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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

Vol. 911 No. 2

Other Questions

Departmental Functions

Pat Casey

Question:

34. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the proposed responsibilities that are to transfer to her Department in regard to rural and regional development; the additional financial resources that will transfer with the responsibilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13300/16]

In response to Deputy Casey's question regarding rural and regional development, details of the reassignment of responsibilities among Departments, including my own, were outlined by the Taoiseach in his statement to Dáil Éireann of 6 May last. Officials of my Department have been engaging with their counterparts in other relevant Departments to establish the precise details of the functions to come under the remit of my Department and to identify the associated personnel and other resources to be transferred. This process is well advanced and I anticipate that the formal reassignment of the rural development functions from the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government will take place in the coming week. This will include responsibility for the Leader programme; natural rural development schemes; rural recreation, including the walks scheme; implementation of the report of the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, and the Charter for Rural Ireland; the town and village renewal scheme; the Western Development Commission, dormant accounts; social enterprise; and the Tidy Towns competition.

Discussions are yet to be completed regarding the transfer of functions and resources in regard to the rural post office network and rural broadband. I can confirm, however, that I am already working closely with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to advance delivery of key elements of the national broadband plan and to accelerate and prioritise the roll-out of the programme in rural areas.

I thank the Minister for the details she has given. Could she clarify if she will be getting responsibility for rural transport and marine leisure? Will she be reinstating the CLÁR programme? Will she be getting responsibility for school transport? The Minister said she was being given responsibility for the rural development programme. Is that correct?

Does that mean that, for example, responsibility for disadvantaged area payments and agri-environmental scheme payments, which are the biggest part of the rural development programme, are transferring to her Department also?

The timescale for all of this process is important for people living throughout the State. It is more than three months since the election. I understand it will take a number of weeks to centralise all these responsibilities in her Department, which means we will be up against the summer recess period. Over that period, we, as Opposition Deputies, cannot table questions to the Minister, therefore, it will be difficult for us to carry out our responsibilities in holding the Minister responsible for a period that may be up to six months duration following the general election.

We live in a two-tier economy where much of the State is suffering from below par economic activity, low incomes and poverty etc. To rebalance that in terms of development, we will not be able to help reorientate policy possibly for months to come. I would like a clear response from the Minister on when exactly the Department will be fully understanding of its direct remit.

I will answer Deputy Tóibín's question first. Most of the functions will be transferred next week. The transfer of all the rural affairs functions from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government will be done next week. The broadband provision and rural post offices functions will be done very shortly, and probably the following week, but the transfer of the rural affairs functions will definitely be done next week.

To answer Deputy Ó Cuív's question, I will not have responsibility for rural transport or school transport. We will have responsibility for the CLÁR programme. However, we will have an action plan for rural Ireland and a special Cabinet sub-committee will be set up. I will co-ordinate the responses of all the Departments with respect to rural Ireland, and there will be a new cross-Government plan to drive investment and regenerate rural Ireland in terms of the action plan for rural Ireland.

This will ensure there is ministerial oversight and rural-proofing of Government decisions. I want to see Departments discriminate positively towards rural Ireland.

Will the Minister explain to me the rationale behind not transferring one programme that had the word "rural" in its title to her Department, that is, rural transport? That is what it says on the can. Will she tell me whether she will press for the reinstitution of the decentralisation programme which was so important to bringing jobs to the regions? If she is not getting the big spending parts of the rural development plan, other than Leader, what is the Minister getting out of the rural development plan?

Rural transport remains in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport but I will be co-ordinating all of the Departments in terms of the focus on rural Ireland. Rural transport is a tremendous benefit to rural Ireland. We all have our local transport companies and one sees how successfully it regenerates small towns when people are brought in on pension day. It is great for towns and we must continue to build on that. In my county, work with the health service is being built on. I want to impress on the House how important rural transport is. We have the Leader programme but I do not have the part of the rural development fund that relates to farming, which belongs to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. We also have the rural economic development zones and that is something that has been developed.

