Written Answers Nos. 273-276
273. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures that will be implemented to assist the mushroom and horticulture sectors due to the difficulties that have arisen in relation to peat harvesting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10416/22]
View answerA working paper which has been put in place by my Department, in conjunction with the Departments of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), and Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Housing) sets out a series of actions to support the horticultural growers who are dependent on peat as a growing medium.
In these targeted actions which reflect the multi-faceted nature of the problem, the Department is endeavouring to address the short-term issue of supply, the medium term one of future access to peat and also the longer-term issue of replacement with alternatives.
The commissioning of an independent expert to work with all peat suppliers to ascertain the level of horticultural peat stocks available to growers is one of these key actions.
A second key action is the commissioning of experts to provide focussed regulatory guidance on planning to assist those wishing to extract peat in the medium term for horticulture growers. This expert guidance will provide a valuable resource to those seeking legal compliance for the abstraction of horticultural peat on sub-30 hectare bogs for supply to the domestic horticulture industry.
I understand the importance of delivering these actions and my Department is currently liaising with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with a view to having the services of these independent experts available as soon as possible.
My Department in also looking towards the future will continue to support and facilitate research in the development of alternatives to peat for horticulture. €1.69m was recently awarded to Teagasc for research into utilising organic bio-resources and novel technologies to develop specifically designed and sustainable peat replacements.
274. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when work will commence on the 2022 local improvement scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10187/22]
View answerThe Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. As part of 'Our Rural Future', the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future. This reflects the important contribution which the scheme makes to connectivity in rural Ireland.
I launched the 2021 Scheme with an initial budget of €10.5 million. I was very pleased to source additional funding during the year and allocated a further round of funding to bring the total for 2021 to €21 million.
I was also pleased, as part of Budget 2022, to announce an increase in the base funding for LIS from €10.5 million in 2021 to €11 million this year. I expect to launch this year's scheme in the coming weeks.
275. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if an audit has been carried out into dog pounds nationwide; and if there are plans to carry out an audit in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10298/22]
View answerThe Control of Dogs Acts place statutory responsibility for dog control on local authorities. Under the Acts, local authorities are responsible for operating and managing dog control and licensing services in their administrative areas, including the management of dog pounds or shelters, and my Department has no involvement in this process.
Local Authority dog shelters are established under Section 15 of the Control of Dogs Act 1986. Any guidelines, standards or regulation of these shelters is a matter for each individual local authority.
276. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the total number of local improvement scheme projects each local authority had on hand in each of the years from 2016 to 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10341/22]
View answerThe Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. As part of 'Our Rural Future', the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future. This reflects the important contribution which the scheme makes to connectivity in rural Ireland.
Considerable progress has been made in upgrading these laneways and minor roads since 2017 when the scheme was reintroduced, with investment of €80 million providing for works on over 3,000 roads and benefitting over 13,300 people. This includes significant funding of €21 million last year.
Notwithstanding the considerable advances made, it is appears that there remains strong demand right across the country.
While my Department has received an indication of the level of demand in each county, it does not have consistent and reliable data regarding the number of roads awaiting improvement works. My officials are currently reviewing the process for requesting and collating such data. This is with a view to determining whether a more consistent, timely and rigorous approach to data collection might be employed across the local authority system to underpin the Scheme and inform allocations to each county.
