Dara Calleary
Question:1585. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the position of a new national rural development plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33015/20]
View answerRural Development Plan
Questions (1585)
Written answers
My Department is currently finalising a new rural development policy for the next five years. The new policy will be forward-looking, ambitious, and will build on the progress achieved through the Action Plan for Rural Development, which concluded in 2019. It will seek to strengthen and build resilience in our rural economies and communities and will identify policy measures for delivery in order to achieve these objectives. As was the case with the Action Plan, the new policy will reflect a whole-of-Government commitment to rural Ireland.
The new policy will recognise that strong rural economies and communities are vital in supporting our national recovery and enhancing our nationwide wellbeing. It will also emphasise the interdependence between urban and rural areas in this regard.
The process of developing the policy has included a wide range of consultation events with key stakeholders, including Government Departments, State agencies, rural stakeholder groups, young people, and the wider public. The insights and views captured through this extensive consultation process have helped to identify the issues that matter to people living and working in rural Ireland.
Over the past months, my Department has held a series of further discussions with key stakeholders to explore the short and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on rural communities and economies and identify actions required to assist rural areas to recover from the impact of COVID-19. I hosted a public webinar on the topic on 24th September.
The inputs from these consultations are being factored in to the drafting of the policy and I anticipate that the final policy will be submitted to Government for approval in the near future, prior to its publication.
Community Enterprise Centres
Questions (1586)
Dara Calleary
Question:1586. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the programmes available in her Department to facilitate the development of locally based innovation centres, for example, similar to the gteic model in Gaeltacht areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33016/20]
View answerWritten answers
Over the last number of years, my Department has funded the development of enterprise centres and co-working hubs through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, including funding for gTeic hubs in the Gaeltacht areas. The LEADER programme can also provide funding for community-based facilities of this nature.
In addition, the Broadband Connection Points (BCP) initiative and the Atlantic Economic Corridor Hub Network are expressly supporting this type of development.
The BCP initiative will bring reliable high-speed broadband to approximately 300 publicly accessible sites across the State. These sites will be located in rural and remote areas, including the Gaeltacht and many of our off-shore islands.
Many BCPs may be in a position to provide remote working facilities, eHealth facilities, education, training and upskilling, as well as supporting the cultural and social life of the communities in which they are located.
Separately, the Western Development Commission (WDC) has mapped over 100 remote working hubs within the Atlantic Economic Corridor (AEC) region, covering the area from Co. Kerry to Co. Donegal. The WDC's objective is to develop these hubs into a cohesive network of facilities in the AEC region for remote workers, students and for community use.
The WDC recently developed a classification model for hubs which codifies them based on criteria such as their service offering, clientele and mission. This classification model will allow the further development of quality standards and developmental pathways for hubs in the ecosystem.
An additional €5 million has been allocated to my Department in Budget 2021 to support the development of this national hubs network, as well as to upgrade existing facilities throughout the country.
Question No. 1587 answered with Question No. 1583.
Departmental Funding
Questions (1588)
Joe McHugh
Question:1588. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if consideration has been given to a specific funding package for towns and villages to enable tidy towns committees or a chamber of commerce to administer the funding of Christmas lights for December 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33057/20]
View answerWritten answers
Funding for a specific package as outlined by the Deputy is not available from my Department at this time.
However, this year's Town and Village Renewal Scheme included three rounds of funding under an Accelerated Measure which supported smaller scale projects that could be delivered immediately to assist towns and villages in adapting to COVID-19. In total, I have allocated €10.4 million to 363 projects across the three funding rounds.
The items funded in each town or village under the Accelerated Measure were based on needs identified locally. The purchase of Christmas lights featured in a small number of project applications, to enable towns to enhance the appearance of their streets and shops, host Christmas festivals and attract additional footfall.
Applications under the standard strand of the 2020 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, which has a budget of €15 million, are currently being assessed and the successful projects will be announced when that process is complete. However, this strand focuses on larger scale projects, and particularly those that will assist our towns and villages to recover from the impact of COVID-19 in the medium-term.
Departmental Contracts
Questions (1589)
Seán Sherlock
Question:1589. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of contracts approved in her Department in 2019 and to date in 2020 without competitive tender; the details of the contracts; the company awarded the contracts; and the full value of the contracts in tabular form. [33278/20]
View answerWritten answers
My Department entered into 6 contracts for goods and services between 2019 and to date in 2020 which did not require the use of a competitive tender process due to particular exemptions permitted under the Directive . I can confirm that the signing of these contracts were consistent and compliant with Government procurement guidelines.