What about decentralisation? Will the Minister push that?

That is different.

That is another question. We cannot get into it here.

National Monuments

Seán Haughey

Question:

35. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her proposals in relation to the Moore Street site, Dublin 1, if these have been amended given the recent court judgment in relation to the site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13288/16]

The work being undertaken by the State to honour the 1916 leaders was designed to fully conserve Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street and to provide a 1916 commemorative centre on the site. The intended works would have involved major underpinning and stabilisation of the buildings as well as re-roofing and a programme of comprehensive repairs that would have retained all pre-1916 fittings, fixtures and structures. The intention was to have the project completed and the commemorative centre open to the public during the current centenary year. The historical significance of No. 16 as the final headquarters of the 1916 Rising was the determining factor in the decision to place a preservation order on Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 17 under the National Monuments Acts in 2007. Collectively, Nos. 14 to 17 represent the most original, complete and continuous section of substantially intact pre-1916 buildings on Moore Street. This was also a significant factor in the Government’s decision to acquire the buildings in 2015 and to initiate the restoration project in the absence of any other prospect of the increasingly essential and urgent conservation works being carried out.

Following the High Court ruling, progress with the commemoration centre and conservation project in Moore Street has ceased and arrangements are now being made to have limited works, as approved by the court, carried out as soon as possible to preserve and protect the buildings for the time being. The objective of these works will be to safeguard the buildings, in so far as this is possible, until a permanent solution is identified. In that context, I continue to examine the court’s findings in so far as they relate to the Moore Street project itself and to the general operation of the National Monuments Acts. I am also examining, in consultation with other Departments, whether there are broader planning and development implications, especially in terms of potential impacts on infrastructure projects such as housing provision, roads, broadband and other developments.

As the Minister knows and as Deputy Tóibín said succinctly, the Government and the public are very far apart on this. We discussed this issue and my belief is that irrespective of the legal issue, which is a complex one we must park for today, there is a need for people to sit around a table, express the different views and try to build a consensus. Will the Minister consider some process of engaging with all the different views, including the different views among the political parties, many of which do not share the Government's view on this, to see if we can move this forward in a way that satisfies the vast majority of people? In my view, the Government has lost public opinion on this one.

The Minister will recall that as Tánaiste, I fought very hard to get the funding to have the particular houses taken over, which was a very significant step. Now that there is a new Government and the Minister has returned to the Department and given what she said about the significance of heritage, is there not an opportunity at this point to open the dialogue out? As probably the only Deputy from the north inner city in the House at the moment, I note that from the point of the view of the Rising, much of what is between the canals is historic and significant in terms of the history of Dublin and locally. I suggest to the Minister that there is an opportunity here to have an opening out to a concept of Dublin as a historic battlefield site in the context of the core areas affected by the Rising.

I want to see a solution here. As Deputy Burton said, I have already committed to buying, and got agreement from Government to buy, Nos. 14 to 17 Moore Street. I have committed taxpayers' money to this important and historic project. As a Government, we were taking four buildings which were the national monument. They are the ones that were designated as a national monument. We spent €4 million purchasing them and we are looking at between €7 million and €8 million to carry out the works to restore the four buildings. To be clear, that is what we have been trying to do. I was operating on the basis of the national monument at the time.

The facts are clear enough. The Department believes it should preserve a small number of buildings and the public believes the block bounded by the two lanes should be preserved and developed in a sympathetic way. My question is whether the Minister is willing to consider some process or forum or other way forward which is very inclusive to try to get common ground on how we resolve this issue. In the absence of that, our next option in opposition is to proceed with the Bill we put forward by bringing it to the committee and, through it, to the pre-legislative process and then into the Oireachtas. It appears that without a forum that is the only way forward. As an alternative to that, is the Minister willing to consider an open dialogue with the interested parties, including representatives of the main political parties, so that we can try to marshal all the facts on every side and then find a common way forward?

