Written Answers Nos. 678-695
678. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide, in tabular form, the annual salary of all non-commercial State sponsored bodies' chief executive officers under the aegis of his Department. [34523/13]
View answerThe information in respect of the annual salary of the chief executives of non commercial bodies under the aegis of my Department is set out in the following table.
|
Body |
Current Salary |
|
Arts Council |
€82,587 |
|
Irish Film Board |
€97,981 |
|
Crawford Art Gallery |
€71,876 |
|
National Library of Ireland |
€91,798 |
|
Chester Beatty Library |
€90,951 |
|
National Museum of Ireland |
€96,148 |
|
Irish Museum of Modern Art |
€85,720 |
|
National Concert Hall |
€102,251 |
|
National Gallery of Ireland |
€93,297 |
|
Heritage Council |
€109,451 |
|
Údarás na Gaeltachta |
€126,200 |
|
Foras Na Gaeilge |
€113,429 |
|
Boord O Ulster Scotch |
£45,751 |
|
Waterways Ireland |
£93,562 |
679. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide, in tabular form, a list of all professional fees, including but not limited to legal, consultancy, IT related, advisory, advertising and accountancy; the company name and the amount invoiced between 1 June 2012 and 31 May 2013. [34539/13]
View answer681. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide the annual saving to the Exchequer of a 20% reduction in all professional fees, including but not limited to legal, consultancy, IT related, advisory, advertising and accountancy; the company name and the amount invoiced between 1 June 2012 and 31 May 2013. [34571/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 679 and 681 together.
It is not possible to collate the information requested in respect of my Department in the timeframe permitted for a Parliamentary Question but it will be sent directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
682. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide, in tabular form, the annual saving to the Exchequer of a 1%, 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 17% and 20% reduction in travel and expenses for his Department. [34587/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, details of my Department's administrative provisions are published in the Revised Estimates Volume which is available on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's website via the following link: http://per.gov.ie/estpubexp2013/
However, for the Deputy's convenience, an allocation of €1.414 million has been made available for Travel and Subsistence in 2013. The following table sets out the savings which would accrue based upon reductions of the order specified.
|
2013 Rev Allocation - €000 |
1% |
7% |
10% |
12% |
15% |
17% |
20% |
|
1,414 |
14 |
99 |
141 |
170 |
212 |
240 |
283 |
683. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide, in tabular form, the annual saving to the Exchequer of a 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 17% and 20% reduction in training and development for his Department. [34603/13]
View answerI am basing the calculations of savings requested by the Deputy on the total expenditure on training and development in 2012. Some €223,286 was spent on training and development in 2012.
The following table shows the saving to the Exchequer of a 5%, 7%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 17% and 20% reduction in the training and development expenditure of my Department for 2012.
|
% Reduction in 2012 Training and Development Expenditure |
Saving to the Exchequer (€) |
|
5% |
11,164 |
|
7% |
15,630 |
|
10% |
22,329 |
|
12% |
26,794 |
|
15% |
33,493 |
|
17% |
37,959 |
|
20% |
44,657 |
684. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide, in tabular form, the annual saving to the Exchequer if all his special advisors' pay was capped at the first point of the principal officer grade; if he will provide a list of all salaries, post-implementation of the Haddington Road Agreement paid to his special advisors. [34619/13]
View answerAs I have previously advised the House, I appointed Mr. James Kenny and Mr. Damien Garvey as my special advisers with effect from 7 June 2011 and 2 April 2012, respectively.
Both were appointed at the first point of the Principal Officer standard scale, in accordance with the Guidelines on the staffing of Ministers' Offices. Mr. Kenny and Mr. Garvey are on the third and second points of that scale, respectively.
The annual saving to this Department if a pay cap were to be applied to their salaries is as set out in the following table.
|
Special Advisor |
Current salary – post implementation of the Haddington Road Agreement |
Salary - if pay capped at the first point of the principal officer standard scale |
Annual saving to the Exchequer if pay cap applied to special advisors' pay |
|
James Kenny* |
€42,941 |
€36,912 |
€6,029 |
|
Damien Garvey |
€78,670 |
€75,647 |
€3,023 |
|
Annual Saving |
€9,052 |
*As Mr. Kenny is in receipt of a public service pension of €38,735, his current salary, post-implementation of the Haddington Road Agreement, of €81,676 has been abated to €42,941 per annum.
685. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of successful applications made for funding under his Department's grants system for projects within County Kildare in each of the past four years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34672/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department was established in June 2011. The Department administers and delivers a wide range of programmes and measures, descriptions of which are available on its website at http://www.ahg.gov.ie/.
While expenditure under these programme areas takes place countrywide, it is not possible to give a town-by-town or county-by-county breakdown of that expenditure. For example, a number of my Department’s programmes are delivered through agencies and other intermediary bodies that operate across county boundaries and in respect of which there is no detailed breakdown on a county basis held by my Department. In addition, groups and organisations that receive grants directly from my Department are not necessarily constituted on a single-county or a single-town basis.
In view of the wide range of my Department’s schemes and programmes, and the large volumes of payments and grants made on an ongoing basis, it is not feasible to compile and collate the breakdown of expenditure sought by the Deputy. However, if the Deputy has specific queries relating to a particular programme or grant, I would be glad to seek to provide him with relevant information in that regard.
686. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide, in tabular form, the commitments in the Programme for Government within his remit; if the commitment has been met or is in the process of being met; the estimated time for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34674/13]
View answerThe commitments for my Department in the Programme for Government and the status of these commitments are contained in the following table and will be met over the lifetime of the Government.
|
- |
Commitment |
Current Status |
|
1. |
We will make strategic policy formulation the primary function of the Department, with line agencies and bodies responsible for policy implementation. |
Completed and ongoing. |
|
2. |
We will encourage the Arts Council to continue to dedicate resources to touring in order to protect the State’s investment in regional arts infrastructure around the country and to bring cultural tourism opportunities to towns and villages across the country. |
Completed and ongoing. |
|
3. |
We will work with stakeholders in the arts community to develop new proposals aimed at building private support of the arts in Ireland exploring philanthropic, sponsorship or endowment fund opportunities. |
Completed and ongoing. |
|
4. |
We will make the Culture Night Initiative a twice yearly event, and introduce a National Lottery Funding Anniversary Day, whereby all facilities which have received funding from the National Lottery will open their doors to the public free of charge. |
In progress (*see note below) |
|
5. |
We will also review the opening times of our national cultural institutions. |
In progress. |
|
6. |
We will develop a cultural plan for future commemorative events such as the Centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016. |
In progress. |
|
7. |
We will promote genealogical tourism by updating the National Cultural Institutions Act in relation to the Genealogical Office to put it on a proper statutory footing, modernise its operations and to enable publication of the 1926 census to stimulate genealogy tourism. |
In progress. |
|
8. |
We will also explore philanthropic opportunities for the development of a national archives and genealogy quarter, providing easy access to archives and tapping into an area of cultural tourism which is of huge interest to the vast Irish Diaspora. |
In progress. |
|
9. |
We will encourage greater cooperation between local authorities to provide assistance where possible for local authorities currently lacking a local authority Arts Officer due to recruitment restrictions and to cooperate in developing cultural tourism opportunities. |
Completed and ongoing. |
|
10. |
We will seek to capture some public good from NAMA by identifying buildings that have no commercial potential and which might be suitable as local facilities for art and culture. |
In progress. |
|
11. |
Responsibility for policy-making will revert to the Department, while agencies will be accountable for implementing policy, assessing outcomes and value for money. |
Completed and ongoing. |
|
12. |
We will support the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 and will deliver on the achievable goals and targets proposed. |
In progress. |
|
13. |
Gaeltacht regions will benefit from the jobs action plan outlined in this document. Under our proposals, we will deliver new job creation prospects to Gaeltacht regions. We will invest in energy, broadband and water infrastructure, creating the modern infrastructure needed to attract and support new businesses and jobs. We will also strongly support the potential for jobs in tourism and marine activities. We will continue to support the Irish language broadcasting and arts sector. |
In progress. |
|
14. |
We will review the Official Languages Act to ensure expenditure on the language is best targeted towards the development of the language and that obligations are imposed appropriately in response to demand from citizens. |
In progress. |
|
15. |
We will review current investment and funding programmes that benefit Irish language organisations in order to achieve visible value for money for citizens and tangible outcomes on a transparent basis. |
In progress. |
|
16. |
We will allow an exemption for domestic turf cutting on 75 natural heritage area sites subject to the introduction of an agreed national code of environmental practices. |
In progress. |
|
17. |
We will establish an independent mediation between all relevant stakeholders with specific objective of facilitating resolution to 55 special area of conservation designated bogs. |
Completed and ongoing. |
|
18. |
We will establish an independent mediation to resolve outstanding issues associated with turf cutting on blanket bogs. |
Completed and ongoing. |
* Building on the success and popularity of Culture Night for 2012 and beyond, the Department is developing the week of St Patrick's Day as the International Week of Irish Culture, thereby building on solid foundations already in place.
687. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will detail, in tabular form, the names of all external public relations, communications consultants and organisations used by organisations or agencies within the remit of his Department since 9 March 2011; the details of the services supplied by each; the expenditure on each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34690/13]
View answerThe Deputy will appreciate that the engagement of external public relations, communications consultants and other organisations is a day to day operational responsibility of the bodies and agencies in question. The Deputy may wish to contact the relevant bodies and agencies directly for further information.
688. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he has sought and received legal advice outside the Office of the Attorney General; the number of times advice was sought per year in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; the costs of outside legal advice per year in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34976/13]
View answerIt is not possible to collate the information requested in respect of my Department in the time frame permitted for a Parliamentary Question but it will be sent directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
689. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason compensation was not paid to farmers in the Twelve Bens/Maam Turk complex between November 2012 and May 2013 despite the fact that the National Parks and Wildlife Service had entered into an agreement with these farmers to compensate them for destocking sheep and cattle from the hills in this area; the legal basis for reneging on this commitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35451/13]
View answerFarmers in the Twelve Bens-Garraun and Maumturk Mountain Complex Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) have had to amend their farming practices since November 2008 to ensure that all these mountain areas recover from past overgrazing. This grazing restriction continues until November 2013. The affected farmers have received payments through agri-environment schemes (such as REPS, Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS), from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service farm plan scheme, operated by my Department) for loss of income arising from the prescribed restrictions. However, due to the breaks in the availability of REPS and AEOS schemes financial compensation has been a continuing issue since 2009.
To address this issue, in consultation with the farming organisations and local public representatives, my Department has offered eligible out-of-contract farmers compensation for continuing to honour their environmental commitments during those breaks.
In September 2011, I announced an interim compensation package for out-of-contract REPS farmers in these SACs whose plans were completed after the closing date for applications to AEOS 2 in May 2011. These payments of up to €4,000 per farmer ran until the 15 May 2012.
In November 2012, I announced an extension to the interim compensation package to cover the period from 16 May 2012 to 30 November 2012, the closing date for AEOS 3 applications. Payment was based on the number of months that each farmer was out of contract in this period, equating to a pro-rata percentage of the AEOS 2012 financial package to a maximum of €4,000.
I have no plans to introduce further measures for farmers who have applied to join AEOS 3. Any issue relating to the acceptance into the AEOS 3 scheme or delayed payments should be addressed to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
690. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if there will be a new scheme of destocking in the Twelve Bens/Maam Turk complex to replace the current scheme once the current scheme ends at the end of this year; the assessment that has been carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the effectiveness of the current scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35452/13]
View answerFarmers in the Twelve Bens-Garraun and Maumturk Mountain Complex Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) have had to amend their farming practices since November 2008 to ensure that these mountain/commonage areas recover from past overgrazing. This grazing restriction continues until November 2013 and will assist farmers in ensuring that their lands are deemed to be in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC).
The affected farmers have received payments through agri-environment schemes such as REPS, Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS), operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service farm plan scheme, operated by this Department, for loss of income arising from the prescribed restrictions.
As part of the compensation package that was agreed in 2008, an additional annual payment of €2,000 over five years was to be paid by this department to those farmers who were in existing REPS contracts for the additional grazing restriction.
