Michael Ring
Ceist:655 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the grants which are available for Gaeltacht islanders to improve their living conditions. [13786/02]
Written Answers. - Offshore Islands.
Michael Ring
Ceist:656 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the grants which are available for non-Gaeltacht islanders to improve their living conditions. [13787/02]
Michael Ring
Ceist:657 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if he will introduce additional grant schemes for islanders to ensure that non-Gaeltacht islanders have access to the same schemes as Gaeltacht islanders. [13788/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 655 to 657, inclusive, together.
All grants available from my Department for the islands, both Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht, are listed on pages 60 to 84 of my Department's section 16 reference book under the Freedom of Information Act, 1997, a copy of which will be forwarded to the Deputy. In relation to the introduction of additional grant schemes for islanders to ensure that non-Gaeltacht islanders have access to the same schemes as Gaeltacht islanders, the Deputy should be aware that many of the schemes available to Gaeltacht islanders such as Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge, the Irish-speaking scheme, and Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge, the Irish language learners scheme, are language-oriented and would be of little or no benefit to non-Gaeltacht islanders if extended to them. Housing grants for non-Gaeltacht islands are dealt with by the Department of the Environment and Local Government and it is my intention to discuss these and other matters relating to the islands with that Department.