I will take brief contributions from Deputies Burton and Tóibín.

To expand on what Deputy Ó Cuív said, the programme for Government states that the Government will develop and publish an updated national heritage plan. I suggest that is an opportunity to take a broader view and develop a broader vision of the appropriate conservation and heritage of 1916 Dublin.

We could have a more inclusive discussion so that we might get past the impasse.

At a couple of hundred pages, the legal opinion is as long as a novel. Dealing with this issue will be no mean legal challenge. Will the Minister indicate whether she will be willing to consider a broader approach to bringing all of the parties together and having a broader concept of Dublin between the canals and the heritage of 1916?

What about the people outside the canals who were involved in 1916? Pembroke Road is beyond the canal.

The Minister mentioned that €1 million per building was paid. I wish to understand-----

Some €4 million.

For four buildings, or €1 million per building. Who made that costing for the Minister? If she cannot provide that information now, she might furnish it to us. On what basis was the costing made? It seems high for that part of the city.

As highlighted in the court case, a banner was nailed to the national monument. Did the Minister give permission for that to happen?

A banner was nailed to the national monument. One hundred nails went into it, causing damage. This matter was highlighted in the High Court's decision. Did the Minister give permission for it or did it happen without her permission?

The Minister is the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and yet the heritage of this city is being downgraded for a shopping centre. She is not the Minister for shopping centres.

I had nothing to do with the shopping centre. Planning permission for it was given by Dublin City Council. It is in private ownership and the site was not a national monument at the time. I want to be clear about having had nothing to do with the shopping centre, as there is misinformation to the effect that we are levelling Moore Street and erecting a shopping centre, which is not a fact.

In reply to Deputy Ó Cuív, I am willing to consider a process whereby people can work together to move this issue forward. It is an important building and I want to see the development of a fitting tribute to the leaders of 1916. I want an open dialogue and am happy to sit down with my Oireachtas colleagues to find a way forward.

Deputy Tóibín mentioned the buildings' price. What price does one put on the national monument where the last council of war was held? It is a very important building. I will provide the Deputy the details on how we arrived at the costings and valuations. As to the banner, I do not know where the idea came from that the nails had damaged the national monument. I do not know anything about that but I will have the matter checked out and revert to the Deputy. I gave permission for the wrap to go around the building. It was erected as part of the 2016 commemorative programme and looked well.

Regarding Deputy Burton's points, I am happy to sit down with my colleagues to consider a way forward.

Rural Broadband Scheme

John Brassil

Question:

36. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the responsibilities that are to transfer to her Department in respect of rural broadband; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13278/16]

Delivering the national broadband plan is a top priority for the Government, as reflected in the programme for a partnership Government. The allocation of new responsibilities at Cabinet level signals the Government's firm intention to address broadband and other telecoms challenges in rural Ireland. To this end, I will be working closely with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to deliver key elements of the national broadband plan and to accelerate and prioritise the roll-out of the programme in rural areas.

Under the new arrangements, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources will continue with the procurement process for the State broadband intervention, which commenced in December 2015. The next stage in that process is to qualify potential bidders and to invite those short-listed to engage in detailed formal dialogue. Meanwhile, my Department will focus on establishing county-regional broadband task forces in which local authorities, local enterprise offices, Leader groups and other relevant agencies will immediately engage with communities and the telecoms industry in order to eliminate delay factors in advance and enable effective rural broadband delivery once a contract has been awarded under the procurement process.

As committed to in the programme for a partnership Government, within the first 100 days a mobile phone and broadband task force will be established, co-chaired by my Department and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. It will include other relevant Departments, ComReg, the County and City Management Association, relevant agencies and the telecoms industry. The task force will address existing barriers in the areas of infrastructure planning, road opening-reinstatement and environmental consents, industry investment and any other measure that could address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

The two Departments will also establish a joint working group to ensure that the procurement and roll-out planning are progressed in parallel and as a priority.

