Vol. 651 No. 1
1 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the initiatives that have been put in place to encourage job development in Gaeltacht regions; the consultations he has had with Údarás na Gaeltachta regarding recent job losses in the Gaeltacht; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12385/08]
Ar dtús báire, ba mhaith liom a rá go bhfuil díomá ar an Aire nach bhfuil sé in ann a bheith anseo. Tá cruinniú aige in áit éigin eile. Dúirt sé liom gurb é seo an chéad uair ó ainmníodh é mar Aire Stáit nach raibh sé anseo go pearsanta chun ceisteanna a fhreagairt, so the Deputies opposite are stuck with me.
Údarás na Gaeltachta operates a range of schemes and initiatives to create and maintain employment opportunities and support economic and social development in the Gaeltacht. On foot of a strategic review carried out by the working group on employment creation in the Gaeltacht, as well as new development strategies adopted by Údarás na Gaeltachta, significant progress has been made in recent years in reversing the downward employment trend in the Gaeltacht and in effecting a transition from a declining manufacturing sector to employment in the services sector.
Key sectoral areas of focus for Údarás include internationally traded services in software, financial services, shared services and customer activities; audiovisual, digital media and ICT; life sciences, including the biomedical and pharmaceutical sectors; aquaculture, fish farming and processing; Irish language-based enterprises; food processing; tourism; and renewable energy. Particular emphasis has been placed on maximising the potential of indigenous resources, the promotion of new training and educational initiatives, and the provision of third level courses through the medium of Irish in the Gaeltacht.
In terms of employment creation, 1,038 new full-time jobs were created in Údarás-assisted companies in 2007, bringing the total employment figure to 8,026. This means that for the first time since 2001, more than 8,000 full-time jobs in Údarás-assisted companies are being supported in the Gaeltacht. Under the National Development Plan 2007-2013, funding of €233 million has been earmarked for Údarás to continue its work in developing the economy of the Gaeltacht.
My Department is in regular contact with Údarás in a policy and governance context and the job losses to which the Deputy refers are a shared concern. As the Deputy will be aware, competitiveness in national and international markets has intensified in recent times. Unsettled financial markets have created difficulties for a number of Gaeltacht companies and others have been placed under pressure due to the euro-dollar exchange rate. However, the continuing emphasis by Údarás on after care support will help companies to support job numbers and, in the case of companies that are under market pressure, to keep any job losses at a minimum.
In 2007, the Minister of State tells us, Údarás na Gaeltachta created 1,038 jobs. In the same period, however, 965 jobs were lost in the Gaeltacht, giving a net gain of 73 jobs. Since then, there have major job losses in Gweedore, Achill and An Daingean in Kerry, with the closure of Contact 4. The staff of that company in the three locations are owed five to six weeks' wages. They received a telephone call and, one hour later, were out the door and the factories were closed. This is unacceptable. Instead of the Department claiming back its grant aid, the focus should be on ensuring that the staff receive their wages.
The Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, is in the United States where he is telling people that for the Irish language to survive in Gaeltacht areas, there must be 250,000 Irish speakers. What action is being taken by the Department in terms of rolling out the infrastructure needed in Gaeltacht areas? If industries and workers are to be attracted into Gaeltacht areas, the infrastructure must be in place, including roads, water and sewerage. Broadband provision is particularly important for business. What efforts are being made in this regard?
Is the Department working in conjunction with Údarás na Gaeltachta to research how more jobs can be created in Gaeltacht areas? The language will not survive in these areas unless people are attracted to live and work there. What are the Department's plans to achieve this end?
Any job losses are a matter of serious concern. I expect the issue of non-payment of wages in the case of the company closure to which the Deputy referred will be processed expeditiously in the normal manner to protect those workers.
The Department is working with Údarás na Gaeltachta in a variety of ways to ensure new sectors of employment potential are identified, particularly in the services area. I am informed that modern services such as customer support centres, community development co-operatives, arts projects, language enterprises and social economy projects as well as child care facilities and so on have been identified. I take Deputy Ring's point on the provision of broadband and other infrastructure of that nature. Such provision is extremely important because the survival of many of these service enterprises requires that we facilitate long-term sustainable employment in areas where it has been difficult to do so previously.
A useful initiative is the co-operation between the National University of Ireland, Galway, with businesses in Gweedore, An Cheathrú Rua, Carna and Indreabhán in regard to the provision of courses through the medium of Irish, with a particular emphasis on areas of study related to the new sectors in which jobs are likely to be available. The Department is hopeful that these co-operative efforts will enhance long-term sustainable employment prospects in the Gaeltacht.
