Brendan Griffin
Question:652. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development for clarification on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7652/24]
View answerControl of Dogs
Questions (652)
Written answers
The Department of Rural and Community Development was established in 2017 and has overall policy responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2014. Local Authorities have responsibility for all operational matters under the Control of Dogs Acts including licensing and enforcement.
My Department publishes annual statistics in respect of a range of the dog control responsibilities of local authorities. Information up to and including 2022, including numbers of dog licenses issued, by county and in tabular form, is available on the dog control statistics page on gov.ie: (www.gov.ie/en/collection/879d4c-dog-control-statistics/). The 2023 dog control statistics will be published on gov.ie once available. My Department does not hold statistics on the estimated number of unlicensed dogs.
My Department has also worked closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to publish a plain-language leaflet informing dog owners of their legal obligations. This leaflet was recently distributed and is now available from every dog warden, local authority and veterinary surgery in the country in addition to over 100 animal welfare charities. It is also available online at Gov.ie/ResponsibleDogOwnership.
I was pleased to secure additional funding in the Budget to support a national media campaign to raise awareness of dog owner’s responsibilities. I expect to launch this campaign in the coming weeks.
Community Development Projects
Questions (653)
Alan Dillon
Question:653. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide an update on the number of applications that have been received per county under the 2023 Community Centres Investment Fund - New Builds Measure; if there will be a new call for this scheme in 2024; and when will the assessment process for 2023 be completed and the awardees announced. [7436/24]
View answerWritten answers
Last year, I announced a €20 million fund to support communities with ‘shovel-ready’ projects on green or brownfield sites for the construction of new community centres. These shovel ready projects have all necessary planning and consents secured so they are already at an advanced stage and ready to commence following a tender process.
This Community Centres Investment Fund (CCIF) targets areas without an appropriate facility to meet their community’s needs.The minimum grant available was €1 million with the maximum being €6 million. In total, twenty-two applications for new build community centres were received by my Department. The table below lists the number of applications for each county.
The assessment of these applications is almost complete and I expect to announce the successful projects shortly. A decision in respect of any further iteration of the Community Centres Investment Fund will not be made until after the announcement of the successful projects under the current round of funding.
|
County |
Number of CCIF New Build 2023 Applications |
|
Carlow |
1 |
|
Cork |
2 |
|
Dublin |
1 |
|
Galway |
3 |
|
Kerry |
2 |
|
Kildare |
3 |
|
Mayo |
1 |
|
Meath |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
1 |
|
Offaly |
1 |
|
Sligo |
2 |
|
Waterford |
1 |
|
Wexford |
2 |
|
Wicklow |
1 |
|
Total |
22 |
Community Development Projects
Questions (654)
Noel Grealish
Question:654. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when applications for the new Community Recognition Fund 2024 will open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7502/24]
View answerWritten answers
The Community Recognition Fund recognises the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. Funding of €50 million for some 900 projects is supporting towns and villages nationwide that have welcomed people from Ukraine and other countries.
The Fund aims to support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of the community. It is important to note that this is separate from other public funding streams which aim to address public service needs arising from the significant number of new arrivals into Ireland.
Through this initiative, communities are being assisted to develop projects such as large-scale multipurpose sports facilities, walkways, cycle paths, playgrounds, equipment for sports clubs and community festivals.
A key priority for me now is to ensure that the range of projects approved across the country are delivered in a timely manner.
I have also been discussing the implementation of the Community Recognition Fund with Government colleagues, including the potential to introduce a second iteration of the scheme to further assist impacted communities. I have asked my officials to advance this work with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and, subject to the outcome of that process, I expect to make an announcement shortly.
Control of Dogs
Questions (655)
Brendan Griffin
Question:655. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development for clarification on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7654/24]
View answerWritten answers
The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 set out requirements that owners of 11 specific breeds of dogs, including strains or crosses of those breeds, must comply with. As a cross of restricted breeds, the dog in question is covered by the 1998 regulations and must adhere to the rules.