It seems that the Minister has been pushed off the ball-----

-----and that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has said: "Hands off broadband". As the Minister with responsibility for rural development, does she agree that 30 Mbps is no longer high-speed broadband and that the only solution is the provision of fibre broadband to every home and business in the country? Will the latter be the policy of the Minister's Department?

What role will the county and regional broadband task forces have if the contract is awarded to eir or Vodafone-ESB? My understanding is that as neither would require wayleaves, given that both already have them, the talk of ancillary works and facilitating planning is a nonsense. Is it just a fig leaf to cover up the embarrassment of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, which made a mess of this situation, not letting go of the job?

A procurement process is ongoing and I am working closely with the Minister, Deputy Naughten, on this matter. It is important that the procurement process proceed. As Deputy Ó Cuív knows, it is a complicated one. Approximately five consortia will bid for three lots. This process will deliver the national broadband plan.

Where I come in is in the rural aspect. Once the tender has been awarded, responsibility for the rural elements falls to my Department. In the meantime, there is much that I can do with local authorities to prepare for the national broadband plan once it is ready to be rolled out. I will meet the local authorities' chief executives shortly to determine what roadblocks must be cleared away. What everyone in rural Ireland wants, including the Deputy and me, is broadband. That is the most important thing.

I beg to differ, as the Minister avoided my simple question. I do not want broadband. I want fibre broadband. Does the Minister agree that 30 Mbps is no longer considered high-speed broadband and that the only future-proof technology is fibre? Does she agree that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources should stop messing about with 30 Mbps and opt instead for providing fibre to every home and business? These are simple questions. The Minister now has responsibility for rural development. What part of the national broadband plan does not relate to rural Ireland? My understanding is that urban areas are to be left to the market.

Regarding mobile telephony, will the task force that the Minister is setting up be able to recommend to the Government that it should, if necessary, make money available to the telecoms industry, having taken much money from it via licences and required a low threshold of coverage, so that the industry ensures that every road and house in the State is covered by mobile telephony as is required and as is the case in Scandinavian countries, which have sparser populations than we do?

I am just getting my head around this brief, but I understand 30 Mbps will be the minimum.

Does the Minister believe that is good enough? Is it high-speed broadband by her definition?

I understand it will be the minimum.

Is it high-speed broadband by the Minister's definition?

I cannot say there will be fibre broadband to every home. There is a procurement process ongoing. When one is putting something out to tender, I do not know whether one can state the specific type of broadband one wants.

What about a gigabit?

I will not go into the detail because I cannot give the Deputy a definitive answer. I will be better able to answer whenever the responsibility is transferred to my Department.

Regarding the county and regional broadband task forces, there is a lot we can do with what we have. People want to know when they can have broadband. Under the national broadband plan, broadband is now expected to be rolled out until June 2017. There is much we can do in the meantime. I am a strong believer in communities working together and clustering whereby they can come together and make an application for broadband, if there is the critical mass.

Air Services Provision

Michael Moynihan

Question:

37. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to complete the development of the airstrips at Inishbofin and Cluain Leacht an Abba, Cleggan, to make them operational; her plans to provide a regular service from Aerfort Réigiúnach Chonamara to these airstrips; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13321/16]

The Deputy will be aware that my Department developed the two airstrips referred to with a view to commencing a scheduled air service between the island of Inishbofin and the mainland. However, due to the changed economic circumstances, a decision was taken in 2013 to dispose of both airstrips and surrounding sites.

I can inform the Deputy that the Office of Public Works, OPW, has undertaken a feasibility study at the Cleggan site of the possibility of developing a base there for an Irish Coast Guard station. I am advised that the OPW intends to seek planning permission for a temporary Irish Coast Guard station, with the possibility of a permanent station being developed at a future date. There are discussions between Galway County Council and the OPW on land for this purpose and land ownership. Obviously, the Irish Coast Guard is important. Only this week there was tragedy in the Connemara region with a death at sea and another incident today at Inverin consequent to which the Irish Coast Guard was called. I fully support the development of the Irish Coast Guard station.

