Brendan Griffin
Question:196. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs her views on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23484/17]
View answerWildlife Regulations
Questions (196)
Written answers
Section 40 of the Wildlife Acts currently prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or destruction of vegetation, with certain strict exemptions, from 1 March to 31 August.
Following a review of Section 40, which involved, inter alia, consideration of submissions from interested parties, I announced proposals in December 2015 to introduce legislation to allow for managed hedge cutting and burning at certain times within the existing closed period on a pilot two year basis. The legislation required to allow for these pilot measures is included in the Heritage Bill 2016, which was published in January 2016.
The Bill recently completed its passage through Seanad Éireann and will now go to Dail Éireann. In the meantime, the existing provisions relating to Section 40 of the Wildlife Acts remain in force.
The question relating to restrictions on farming in areas where burning has occurred is primarily a matter for my colleague the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. That Department operates the Basic Payment Scheme and other schemes including GLAS.
My Department will continue to work closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and An Garda Síochána, as appropriate, to investigate the causes of wild fires and, where evidence is forthcoming, to pursue appropriate enforcement under the Wildlife Acts or other legislation.
The main source of wild gorse fires is thought to be the deliberate starting of fires without concern for the consequences. Aside from such malicious activities, one of the main challenges is to encourage members of the public, (including landowners, farmers and recreational users of publicly accessible land), to act responsibly at all times, to be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, to be mindful of the need to protect property, both publicly owned and privately owned and to appreciate the value of our natural heritage, particularly in our National Parks, Nature Reserves and Designated (Natura 2000) Sites.
National Archives
Questions (197)
Niamh Smyth
Question:197. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs her plans to review the time limits for the release of materials under the National Archives Act 1986; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23502/17]
View answerWritten answers
My Department is currently working on a draft Bill, in conjunction with the Office of the Parliamentary Draftsman, which will reduce the time limit for the release of certain departmental records after 20 years rather than the current 30 years.
The Bill will propose to implement the change on a phased basis starting with the Departments of Taoiseach, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Justice and Equality and the Office of the Attorney General.
I expect to bring the Bill to Government in advance of publication very shortly.
National Archives
Questions (198)
Niamh Smyth
Question:198. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of staff employed by the National Archives per annum in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23503/17]
View answerWritten answers
The following table outlines the staffing figures for the National Archives since the establishment of my Department in June 2011.
|
Year End |
Headcount |
WTE |
|
2011 |
47 |
45.5 |
|
2012 |
48 |
46.3 |
|
2013 |
48 |
46.3 |
|
2014 |
46 |
44.2 |
|
2015 |
44 |
42.4 |
|
2016 |
48 |
47.2 |
|
2017 (end April) |
53 |
51.53 |
I am advised that staffing levels in the National Archives and across my Department are kept under regular review and resources required to meet business needs are assessed through the workforce planning process, having regard to Department of Public Expenditure and Reform directives, guidelines and circulars on staffing, as well as to emerging business priorities and the availability of payroll resources.
National Archives
Questions (199)
Niamh Smyth
Question:199. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs her plans to extend the capacity of the National Archives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23504/17]
View answerWritten answers
I have earmarked €8 million in funding for the first phase in a capital development plan at the National Archives. The OPW has appointed a design team to the project and I expect it to go to tender later this year. This significant capital investment will address many of the long-standing infrastructural issues that face the National Archives.
Thanks to improvements in the economy, I have been in a position to secure additional funding for the National Archives over the past 3 years which has seen current funding increase from €1,105,000 to €1,365,000. This included providing the National Archives with a special allocation of €150,000 for 2016 and 2017 to assist in work being undertaken in association with the Office of Government Chief Information Officer on a public sector records management policy.
I will continue to support the Archives to the greatest extent possible and hope to be in a position to provide additional funding as the Exchequer position continues to improve.
Departmental Agencies Staff Data
Questions (200, 201)
Ruth Coppinger
Question:200. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of persons who are employed under the aegis of her Department through agencies in the public sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23926/17]
View answerRuth Coppinger
Question:201. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the persons employed through agencies in her Department, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23939/17]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 200 and 201 together.
I am advised that currently there is nobody in my Department that was recruited through an agency. The information in respect of the bodies under the aegis of my Department is set out in the following tabular format.
|
Body |
Number of agency staff |
|
Arts Council |
12 |
|
Ulster Scots Agency |
0 |
|
Irish Film Board |
2 |
|
Chester Beatty Library |
1 |
|
Crawford Art Gallery |
0 |
|
Foras na Gaeilge |
0 |
|
Heritage Council |
0 |
|
Irish Museum of Modern Art |
6 |
|
National Concert Hall |
4 |
|
National Library of Ireland |
0 |
|
National Museum of Ireland |
3 |
|
Údarás na Gaeltachta |
0 |
|
Waterways Ireland |
2 |
|
National Gallery of Ireland |
12 |
|
Western Development Commission |
0 |
|
Total |
42 |
Consultancy Contracts Expenditure
Questions (202)
Bríd Smith
Question:202. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the monetary value of all work contracted out under the aegis of her Department to external agencies or consultancies for work completed or investigations undertaken in human resources and industrial relations, including hiring and interviewing of staff and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23951/17]
View answerWritten answers
I am advised that no Human Resource or Industrial Relations work was contracted out by my Department to external agencies this year. Four agencies under the aegis of my Department contracted out such work to a total monetary value of €100,174 in 2017 to date. This relates to work contracted out by the Chester Beatty Library (€3,099), the National Gallery of Ireland (€89,000), the National Museum of Ireland (€4,420), and the Heritage Council (€3,655). I am further advised that, of this amount, €95,754 related to recruitment costs. It should be noted that the National Gallery of Ireland has had exceptional recruitment requirements due to the planned reopening of the refurbished historic wings in June of this year.
Assisted Human Reproduction
Questions (203)
James Lawless
Question:203. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health his plans regarding the regulation of surrogacy; the timeframe for this legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23580/17]
View answerWritten answers
Officials in my Department are currently drafting the General Scheme of legislative provisions on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated research, which will include provisions relating to surrogacy. It is envisaged that the General Scheme will be completed by the end of June 2017. Once the General Scheme has been completed, a memo will be submitted for Government approval, and once approved by Government, I intend to submit the General Scheme to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health for pre-legislative scrutiny.
The proposed legislation will take cognisance of the 2014 Supreme Court judgment in the MR & Anor v An tArd Chláraitheoir & Ors (surrogacy) case. It is envisaged that the legislation will establish a mechanism for transfer of parentage from the surrogate (and her husband, if she has one) to the intending parents.
In addition, it is envisaged that under the surrogacy provisions at least one of the intending parents will have to be genetically related to the child. Surrogacy will be permitted on an altruistic basis where the payment of defined and receiptable reasonable expenses will be allowed, however, commercial surrogacy will be prohibited.
The intention of the legislation in this area is to protect, promote and ensure the health and safety of surrogate mothers, others involved in the process (such as donors and parents) and, most importantly, the children who will be born as a result of AHR.