As a person who represents three Gaeltacht regions, it sometimes seems that people coming from abroad find it easier than local people to obtain grant aid from Údarás na Gaeltachta. Does the Department plan to introduce a scheme to encourage people from the Gaeltacht to create employment in their own area?
A recent report indicated that 55% of Gaeltacht areas have broadband but it is ineffective because the signal is not working. Broadband provision is vital if we hope to attract British, American and other foreign companies into Gaeltacht areas. It is the way forward.
The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is working to increase the provision of broadband throughout the State.
On the Deputy's first question, an allocation of almost €268 million has been made to Údarás na Gaeltachta since 2002 to enable it to develop the economy of the Gaeltacht. Údarás is allowed to reinvest its return from sales of assets in its capital programme. That has realised €26.5 million for Údarás na Gaeltachta in recent years. Working in the context of the national development plan, we are confident that significant progress can be made in creating new job opportunities in Gaeltacht areas.
2 Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the progress made with regard to the new programme for rural enterprise development promised in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12632/08]
The Leader element of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 represents my Department's response to the commitment in the programme for Government in regard to rural enterprise development. In that regard, I hope to be in a position to commence the process of selecting the local action groups to deliver the Leader element of the rural development programme in the near future. The funding available for the delivery of Leader-type activities under the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 will amount to €425.4 million, almost treble the €150 million available for the 2000-2006 period. The new programme will complement the other funding for rural development measures by my Department.
In recent years, my Department has pursued a process of cohesion of local delivery structures in order to simplify and enhance the effectiveness of the delivery of a range of local development programmes. Following extensive consultations with and between the local agencies to develop the most suitable configurations of groups, in the course of 2007, the Government decided on revised areas of coverage for local development groups and clarified the arrangements for the membership of the boards of these bodies. Leader and partnership groups have been asked to give effect to these decisions and my Department has provided detailed guidelines to secure this outcome.
The realignment of local delivery structures will reduce the overall number of local development bodies from 94 to 55, comprising 17 partnerships in urban areas and 38 integrated Leader-partnership bodies in rural areas. My intention is to have the cohesion process completed in advance of the roll-out of the new NDP programmes, including the Leader element of the rural development programme. At this stage, local development bodies are in place in some 53 of the 55 operational areas agreed by the Government. The representative networks of Leader and partnership groups, whom I met on 31 January, have assured me that they are fully behind the Government's policy on cohesion and will endeavour to ensure that local delivery structures are in place across the full 55 areas in the coming weeks.
In one case, a Leader group has made a complaint to the European Commission regarding the Leader element of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 and, in particular, the cohesion process. I am satisfied that our approach in this area is fully consistent with the European regulations. My Department is closely monitoring the position and anticipates a view from the European Commission on this matter in the coming weeks.
I spoke to the Minister of State about some of the questions that were referred from his Department to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, but I did not realise that the oral question was also bisected. In my original question, I asked him if the €150 million community development fund promised in the programme for Government has yet been established, what was the total amount paid out to date from the fund, as well as the total amount paid out in the current year. However, that was deducted in transit and I hope the Minister of State can look at that as he has done for the other questions that were transferred.
The programme for Government determined that a number of things would be done to establish a vibrant rural community. Among those was the establishment of a community and development agency as a one stop shop for advice on grant supports, business opportunities and training and development to manage grant spending under new EU funding for rural development. It would conduct an enterprise audit to review the use of existing and redundant agricultural buildings and manufacturing plants in rural areas. In tandem with Fáilte Ireland, the Leader programme, agricultural associations, county enterprise boards and rural tourism operators, it would devise a new plan for farm-based rural tourism, including the development of farm-based niche visitor attractions.
How far advanced is that programme? There remains much work to be done on the proposals for farmers seeking to use their extra facilities or for rural groups that want to make applications. What has been done so far? Have any meetings taken place as was suggested in the programme for Government? Was an enterprise audit carried out? Is there a one-stop shop in place? What has been done to implement the major programme to promote rural countryside recreation? This is one of the questions that I thought was applicable to the Minister of State and I am grateful to him for investigating it. However, I find it difficult to understand why the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is involved with recreation.