Against this background, my Department has no immediate plans to complete the development of the airstrips with a view to making them operational, nor are there plans to provide funding for a regular service between Aerfort Réigiúnach Chonamara and the airstrips. However, I have asked my Department to undertake a consultation process as soon as possible on the disposal of these two airstrips.

Being new in the job, I asked the officials in the Roinn to engage immediately with the local communities to determine their wishes on the service. Obviously, the airstrips have been built. In his previous role Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív had a large role to play in this. I appreciate that. Local business people and the community were also involved. The long-term aim has to be to develop an air service between Cleggan and Inishbofin. As I stated, I have no immediate plans, but that is not to say I do not believe it should be done, nor does it mean that I will not take up this issue in the very near future. While waiting, I have asked my officials to start a consultation process that will take place quickly and not be prolonged. It is to obtain the views of the locals, be they in business, members of the island community or the community development body on Inishbofin or other interested individuals, to ascertain what they believe should be done.

In response to the first question, the Minister of State said the service to the Aran Islands was important and that he fully subscribed to that view. Since Inishbofin is a lot further from Galway, why would an air service to that island not be of equal benefit to the islanders? Will the Minister of State assure me that there is absolutely no question of disposing this State infrastructure that was put in place with the people's money to provide a vital service to an island? Would the Minister of State be willing to examine the potential cost of providing a reasonable service from Aerfort Réigiúnach Chonamara, where the project could be completed at a marginal cost because there are airplanes and an airstrip available? There could be flights both to Cleggan and Inishbofin, perhaps three or four days per week initially. This could be done at a marginal cost since all of the infrastructure is in place and pilots are available. The Minister of State knows all of the arguments and Aran islanders would explain them to him. Therefore, will he answer my three very specific questions? I look forward to the answers.

The Deputy is correct that the people living on Inishbofin have the same right as those living on every other island off the west coast. Obviously, we have responsibility for providing services to all of them, including, for example, the helipad on Tory Island which has been in place for the past few years. A decision was made in 2013 on the disposal of the airstrips. As I said, I now wish to seek the views of the communities affected by it. Obviously, any such decision would have to be agreed to by the Government. Issue arises in the disposal of State assets. There was a considerable investment in these projects and it is something that would have to be agreed to. I do not believe Government approval should be sought until such time as we hear from the communities on what they want.

With regard to having a reasonable service from Aerfort Réigiúnach Chonamara, that issue could be examined. If it is part of the recommendations or the people's views in the consultation in which I am engaging, it can certainly be examined. If there is a low-cost service that could be provided, it could certainly be considered within the budgetary constraints. Obviously, the Deputy, with the rest of the Members, will have a role in the budgetary process on these matters.

Do I understand from the Minister of State that he will immediately seek to establish what it would cost to provide a service such as a service three days a week to Inishbofin in order we can have a realistic debate on real costs? Will he clarify whether he is ruling out or still holding open the possibility of selling this vital infrastructure to private interests? He seems to be leaving the door open to the sale of the assets, which I obviously oppose. Does he agree that depopulation is a challenge on islands? As the population drops, it imposes a huge cost on the State, as he knows. Does he acknowledge that the best way to keep people on islands is to provide very efficient infrastructural services for them? They are provided at a minimal cost to the State compared with other transport services around the country.

I agree on the issue of depopulation. Obviously, the better the service in any rural area, be it on an island or anywhere else, the more depopulation is prevented. As part of the programme for Government, we hope to examine issues concerning a rural resettlement scheme. I certainly believe - I have touched on this with my officials - the islands should be very much a place where it should be prioritised and implemented.

On the sale, as I said in my reply, a decision was taken in 2013 to dispose of both airstrips and surrounding sites. I have asked the Roinn to initiate a discussion on this matter with locals and those with vested interests. Obviously, disposal was the decision made in 2013. It would have to be examined and agreed to by the Cabinet were it to go ahead.

