Written Answers Nos. 1406-1420
1406. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she remains disposed to the continuation of interaction with urban and rural communities, with a view to identification of their most urgent needs and the nature of supports for the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28570/23]
View answer1407. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she and her Department have helped urban and/or rural communities throughout County Kildare and the country in general in the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28571/23]
View answer1408. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to indicate how she continues to identify the best means of assisting recipients of various payments aimed at rural and community groups in order to achieve the maximum benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28572/23]
View answer1411. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she continues in dialogue with the various rural and urban communities in County Kildare and throughout the country, with a view to greater understanding of community needs and the best methodology to be adopted in the circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28575/23]
View answer1412. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which the interventions by her Department by way of assistance towards urban and rural community groups throughout County Kildare and the country at large has manifested itself in the greater empowerment of those she has assisted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28576/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1406 to 1408, inclusive, 1411 and 1412 together.
A vital part of my Department's mission is to support vibrant and sustainable communities across this country. My Department provides targeted investment and supports in both rural and urban communities, which enables rural regeneration, facilitates new working opportunities and fosters regional enterprise growth. This is done through extensive collaboration and engagement with communities and wider stakeholders.
My Department will continue to invest in and support communities across the country through a wide range of schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, LEADER Programme, Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, Local Improvement Scheme, CLÁR Programme, Islands Capital Programme, Community Enhancement Programme, the Community Centre Investment Fund, Connected Hubs initiative, Libraries Investment Capital funding, PEACE IV Programme and the PEACE PLUS Programme.
The amount allocated by my Department in the past three years is €323 million in 2020, €333 million in 2021, and €475 million in 2022. Kildare was allocated €7.9 million in 2020, €3.9 million in 2021, and €11.6 million in 2022.
This funding ensures that we are in a position to further assist communities throughout the country seeking funding and other supports for important local activities and projects.
All funding schemes operated by my Department are open to applications from eligible groups during the application timeframes set for each scheme or programme. Further information on all schemes and programmes, including details of successful applications can be found on my Department's website www.drcd.gov.ie.
1409. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she and her Department expect to support and expand communication hubs at strategic locations throughout the country, with a view to addressing any deficiencies and the need to ensure maximum availability of state-of-the-art communications in increasingly competitive times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28573/23]
View answerA key focus of Our Rural Future, the Government's Rural Development Policy 2021 - 2025, is optimising digital connectivity to support vibrant, sustainable rural communities.
As stated in Our Rural Future, there is an overall ambition for Government to transform digital connectivity for rural communities and enterprises. I want to close the digital divide between rural and urban communities and ensure that those living in rural communities are provided with the same opportunities for remote working, online trading and for education as those in larger urban areas. I am working to achieve this ambition by providing significant funding and support through my Department.
Through the Broadband Connection Points (BCP) Initiative my department is establishing 300 digitally-enabled community hubs. These hubs are based in community centres, GAA clubs and tourist sites across the country in rural and isolated areas, including on some of our islands, and are centres of community life. These BCPs will each have different offerings, some with a focus on remote work while others focused on education programmes and digital skills training.
The Broadband Connection Points (BCP) project is progressing well, with 290 of 300 sites now live and in use.
In consultation with Public BCP stakeholders, my officials are drafting a development strategy for the Public BCP Network. This strategy will set out a number of ambitions and opportunities and will guide decisions on future supports, partnerships and the scope to improve and broaden services.
Our Rural Future also recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by 2025.
In furtherance of this commitment, my Department’s focus to date has been on strategically developing a national hub network, adding capacity to Ireland's existing remote working infrastructure and supporting the establishment of new hubs.
Over €150m has been invested by my department in the development of remote working facilities through programmes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and the Connected Hubs Call. Successful projects are developed in collaboration with local authorities and communities with many projects seeing vacant and derelict buildings in rural towns and villages converted into remote working hubs.
In 2021 I launched ConnectedHubs.ie, a shared online booking and payments platform for member hubs and their users. The network includes a diverse range of hubs, services and facilities, thus facilitating companies of different sizes. There are currently 319 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform.
To date my focus has been on establishing the Connected Hub Network and on achieving the initial critical mass. Following strong progress on the establishment phase of the project, my focus has now shifted to the next stage of development.