Very significant progress has been made in our Department on that issue. For the questions that were transferred to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, I will arrange to have comprehensive replies submitted. The cohesion process in our area has been significantly advanced. There are a small number of outstanding matters that need to be resolved, but issues surrounding structures, governance, boundaries and so on have largely been clarified. There are probably just two outstanding issues. It may well be that those two issues prove to be more of a hurdle than we had anticipated, but we are confident that soon there will be clarity about where we go next.
The companies in the process of cohesion can continue the closing down process and carry out accounting exercises, such as the pay-out of grants, from the previous programme. They will then be able to start the new development programme as soon as matters have been clarified. I have been informed by the Minister and in my meetings that significant progress can be made shortly.
3 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the details of the scope of the work of the Placenames Commission and what has been completed to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12386/08]
The function of the Placenames Commission is to advise the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on Irish forms of placenames for legal purposes as provided for in part five of the Official Languages Act 2003, including the placenames of Ireland as they are defined in article 31 of the Act, in order to confirm the Irish forms of those placenames, and preparation of placename orders as provided for in article 32 of the Act; Irish forms of placenames not given in the Act, that is to say street names; publication and official usage of Irish forms of placenames; development of research and study on placenames in third level institutions and other educational institutions; appropriate marketing on the research of the placenames branch and other matters pertaining to the placenames of Ireland.
As of July 2003, the commission is appointed for a three-year term. The current commission was appointed with effect from 10 September 2006 and meets six times a year on average. Since the enactment of the Official Languages Act 2003, the commission has advised on matters relating to ten placenames orders which have been made under the provisions of the Act. The commission is supported by the placenames branch of my Department and I will be happy to address further questions the Deputy may have about the work of the branch.
A number of people have contacted me about placenames. Brian Friel's "Translations" was one of the best plays he ever produced and hit a chord with people across the country, especially those in rural Ireland. The commission has been set up for a few years, but not very many counties have been covered. Are there enough staff in the commission? The commission is not independently funded, although it should be because this is a very important part of our history. There is much talk about what is happening to Tara, which is very important in protecting our history. We have wonderful placenames and much history in local areas, be they rural areas or in cities. However, we are letting that history go because we are not supporting the Placenames Commission with the funding or the staff to record and save our history. We are losing our history on a daily basis, especially given what has happened in the past ten years. It is important that we retain as much of it as we can.
Could the commission be set up separately? It could receive a separate budget from the Department and could run its own business, rather than being controlled directly by the Department. Can more staff be employed to cover every county? We need to save the history before it is too late.
We all agree that what the Deputy is saying is an important part of what we do as a nation. Much work has been done. The official Irish versions of the placenames of those counties have been recorded in Kilkenny, Louth, Limerick, Monaghan, Waterford, Tipperary and Offaly, as have Gaeltacht areas, centres and districts of population and counties and provinces. A further order relating to non-administrative names in the Gaeltacht has been prepared by the commission, which will be presented for consideration under the provision of the Act next June, following public consultation.
The Department established a postgraduate bursary scheme in 2006 in educational institutions and the commission has advised on the awarding of bursaries. Six of these bursaries have been awarded to date, which will allow postgraduate students to undertake research on placenames in areas of counties Cork, Roscommon, Meath and Westmeath, as well as other aspects of placename studies. Following further advice from the Commission, the Department is funding a three-year post-doctoral fellowship in NUI Galway to complete research on the placenames of County Mayo.
I am delighted to hear that.
The research will expedite the making of an order for placenames in the county outside Gaeltacht areas, possibly by early 2010.
It is fair to say that any additional staff that are to be assigned to this area will have to be found from within the Department's allocation.
What funding was spent on the Placenames Commission this year and is there a timeframe for when every county will be completed?
The Minister of State said the commission meets about seven times a year. When did it last meet?
I cannot give the Deputy details of the specific funding now, but I can arrange to have them supplied to him. I gather the date of the last meeting is on the website. The Internet address for the database is www.logainm.ie I am sorry I cannot find that information for the Deputy.