On the question of costs, if the possibility of a service emerges from the consultation process, it will need to be examined in the context of our budget discussions and budget preparation.

Forbairt na nOileán

Lisa Chambers

Question:

38. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht é na tosaíochtaí a bheidh aici i leith na n-oileáin do thearma an Rialtais seo; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [13319/16]

Tuigim go maith na dúshláin a bhaineann le cothabháil agus forbairt pobail inbhuanaithe ar na hoileáin, agus an gá leanúnach le seirbhísí sásúla agus infreastruchtúr forbartha a sholáthar. Beidh cur chun cinn forbairt inbhuanaithe na n-oileán mara a bhfuil daonra orthu ina thosaíocht agamsa mar Aire Stáit le freagracht do na hoileáin.

Faoi láthair, cuireann mo Roinn fóirdheontais ar fáil chun tacú le seirbhísí iompar chuig oileáin áirithe thart timpeall an chósta. Tá na seirbhísí seo comhdhéanta de sheirbhísí farantóireachta paisinéara agus lastas.

Tugann mo Roinn fóirdheontas freisin chun seirbhís aeir a chur ar fáil chuig na trí Oileán Árann faoi chonradh Oibleagáid Sheirbhís Phoiblí, PSO. Mar chuid de seo, cuireann mo Roinn cúnamh ar fáil don seirbhís bainistíochta do na haeradróim atá lonnaithe ar na hoileáin.

San iomlán, tá seirbhísí taisteal fóirdheonaithe á maoiniú ag mo Roinn do 19 oileán i nDún na nGall, Maigh Eo, Gaillimh agus Corcaigh.

Tá sé i gceist agam leanúint leis na seirbhísí rochtana seo atá riachtanach chun caighdeán maireachtála na n-oileánach a chothabháil agus a fheabhsú.

Chomh maith leis sin, tá mo Roinn ag maoiniú na struchtúir bhainistíochta ar na hoileáin neamh-Ghaeltachta agus tá sé i gceist agam go leanfar leis an obair thábhachtach seo.

Beidh sé i gceist freisin ag mo Roinn éascaíocht a dhéanamh, feadh a cumais, do sholáthar seirbhísí níos éifeachtaí agus níos comhtháite do na hoileáin, go háirithe trí údaráis áitiúla agus trí ghníomhaireachtaí eile Stáit.

An bhféadfadh an tAire Stáit a rá liom an mbeidh na cistí bunstruchtúir ag aistriú ar ais go dtí an Roinn? Mar is eol dó, sa deich mbliana sular tháinig an Rialtas deiridh isteach caitheadh €100 milliún ar bhunstruchtúir ar na hoileáin – rudaí ar nós céanna, ionaid sláinte, áiseanna spóirt agus caitheamh aimsire agus mar sin de. An mbeidh ciste bunstruchtúir aige agus an mbeidh freagracht aigesean as cistiú a leithéid de chéanna ar oileáin agus ar uile? Má tá i gceist go mbeidh, an bhféadfadh sé a rá liom cé mhéad airgid a chuirfear ar fáil dó le haghaidh na hoibreacha sin?

An mbeidh ionchur ag an Aire Stáit i gcúrsaí cosúil le hoideachas? An mbeidh ionchur aige i gceist na scoileanna beaga oileánda agus na bunscoileanna a chailleann múinteoirí agus nach bhfaigheann an dara múinteoir arís go dtí go mbeidh 15 duine sa scoil má thiteann siad faoi bhun ochtar dalta? An mbeidh ionchur aige sna rudaí sin, maidir le fadhbanna atá ag na meánscoileanna agus maidir le cúrsaí sláinte ar na hoileáin? Céard é an t-ionchur a bheas aige sna rudaí sin?