To this end my Department is currently leading, in consultation with hub managers, local authorities and communities, and with other stakeholders, including colleagues from the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, on the formulation of a National Hub Strategy which I will bring to Government later this year.
The Strategy will inform the future strategic direction of the National Hub Network and the connectedhubs.ie platform and ensure the strategic development and sustainability of Ireland’s Hub Infrastructure.
I have been clear throughout my tenure as Minister for Rural and Community Development that balanced regional development, sustainable and thriving communities, and indeed the wider national economy will all benefit from workers and employers embracing the remote working revolution.
I am committed to ensuring that the National Hub Network will continue to make a central contribution to the achievement of the Government's vision for rural Ireland, as set out in Our Rural Future.
1410. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she expects to support efforts towards population regeneration on habitable offshore islands; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28574/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, I launched the Government's new National Islands Policy, Our Living Islands, on 7 June 2023.
Our Living Islands sets out 5 Strategic Objectives, one of which is "Strategic Objective 1 - Revitalise population levels on the islands".
In the associated action plan, firm and time-bound commitments have been given by various Government departments and agencies to fulfil this strategic objective.
Depopulation was the issue of greatest concern to the island communities during the consultation process. Our Living Islands aims to reverse the population decline witnessed on most of the islands while building sustainable futures for island communities as well as empowering them in developing their own islands
The outcomes of delivering this policy will see more people living on the islands and being able to work on the islands regardless of where their employer is headquartered.
1413. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she anticipates any changes or improvements in the LEADER programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28577/23]
View answerThe LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development launched in 2021.
The programme has been operating successfully in Ireland for over 30 years, and is based on a community-led approach to rural development. Over that time LEADER has demonstrated a very strong track record in supporting communities and enterprises in progressing job creation, social inclusion and environmental projects at local level.
The process to select Local Actions Groups to deliver the 2023-2027 LEADER programme is under way at present. Applicants groups are due to submit completed their Local Development Strategy (LDS) for consideration by 14th July 2023. The process in place is fully open and transparent, and incorporates some new flexibility in relation to sub regional areas compared to the previous programme. The new programme also includes some new requirements to ensure that the needs of our island communities are fully reflected in the process.
Full details of the selection process are available on my Department’s website.
While LEADER is very much based on a bottom up approach, the consultative processes that underpin the development of the new programme have identified a number of key themes that will provide the framework for the LEADER programme in the 2023-207 programme. These themes are
• Economic development and job creation
• Rural infrastructure and social inclusion, and
• Sustainable development of the rural environment and climate change mitigation and adaptation
The 2023-2027 LEADER programme will be operational in Quarter 3 of this year and I look forward to its implementation and to ensuring that LEADER can continue to deliver real benefits to rural communities across Ireland.
1414. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline her ambitions for the Community Enhancement Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28578/23]
View answerLast November, I was delighted to launch the 2022 Community Support Fund (CSF) under the Community Enhancement Programme, with funding of €10 million to assist thousands of community groups across the country. A key feature of the Community Enhancement Programme is that it is targeted to the specific challenges facing local community groups and delivers immediate, tangible supports where they are needed most.
In general, support under the Community Enhancement Programme is available to, for example, Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s and Women’s Sheds. Under the 2022 CSF iteration, the fund is delivering small grants to help groups with running costs and rising energy bills. Groups can also use the funding to carry out small upgrade works and to purchase equipment to support their activities such as laptops and printers, lawnmowers, training equipment, etc.
Community Enhancement Funding is administered on behalf of my Department locally by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority. The relevant LCDC receive and appraise applications, making determinations on how the funding can best support their communities.
I have seen first-hand how these small grants make a big difference for local community groups. The feedback from community groups and from the LCDCs is very positive, and as these grants deliver immediate, targeted funding support that can be used against a range of costs, both capital and current, they are making a real impact on the ground in communities across the country.
The 2022 CSF is now closed to applicants and details of successful projects will be published on my Department’s website www.gov.ie/drcd in the coming weeks. It is hoped to run another CEP later in 2023, however, details of this programme are not yet confirmed.
I look forward to continuing to deliver meaningful supports like the CEP to local communities as we support them to respond to the challenges they face.