In public, restricted dogs, and any crosses thereof, must be:
• muzzled
• on a sufficiently strong leash or chain not exceeding 2 metres in length
• handled by a competent person over 16 years of age.
I am committed to improving outcomes in relation to Dog Control in Ireland and in this context in November 2023, I increased ‘on-the-spot’ fines for offences under the Control of Dogs Act, including trebling the fines for most serious offences from €100 to €300. Multiples fines can be issued where more than one offence occurs.
In addition, I announced the establishment of a high level stakeholder group to consider and make recommendations to strengthen policy in relation to control of dogs issue. Membership of the stakeholder group will comprise a broad range of expertise including academics, veterinary surgeons, local authorities, farming interests, charities working in the field and animal welfare experts. This stakeholder group will also consider if legislative changes to the Control of Dogs Act are required. The first meeting of this group will take place in the coming weeks.
My Department is also supporting a national training programme for dog wardens to ensure a standardised approach to enforcement and to support shared learning across the country.
I believe its important for dog owners to be aware of their responsibilities not just to the general public but also to their dogs and for this reason I intend to launch a media campaign shortly to alert dog owners to their responsibilities and raise awareness of the dangers that can be posed by uncontrolled dogs.
Library Services
Questions (656)
Denis Naughten
Question:656. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of number of times the energy kits have been taken out on loan in each library in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7869/24]
View answerWritten answers
The provision of energy saving kits in public libraries was first introduced as a pilot scheme across 10 Dublin libraries in early 2016, with the objective of assisting householders to better understand their energy use and reduce their energy bills. The pilot scheme was subsequently expanded to all library authorities. Devices available in the energy saving kit focus on three key areas of energy use in the home, namely, space heating, hot water and electricity consumption. The devices can identify common issues in homes such as lack of insulation, poor ventilation and the appliances that might be driving up electricity bills.
The new National Public Library Strategy 2023-2027: The Library is the Place, which I launched in July 2023, contains 66 strategic actions, including a commitment that all libraries will offer users access to resources to support home energy saving awareness and assessment. My Department will monitor progress in relation to this matter over the lifetime of the strategy.
Details of the number of energy kits offered by each local authority and the number of times these were loaned are outlined in the table below, which has been extracted from the Library Management System (LMS). Further details of energy kits loaned in specific library branches are available in the attached excel sheet.
|
Library Authority |
No of Energy Kits |
Times loaned in 2023 |
|
Carlow |
4 |
21 |
|
Cavan |
4 |
29 |
|
Clare |
15 |
133 |
|
Cork City |
12 |
81 |
|
Cork County |
11 |
117 |
|
Donegal |
9 |
34 |
|
Dublin City |
87 |
353 |
|
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown |
24 |
188 |
|
Fingal |
23 |
172 |
|
Galway City and County |
2 |
3 |
|
Kerry |
8 |
91 |
|
Kildare |
18 |
99 |
|
Kilkenny |
8 |
63 |
|
Laois |
8 |
68 |
|
Leitrim |
8 |
28 |
|
Limerick |
6 |
86 |
|
Longford |
14 |
30 |
|
Louth |
4 |
30 |
|
Mayo |
6 |
37 |
|
Meath |
29 |
116 |
|
Monaghan |
8 |
17 |
|
Offaly |
8 |
58 |
|
Roscommon |
4 |
15 |
|
Sligo |
12 |
93 |
|
South Dublin |
18 |
164 |
|
Tipperary |
8 |
42 |
|
Waterford |
9 |
55 |
|
Westmeath |
4 |
30 |
|
Wexford |
10 |
115 |
|
Wicklow |
18 |
130 |
|
Total |
399 |
2,498 |
Tourism Funding
Questions (657)
Danny Healy-Rae
Question:657. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development for an update on (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7969/24]
View answerWritten answers
The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities which aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas.