4 D’fhiafraigh Deputy Dinny McGinley den Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta an aontaíonn sé le leagan amach theorainneacha na Gaeltachta, de bhun na moltaí sa staidéar teangeolaíoch a rinne Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh agus Ollscoil na hÉireann, Maigh Nuad, a fhágáil faoi choimisiún neamhspleách saineolaithe faoi chathaoirleacht breithimh den Ard-Chúirt; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [12324/08]
Mar atá a fhios ag an Teachta, tá cinneadh glactha ag an Rialtas coiste ag leibhéal comh-aireachta a bhunú chun breathnú ar shaincheisteanna a thagann chun cinn i gcomhthéacs na hanailíse agus na moltaí sa tuarascáil a d'eascair ón staidéar teangeolaíoch ar úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht. Mar sin, níl cinneadh déanta ag an Rialtas ag an bpointe seo maidir le haon moladh sa tuarascáil. Tá an chéad cruinniú den choiste comh-aireachta socruithe don 10 Aibreán 2008.
Ar a laghad, chuir an Aire Stáit in iúl don Teach go dtitfidh an chéad cruinniú den choiste comh-aireachta amach ar 10 Aibreán — an tseachtain seo chugainn. Ar ndóigh, bunaíodh an choiste tamall fada ó shin. Is mór an trua é nach raibh cruinniú ar bith go dtí seo. An aontaíonn an Aire Stáit gurb é an géarchéim atá ann maidir leis cúrsaí Gaeilge agus labhairt na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht i láthair na huaire ná nach féidir linn moill den shórt seo a shárú? An aontaíonn sé go bhfuil an tuaraisc seo curtha ar fáil don Roinn agus don Rialtas le blian anuas? Níl an chéad cruinniú ach ag teacht anois i gceann seachtaine — tá bliain iomlán curtha amú. An bhfuil aon tuaraim ag an Aire Stáit maidir le cén uair ina mbeidh plean cuimsitheach 20 bliain á fhoilsiú agus á chuir i bhfeidhm maidir le húsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht agus ar fud na tíre agus, go háirithe, teorainneacha na Gaeltachta?
Tá mé cinnte go dtuigeann an Teachta gurb é seo an staidéir is cuimsithí ar úsáid na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht a dhéanadh riamh. Tá ceithre imleabhar ar fad sa tuarascáil. Tá moltaí forleathana agus radacacha déanta. Beidh impleachtaí móra ag baint leis na cinntí a dhéanfar de réir an staidéar seo. Sílim go bhfuil sé tábhachtach léirsmaoineamh iomlán scolártha a dhéanamh ar an mbealach ar aghaidh. Is é sin an fáth a bunaíodh coiste comh-aireachta ag leibhéal an Rialtais chun an obair seo a dhéanamh. Ní aontaím leis an Teachta nuair a deireann sé, mar a thuigim é, nach bhfuil moltaí na tuarascála á chuir i bhfeidhm. Tá an Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta agus Údarás na Gaeltachta ag dul i ngleic leis an dúshlán atá aitheanta sa tuarascáil seo ar bhonn leanúnach. Mar shampla, tá próiséas pleanála teanga bunaithe sa Ghaeltacht. Tá cúnamh ar fáil le haghaidh campaí samhraidh agus naíonraí sa Ghaeltacht. Tá cúntóirí teanga curtha ar fáil do scoileanna Gaeltachta. Beidh an obair sin ag dul ar aghaidh fad is atá an choiste comh-aireachta ag feidhmiú.
Tá eolas ag an Aire Stáit ar an Ghaeilge. Tá ceangail aige leis na Gaeltachtaí le fada an lá. An bhfuil sé a dhearcadh nó a thuaraim féin ná go bhfuil gach rud i gceart sa Ghaeltacht? An aontaíonn sé go bhfuil deacrachtaí móra ag an teanga, fiú amháin sna ceantair Gaeltachta atá ann i láthair na huaire? Cad é dearcadh an Aire Stáit ar sin?
I measc na haidhmeanna a bhí ann nuair a chuireadh an tuarascáil seo ar bun i dtús, bhí an Roinn ag iarraidh a fháil amach cad iad na fadhbanna atá ann i leith na Gaeilge. Tá mé cinnte go mbeidh seans níos fearr againn na ceisteanna seo a phlé nuair a bheidh toradh na coiste chomh-aireachta ar fáil agus á phlé againn anseo sa fo-choiste. Beidh díospóireacht againn mar gheall ar na catagóir A, B agus C agus an stádas gur chóir go mbeadh ag gach ceann de na catagóir sin. Ba mhaith liom go beadh stádas na Gaeilge mórthimpeall na tíre i bhfad níos fearr, ach caithfimid tosnú san áit ina bhfuilimid faoi láthair.