1415. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her plans for the advancement of the Social Innovation Fund in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28579/23]
View answerAs a partnership between the private sector and Government, Rethink Ireland (formerly Social Innovation Fund Ireland) has been funded from the Dormant Accounts Fund through contractual funding arrangements since its creation in 2013. The business model which these arrangements support is for Government funding to match the philanthropic donations on a 50:50 co-funded basis i.e., every euro raised in philanthropic funding is matched by Government. However, this is subject to budget allocations as part of the estimates process.
The current five year contract between Rethink Ireland and my Department runs from January 2021 to December 2025 and provides match funding to a maximum of €5.5m per annum. It should also be noted that, while my Department provides the majority of its match-funding, Rethink Ireland have also received funding from other Departments and my Department encourages these partnerships.
In total, with philanthropic and Government support, Rethink Ireland has created a €95 million Social Innovation Fund and created 48 individual funds across five key themes of Health, Education, Equality, Social Enterprise, and Climate. These funds have reached 829,425 people and supported 2,700 people into employment.
1416. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the degree to which she expects to support the Tidy Towns efforts throughout County Kildare and throughout the country, now and in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28580/23]
View answerThe SuperValu TidyTowns competition is a unique community movement which has a huge impact on our communities throughout Ireland. It is an effective and important sustainability initiative in Ireland, both from an environmental and community perspective. It encourages communities to improve their local environment and make their area a better place to live, work and visit in line with the objectives of Our Rural Future, the national rural development policy. The competition has evolved in recent years, widening its focus to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
At the national awards ceremony in the RDS in October last, I was delighted to announce Trim, Co Meath as Ireland's Tidiest Town for 2022. At the event I also announced a funding package of €1.4 million to support TidyTowns groups in their initiatives for the 2023 competition. This funding brings the total allocation by my Department since 2017 to €8.1 million in direct funding to over 1,000 TidyTowns groups. A total of €70,000 was made available to 37 eligible groups in Kildare, 33 groups have availed of this funding to date.
Under Our Rural Future, my Department also provides a wide range of supports to promote the development of rural areas, including through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the LEADER Programme, the Town & Village Renewal Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme and the CLÁR programme. I would encourage TidyTowns groups to engage with their local authority or local development company to explore what funding sources may be available to support the valuable voluntary work undertaken.
I’m delighted to say that over 870 entries have been received for the 2023 SuperValu TidyTowns Competition. Adjudication is currently taking place and I look forward to announcing the results in the Autumn.
1417. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her ambitions for the town and village renewal scheme throughout County Kildare and throughout the country, now and in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28581/23]
View answerOur Rural Future, Ireland's Rural Development Policy 2021 – 2025 sets out an overarching vision for a thriving rural Ireland which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being and development.
My Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. We do this by delivering a wide range of strategic interventions and investments throughout the country.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is one such measure that supports the revitalisation of rural Ireland. Since the launch of the Scheme in 2016, over €154 million has been allocated to more than 1,700 projects across Ireland. Last year, I was delighted to confirm a total funding package of €29m across the various strands of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme to support a wide range of projects.
This week, I announced funding of €5.4m for the first tranche of successful applications under the Building Acquisition Measure. A further tranche is still under consideration and any further successful applications will be announced shortly.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme priorities are reviewed at the end of each scheme year, the review process for the main TVRS scheme is currently at an advanced stage in respect of its focus for 2023. My Department works to ensure that new schemes are structured in a way that ensures clear coherence, shows alignment with key policies such as Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First policy, and that delivers real and tangible benefits for communities I expect to be in a position to launch the 2023 Town and Village Renewal Scheme schemes later this month.
The following table provides a breakdown of the budget allocated to Kildare under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
|
Scheme Year |
No. of Projects |
Amount of Funding Approved |
|
2016 |
6 |
€380,000 |
|
2017 |
5 |
€416,403 |
|
2018 |
8 |
€520,000 |
|
2019 |
4 |
€312,164 |
|
2020 ACM |
14 |
€414,700 |
|
2020 |
4 |
€439,833 |
|
2021 |
5 |
€209,930 |
|
2021 Streetscape |
1 |
€43,063 |
|
2022 BAM |
1 |
€400,000 |
|
2022 PDM |
1 |
€45,000 |
|
2022 Marketing |
1 |
€49,950 |
|
2022 Streetscape |
1 |
€100,000 |
|
2022 |
1 |
€500,000 |
|
Total |
52 |
€3,831,043 |
As set out in the table, there has been significant investment under the scheme in Kildare in recent years, and the TVRS Team in my Department will continue to work with Kildare County Council in relation to developing further proposals in future iterations of the scheme.