It is delivered through Local Action Groups (LAGs) across rural Ireland. A feature of the LEADER programme is that it is based on a community-led, bottom-up approach to rural development.
Funding under the 2023-2027 LEADER programme is not targeted at any particular group or sector in rural communities. It is, rather, focused on a thematic approach to rural development under the headings; Economic Development and Job Creation, Rural Infrastructure and Social Inclusion, Sustainable Development of the Rural Environment and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. Funding for activities such as that referenced by the Deputy may be available under one of these themes.
In order for a project to be eligible for LEADER funding, it must be compatible with the actions outlined in the approved Local Development Strategy in the sub-regional area concerned, and it must comply with the Operating Rules and EU Regulations in place for the programme.
Prospective applicants should, in the first instance, contact their relevant LAG, through its Implementing Partner, to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available.
Community Development Projects
Questions (658)
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:658. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the application process for the 2024 Community Centres Investment Fund is open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7997/24]
View answerWritten answers
Community Centres are the cornerstone of community life in towns and villages around the country. This Government recognises the important role that these centres play in bringing people together and facilitating community services and events.
I have prioritised the development and enhancement of Community Centres across the country.
Under the 2022 Community Centre Investment Fund in particular, over €45.8 million was committed for improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres across Ireland. There was a huge uptake of this funding and over 860 different projects are seeing improvements to the fabric of their community centres as a result of this Government initiative.
Following on from this investment, I wanted to assist community groups who are striving to build their own community centre to service their local needs. That is why, in 2023, the focus of the Community Centres Investment Fund moved to new builds. The assessment of these applications is almost complete and I expect to announce the successful projects shortly.
A decision in respect of any further iteration of the Community Centre Investment Fund will be made after the announcement of the successful new build community centre projects.
Departmental Funding
Questions (659)
Michael Moynihan
Question:659. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide, on a county-by-county basis, in tabular form, the funding provided for community hubs in 2023. [8037/24]
View answerWritten answers
Our Rural Future 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 over the lifetime of the policy. There are currently 346 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the Connected Hubs platform.
My Department has invested significantly in the establishment and development of hubs through the range of schemes which make up my Department's Rural Development Investment Programme. This has included funding the development of new hubs under schemes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
In 2021 and 2022, I implemented a new targeted scheme to support the development of facilities in hubs across Ireland. €14 million in funding was allocated to some 200 projects via the Connected Hub Calls. The types of facilities developed under this Fund included the provision of additional desk space, privacy booths, technical equipment, meeting facilities and access control.
The attached table provides a breakdown of the funding under the Connected Hubs Calls by county.
Details in relation to projects funded across the schemes operated by my Department are available at www.drcd.gov.ie.
I am committed to ensuring that the National Hub Network initiative 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.
Connectedhubs.ie – Connected Hubs Funding by County
|
County |
Total Funding |
|
Carlow |
€177,616 |
|
Cavan |
€374,016 |
|
Clare |
€354,623 |
|
Cork |
€941,427 |
|
Donegal |
€723,354 |
|
Dublin |
€1,168,901 |
|
Galway |
€1,049,540 |
|
Kerry |
€1,037,559 |
|
Kildare |
€514,290 |
|
Kilkenny |
€446,058 |
|
Laois |
€199,686 |
|
Leitrim |
€453,605 |
|
Limerick |
€869,219 |
|
Longford |
€354,670 |
|
Louth |
€287,853 |
|
Mayo |
€485,392 |
|
Meath |
€222,354 |
|
Monaghan |
€707,933 |
|
Offaly |
€599,032 |
|
Roscommon |
€518,430 |
|
Sligo |
€363,797 |
|
Tipperary |
€692,039 |
|
Waterford |
€240,890 |
|
Westmeath |
€214,215 |
|
Wexford |
€350,979 |
|
Wicklow |
€204,145 |
|
National Project |
€515,981 |
|
Total |
€14,067,604 |