I have provided below, the details of the 6 contracts referred to above, the company awarded the contract; and the full value of the contract in tabular form in the table here.
|
Company provided the contract |
Details of DRCD Contract without competitive tender 2019 to date in 2020 |
€ Value of the contract |
|
Precise Construction Instruments T/A Korec |
Provision of Trimble brand ArcGIS compatible scanners and training |
€13,086 |
|
Space Engagers |
Provided of summary report on the outcomes of the Town Centre Living Initiative |
€12,880 |
|
National University of Ireland, Maynooth. |
Socio-economic review of CLÁR areas |
€20,250 |
|
Benefacts |
Data Analysis Services regarding Social Enterprise in Ireland |
€12,128 |
|
‘Version 1’ |
Contract to develop a bespoke Information Technology system to manage the LEADER 2007-2013 programme was initially awarded 28/4/2008, by way of a competitive process. The system requires ongoing maintenance and updates. A contract for this was signed on 23/12/2019, covering the period 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2023. |
€35,154 |
|
ESRI - Research Partnership |
Signed 2 year research agreement between DRCD and ESRI to facilitate research and analysis with a view to: 1. 1. Supporting the monitoring and development of rural and community policy. 1. 2. Helping develop a framework for monitoring and evaluation of rural and community development programmes. 3.Producing bespoke outputs which (a) help to inform Department policy areas, and (b) contribute to the analysis of specific programmes and projects funded by the Department. non-competitive award is provided for in line with Article 14 of Directive 2014/24/EU. |
€210,000 |
Town and Village Renewal Scheme
Questions (1590)
Cathal Crowe
Question:1590. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will consider extending the completion date required for works funded under the auspices of the town and village renewal scheme in view of the fact that Covid-19 restrictions have hampered the progression of these works in many communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33359/20]
View answerWritten answers
I recognise that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, some communities and Local Authorities have experienced difficulties in completing projects which were approved for funding under various programmes operated by my Department, including the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
My Department is in touch with Local Authorities on an ongoing basis to review progress in delivering projects under the various schemes and has provided flexibility with regard to the completion dates for projects where the situation warrants it.
Projects approved under the Accelerated Measure of the 2020 Town and Village Renewal Scheme were approved on the basis that they could be delivered quickly in order to have an immediate impact on their communities. If issues arise with completing individual projects, my Department is open to considering requests for time extensions with the Local Authorities on a case by case basis, having regard to the full circumstances of the project.
National Broadband Plan
Questions (1591)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:1591. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress made to date in rolling out the broadband connection points under the national broadband scheme contracted out by her Department; the locations of the broadband connection points provided to date; the locations still waiting on these promised points; the date they will be all provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33636/20]
View answerWritten answers
The Broadband Connection Points (BCP) initiative is a collaborative effort involving my Department, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Local Authorities, National Broadband Ireland (NBI), Vodafone Ireland and the owners and managers of the host sites.
BCPs will be located in areas which do not currently have access to reliable high-speed broadband and which will, in due course, be served by the full rollout of the National Broadband Plan. BCPs will provide free public on-site internet access to some of the most rural and remote communities in the country, including many of our off-shore islands.
The initial rollout of the BCP initiative involves a wireless link being installed by NBI, followed by the installation of end-user equipment, including wifi access points, by Vodafone.
As of 23rd October, 68 public access BCPs had been installed with wifi equipment by Vodafone. New sites are connected on a daily basis and I expect 200 public access BCPs to be connected this year, with a further 100 BCPs to be connected in 2021. The locations of completed and currently planned BCPs can be found at https://nbi.ie/bcp-map/ .
The next phase of the BCP initiative, post-installation, will see the network of connection points supported to develop their offering to communities. Many BCPs may be in a position to provide remote working facilities, eHealth facilities, education, training and upskilling, as well as supporting the cultural and social life of the communities in which they are located.
Data Protection
Questions (1592)
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:1592. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of data protection breaches identified within her Department in 2019. [33851/20]
View answerWritten answers
I can confirm that my Department did not identify any data protection breaches in 2019.
Capital Expenditure Programme
Questions (1593)
Matt Shanahan
Question:1593. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide all disbursements of capital spending above €20 million on completed projects for each year since 2016 by name of project, department or body responsible for delivering project, county, NUTS3 region, type of investment, construction commencement, completion year and actual cost in tabular form. [34190/20]
View answerWritten answers
I can confirm that there has not been any disbursements of capital spending above €20 million on completed projects since the establishment of my Department in July 2017.