5 Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the stage the public consultation process for the new national drugs strategy is at; when and the location where public meetings will be held to develop proposals for a new national drugs strategy to cover the period 2009-16; the number of written submissions that have been received to date; when he expects this process to be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12445/08]
The steering group for the new national drugs strategy, chaired by my Department, is currently finalising details of a comprehensive public consultation process, which will be undertaken over the coming months. Consultants, to assist the group in its ongoing work, are also in the process of being recruited and it is expected that they will be on board from next week.
The steering group has held two meetings to date. At its second meeting, a broad outline of the consultation process was agreed and it is envisaged that it will comprise the following: a series of 15 public consultation meetings around the country to be undertaken in late April to early June; meetings with the relevant Departments and Government agencies — it is expected that these meetings will be completed by early June; meetings with key sectoral representatives and organisations, including the community and voluntary sectors; and a series of meetings with appropriate focus groups including, for example, problem drug users, young people at risk and new community groups.
The steering group is meeting again next Monday when it is expected to sign off on the timetable for the public meetings, which it is envisaged will be held on various dates between 22 April and 3 June. The times and locations of these meetings will be advertised in the national and local press in the coming weeks once the details have been finalised. The Deputy should note that I hope to attend as many of the public consultation meetings as possible. It is envisaged the steering group will meet with the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to hear its views on the new strategy.
In response to the call for public submissions on the new strategy which was advertised on 26 February, 11 written submissions have been received to date. However, I expect that number to significantly increase over the coming weeks as I am aware that many organisations are consulting widely with their constituent elements to facilitate comprehensive submissions.
I am sure the Deputy will agree that the consultation process being proposed for the new drugs strategy will be very broad and comprehensive. In all, I expect the process to be completed no later than the end of June or early July.
Will the Minister of State say how many consultants will be employed and how money will be spent by the Department? I want to know how much the consultants will be paid. I was going to ask the Minister of State to come before our committee and listen to its recommendations as well. Whatever about the committee, it is very important that the Minister of State, his Department, the steering group and the consultants who are appointed, listen and learn from the last process. There are many people to be considered, some of whom are happy while others are very dissatisfied as regards the way the money was spent in the last round. I am hoping that people will be listened to, particularly those who know what is happening on the ground.
There is no point in listening to consultants because they are citing recommendations in reports. We do not need consultants because all they do is move recommendations between one report and another. We need to talk to people on the ground, the families who are affected and who know what is actually happening. I hope that much of this money will not be going to consultants but will be spent by people who know what is happening. How much money will be going to consultants? How many consultants are being employed? I am glad to hear the Minister of State is to meet the community groups on the ground because that is where we can learn.
One consultant group will do the lot. I have had no involvement in this initiative. Officials within my Department went through the usual process. I am not yet in a position to say how much is the cost of the consultancy. It involves not just reviewing the state of the present strategy but listening to what people have to say, in public consultations and so on. I shall be more than happy to provide the exact figure. I agree with the Deputy, and I do not want to spend more than is necessary on consultants' reports. Nonetheless, this is a very wide-ranging issue and we need to get it right. We are talking about a strategy which will stretch from 2009-16. From talking to groups in the Deputy's part of the country last week, it is clear that issues such as the pervasive problem of alcohol arise regularly. I am very anxious that the whole issue of alcohol and illegal drugs misuse be incorporated as far as possible into the one strategy. Listening to groups I meet with, I believe they are amenable to that approach. I am very anxious to have detailed consultation with Members of the Oireachtas because their insight is not available elsewhere. I am anxious to engage in such consultation before the summer break.
I hope the Minister of State will go abroad to see what is happening in other countries because it is important that we learn from them. I hope the group will go abroad and that we will learn how the United Kingdom and other European countries are dealing with the problem.
A cross-party committee was set up to consider the abuse of alcohol and its sale in shops and off-licences and a report was given to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. When will the report be published and will it come before the committee for discussion in order to determine what can be done to curb the over-supply and abuse of alcohol?
On the question of examining what is happening in other jurisdictions, the eight Administrations participating in the British-Irish Council met in Kilmainham a few weeks ago and discussed drugs and alcohol. I was in Copenhagen and Helsinki prior to St. Patrick's Day and met a number of organisations involved in combating the misuse of drugs and alcohol. Ireland is probably as good as, if not better than, some jurisdictions in this regard.
I understand the report on alcohol has been given to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Preparations are being made to draft legislation. I will inquire from the Minister as to when it is likely to be published.