Ó thaobh an bhunstruchtúir de, beidh mé ag iarraidh níos mó airgid chaipitil chun infreastruchtúr níos fearr a chur ar fáil ar na hoileáin agus deisiú a dhéanamh ar an infreastruchtúr atá ann faoi láthair. Pléifidh mé é seo leis na hoifigigh i mo Roinn agus tá sé tábhachtach go mbeidh mé in ann airgead caipitil a fháil do na hoileáin, cé go bhfuil eacnamaíocht na tíre tar éis feabhsú.

Beidh ról agam maidir leis na céanna de. Mar shampla, bhí €8 milliún ceadaithe ag an Roinn Comhshaoil, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil don ché nua in Inis Oírr. Gheobhaidh siad an t-airgead sin sa Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta agus pléifidh mé an cheist sin leis an Ard-Rúnaí freisin.

Ó thaobh oideachais de, tá sé ráite agam roimhe seo go raibh mé ag iarraidh cruinnithe a eagrú leis an Aire Oideachais agus Scileanna, an Teachta Bruton, agus bhí mé ag caint leis an tseachtain seo caite. Tá sé chun an cruinniú sin a eagrú chun na ceisteanna seo maidir leis na hoileáin, maidir leis an pupil-teacher ratio agus maidir leis an bpolasaí atá foilsithe idir an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna agus an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta a phlé. Ní bheidh ról ag mo Roinnse maidir le sláinte ach arís beidh mé sásta na rudaí difriúla a theastaíonn sna hoileáin ó thaobh sláinte de a phlé leis an Aire Sláinte.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit maidir leis an méid a dúirt sé faoi chúrsaí oideachais. Go n-éirí an bóthar leis ansin. Ar thuig mé go mbeidh na cistí atá ag an Roinn Comhshaoil, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil do ché Inis Oírr ag aistriú go dtí a Roinn agus go mbeidh siad faoina chúram? Is dea-scéal é sin agus molaim é as é sin a bhaint amach. Ceapaim féin go mba cheart go mbeadh bunstruchtúr na n-oileán faoin rannóg oileánda. Bhí mé den dearcadh sin ariamh. Is dul chun cinn maith é sin.

Ó thaobh cúrsaí sláinte de, bhí córas comh-mhaoinithe ó na cistí bunstruchtúir i bhfeidhm nuair a bhí mise sa Roinn. Mar shampla, dhéanfadh muid comh-mhaoiniú ar ionaid sláinte ar na hoileáin. Is é an buntáiste a bhain leis sin ná go raibh an HSE sásta tosaíocht a thabhairt do ghnóthaí oileánda. An mbeidh a leithéid den chomh-mhaoiniú sin i gceist i rith a thréimhse mar Aire Stáit?

Phléigh mé an cheist seo leis An Taoiseach arís an tseachtain seo caite. Tá sé sásta go mbeadh ciste don Ghaeltacht agus do na hoileáin ann a bheadh seisean i gceannas ar agus a bheidh idir na Ranna Sláinte; Iompair, Turasóireachta agus Spóirt; Oideachais agus Scileanna agus aon Roinn eile atá aon bhaint aici leis na hoileáin. Nuair a bhí mé sa chruinniú cinn bhliana de Chomhdháil na nOileán, bhí daoine ag iarraidh go mbeadh rud mar seo ann. Tá An Taoiseach sásta é sin a dhéanamh agus beidh sé ina cheannaire ar an gciste sin. Tá sé sin tábhachtach.

Beidh muid in ann na ceisteanna maidir le cúrsaí sláinte a phlé. Tá a fhios agam go raibh deacrachtaí ann anuraidh maidir le cén Roinn a bhí freagrach as an ionad sláinte nua a thógáil ar Inis Bó Finne - an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta nó an Roinn Sláinte. Ceadaíodh airgead don ionad ach níl cead pleanála acu fós. Tá a fhios agam go raibh an cheist sin ann. Is ceist thábhachtach í agus beidh ról ag an gciste idir-rannach sin maidir léi.

Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
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