I have no plans to introduce any further Scheme following the ending of the grazing restriction in November 2013.
It is proposed to have an assessment of the effectiveness of the Scheme undertaken in 2014.
691. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the efforts being made to promote Ireland as a location for feature film making; if he will provide an annual breakdown, in tabular format, of expenditure by overseas film-makers here since 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35479/13]
View answerPrimary responsibility for the support and promotion of film-making in Ireland in respect of both the indigenous sector and inward productions is a matter for the Irish Film Board (IFB). The IFB is the statutorily independent agency responsible for the promotion and development of the Irish film industry and I have no responsibility in relation to its day-to-day operational matters, including policies and the allocation of resources to different support programmes and schemes.
My Department's operational role in supporting the film sector relates to the administration of elements of Section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 that provides tax relief for investments in qualifying films. This involves the administration of certain elements of the scheme regarding satisfying cultural criteria. The types of film eligible for certification are feature film, television drama, creative documentary and animation.
The data sought by the Deputy are not readily available. I am informed that the compilation of the information requested by the Deputy would involve a disproportionate amount of staff time and resources, especially those of the Irish Film Board which could not be justified in the circumstances. In the meantime, I refer the Deputy to the published Annual Reports of the Irish Film Board which provide the details sought.
692. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he is confident that all overseas travel undertaken by staff in State agencies is necessary; if the agencies ensure a robust business case is submitted before travel is sanctioned; if the agencies ensure the objective of the travel cannot be achieved through other means; if, on their return, the staff have to submit a report on the work carried out while they were on agency business overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36039/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, it is the responsibility of each independent statutory agency to manage their day-to-day affairs, including expenditure incurred on travel and subsistence. In keeping with all Government Departments, it is incumbent on such bodies to comply with relevant Department of Finance and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform guidelines and procedures in this regard. My Department routinely provides each of the bodies funded from its Vote Group with copies of all relevant guidelines and procedures.
It should be noted that it is a requirement that the Chair of each such body annually confirms to my Department its compliance with these guidelines in its Annual Report. Additionally, it should also be noted that many of these bodies are subject to annual audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General and their accounts are placed before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
693. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide, in tabular form, a list of all non-commercial State sponsored bodies under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36211/13]
View answerA number of bodies and agencies are funded from within my Department's Vote Group. Details of these bodies can be found on the Department's website. I have set out below the relevant link for ease of reference.
http://www.ahg.gov.ie/en/AboutUs/AgenciesBodiesunderDepartmentsAegis/.
695. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the total number of successful applications made to his Departtment in each of the past four years for the restocking of rivers, canals and lakes of fish; the areas of such applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34668/13]
View answerThe following table sets out the number of successful applications on a River Basin District basis relating to fish stockings from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2013.
2009 relates to the 6 month period from 1 July to 31 December 2009. Years 2010 to 2012 are based on calendar years, with 2013 based on applications for the 6 months up to 30 June 2013.
I am advised by IFI that they review all applications received with a view to ensuring that any proposed stocking is in line with best ecological practice and consistent with national and European legislation.
|
RBD |
Year 2009 |
Year 2010 |
Year 2011 |
Year 2012 |
Year 2013 (to date) |
- |
|
- |
NO. APPLICATIONS |
NO. APPLICATIONS |
NO. APPLICATIONS |
NO. APPLICATIONS |
NO. APPLICATIONS |
Total |
|
South Eastern River Basin District |
13 |
25 |
23 |
18 |
19 |
98 |
|
South Western River Basin District |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
9 |
|
Shannon River Basin District |
7 |
29 |
30 |
21 |
19 |
106 |
|
Eastern River Basin District |
19 |
52 |
40 |
40 |
38 |
189 |
|
Western (N) River Basin District |
_ |
3 |
1 |
7 |
_ |
11 |
|
Western River Basin District |
- |
4 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
18 |
|
North Western River Basin District |
- |
9 |
9 |
7 |
8 |
33 |
|
Total |
40 |
124 |
109 |
104 |
87 |
464 |
