be applied to other towns across the country. This is not just about my Department alone but it is cross-Government. For example, in my own town of Clones, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has done really wonderful work in centre of town regeneration. It spent close to €5 million in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy 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 to enable towns and villages to introduce initiatives immediately in order to support increased footfall and enable people to shop and socialise safely in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The town and village scheme is close to my heart because I first established it when I had responsibility for the rural development brief in 2016. I am glad to see that it has gone from strength to strength. It has seen millions of euro invested in rural towns and villages across the country. It has a bottom-up approach where communities are able to engage with one another, identify what...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Transport Services (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this issue. As he will be aware, the provision of transport services, including for rural areas, is the responsibility of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the National Transport Authority, NTA. Continued operation of the public transport system is among the designated essential services that have carried on throughout the Covid-19 crisis...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Transport Services (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I agree with Deputy Sherlock. There needs to be cross-Government thinking, and there has been. As part of the rural development policy I have engaged right across all of the Departments because everybody has an input into this policy. Local Link, which the Deputy mentioned, is one of the best rural transport initiatives that we have. Some of the local companies are really good at the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Rural Transport Services (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I absolutely agree with Deputy Sherlock. That is something I will certainly work closely on with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. There is €2 million in the July stimulus package for new and expanded local bus services. There is also €250,000 to support the transition of Local Link services to zero-emission vehicles in areas of rural Ireland. A total of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regional Development (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The designation of the northern and western region by the EU as a region in transition underscores the importance of achieving balanced regional development as our economy and population continue to grow. The programme for Government places a strong emphasis on balanced regional development as our economy and population continue to grow and does...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regional Development (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I am aware of these matters, being from the northern and western region, as is the Deputy. I have met with the Northern and Western Regional Assembly on two occasions in recent months, most recently at the end of July in Ballaghaderreen. I heard first-hand of its concerns about the new European regional development fund, ERDF, funding and how important it is that it should get the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regional Development (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: There has been considerable investment, which is not to take away from the fact that we want to see more investment. Some €5.6 million was invested under the regional enterprise development fund, €22.3 million was invested under the rural regeneration fund and €9.1 million was invested under the urban regeneration and development fund. In my last Department, I...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Vacant Properties (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Programme for Government contains a number of commitments to develop a Town Centre First policy, including a commitment for an expanded Town and Village Renewal Scheme to bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use and promote residential occupancy. In October 2018, my Department launched a Town Centre Living Initiative to explore in a holistic way how to encourage increased...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Remote Working (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Government is committed to supporting remote working, not least in the context of retaining skilled young people in rural communities. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of remote working in maintaining economic activity and in the provision of many public services has been clearly demonstrated.  The increased shift to remote work in the last six months has...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Town and Village Renewal Scheme (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: This year’s Town and Village Renewal Scheme has been tailored to focus on interventions that can assist our rural towns and villages to respond to the challenges presented by COVID-19.   The scheme includes an Accelerated Measure which will enable towns and villages to introduce initiatives immediately to support increased footfall and enable people to shop and socialise...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: National Broadband Plan (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The provision of telecommunications services is a matter for commercial providers operating in a liberalised market.  Nonetheless, under the National Broadband Plan (NBP), 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 NBP network, which comes under the remit of Minister...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: National Broadband Plan (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 34, 36 and 39 together. The Broadband Connection Points, or BCPs, are a collaborative initiative involving my Department, the Department of Communications, the Local Authorities, National Broadband Ireland, Vodafone Ireland and hundreds of volunteers and site owners across the State. BCPs will make free on-site connectivity available to communities in...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Development Plan (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: My Department is currently finalising a new rural development policy for the period 2020-2025.  The new policy will be forward-looking and will build on the progress achieved through the Action Plan for Rural Development 2017-2019.  The new policy will seek to strengthen and build resilience in our rural communities and economies, particularly in response to COVID-19, and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Town Centre Living Initiative (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: The Town Centre Living Initiative Synthesis Report is an independent report on the pilot Town Centre Living Initiative which was launched in October 2018.  The aim of the initiative was to explore how to encourage increased residential occupancy in rural towns and villages and, at the same time, address the issue of vacant properties. The report on the Initiative was published on...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Voluntary Sector (17 Sep 2020)

Heather Humphreys: Capital funding for non-local authority community centres for health and safety and fire prevention works as outlined by the Deputy, could potentially be considered, subject to eligibility criteria being met, under the following schemes funded by my Department; - Under the LEADER (2014-2020) Programme. All funding decisions regarding projects are entirely a matter for the Local Action Groups...