1418. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her ambitions for the development of the National Hub Network in the future; the major beneficiaries to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28582/23]
View answerOur Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy was launched in early 2021. The policy recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by 2025.
In furtherance of this commitment, my Department’s focus to date has been on strategically developing a national hub network, adding capacity to Ireland's existing remote working infrastructure and supporting the establishment of new hubs.
Over €150m has been invested by my department in the development of remote working facilities through programmes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and the Connected Hubs Call. Successful projects are developed in collaboration with local authorities and communities with many projects seeing vacant and derelict buildings in rural towns and villages converted into remote working hubs.
In 2021 I launched ConnectedHubs.ie, a shared online booking and payments platform for member hubs and their users. The network includes a diverse range of hubs, services and facilities, thus facilitating companies of different sizes. There are currently 319 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform. An interactive map is available on connectedhubs.ie that shows the location and details of each remote working hub on the network.
To date my focus has been on establishing the Connected Hub Network and on achieving the initial critical mass. Following strong progress on the establishment phase of the project, my focus has now shifted to the next stage of development.
To this end my Department is currently leading on the formulation of a National Hub Strategy to chart the future strategic direction of the hubs sector. Key to this approach is close consultation with stakeholder and our partners across government.
I have been clear throughout my tenure as Minister for Rural and Community Development that balanced regional development, sustainable and thriving communities, and indeed the wider national economy will all benefit from workers and employers embracing the remote working revolution.
I am committed to ensuring that the National Hub Network will continue to make a central contribution to the achievement of the Government's vision for rural Ireland, as set out in Our Rural Future.
1419. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline her ambitions to support the rural road network under the LIS schemes throughout County Kildare and the country in the current year and in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28583/23]
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.
The Scheme was reintroduced by my Department in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding. I am committed to improving connectivity for rural residents, whether it be access to homes, farms or outdoor amenities. Since 2017, my Department has allocated almost €114 million to the scheme. This has upgraded some 3,700 non-public roads and lanes benefiting over 16,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.
From 2017 to 2022, a total of €1.76 million was allocated to County Kildare which saw improvement works carried out on 43 non-public roads and lanes.
I launched the 2023 scheme in February with an increase in the base funding to €12 million. I also announced an addition €0.55 million for improvement works on our offshore islands. Within this funding, I allocated almost €305,000 to County Kildare bringing their total allocation since the scheme was reintroduced to over €2 million.
I am continuing to review expenditure patterns in my Department and should savings emerge, I will give consideration to allocating additional funding to the Local Improvement Scheme. Indeed, I have recently asked all local authorities to inform my Department as to how many more projects they could deliver this year, should any such funding become available.
I am committed to ensure that a well funded LIS continues in the coming years, in line with our commitments under Our Rural Future.
1420. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the security protections in place for remote workers within civil and public service organisations to safeguard against personal information of members of the public in audio, text and electronic form being inadvertently exposed to unauthorised third parties within the remote setting; if she can provide a copy of the remote working best practice guidelines for civil and public service workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28645/23]
View answerMy Department is committed to protecting the rights and privacy of all its data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018. My Department has a Data Protection Policy in place and a Data Protection Officer as required by Article 37 of the GDPR. Any processing of personal data is performed in compliance with the principles relating to processing under the GDPR.
My Department's ICT services are provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO).
My Department has been assured that the services provided by the OGCIO are fully compliant with the requirements of the GDPR. In reference to Article 29 of the GDPR in particular, I understand that the OGCIO, as a data processor, has taken all reasonable measures to prevent unauthorised access to personal data through the use of appropriate security processes and controls. These processes and controls include the ability to ensure the ongoing confidentiality, compliance, integrity, availability and resilience of processing systems and services; and the ability to restore the availability and access to personal data in a timely manner in the event of a cybersecurity, physical or technical incident.
The OGCIO has employed a policy of least privilege security principle. IT staff are only assigned security roles with levels of access which are essential to perform the tasks and duties associated with their functions. The allocation and usage of privileged user accounts is reviewed and monitored.
This Civil Service Blended Working Policy Framework is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/da010-blended-working-policy-framework-for-civil-service-organisations/. It includes references to obligations on employees, including in respect of protocols for the security and confidentiality of information when working in a blended environment.
