David Stanton
Ceist:6. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the way her Department is supporting men’s sheds and sister sheds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9020/23]
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Community Development Projects
The Minister is always welcome in Cork, and I for one appreciate the work she is doing and the money she has been making available to communities there, even if others do not.
How is the Minister supporting men's sheds, women's sheds and sister sheds, which are a positive development? The work they are doing is amazing and the impact they are having is fantastic. I am aware the Minister supports the sheds and is a great advocate and fan of them. Will she inform the House of the ways she is supporting them and the plans she has for their future?
Deputy Stanton has discussed men's and women's sheds with me on many occasions. He is a strong advocate for the great work they do.
My Department provides a range of supports which is available to men's and women's sheds. Since 2018, under the community enhancement programme, more than 1,200 men's sheds projects have received funding of over €2 million and 60 women's sheds projects received almost €72,500 in funding. To date, 110 men's sheds have received €174,766 and five women's sheds have received €6,574 in social inclusion and community activation programme supports, SICAP. This support is still is available from SICAP.
The scheme to support national organisations, SSNO, provides multi-annual funding towards core costs of national, community and voluntary organisations. The current iteration commenced on 1 July 2022 and will cease on 30 June 2025. The Irish Men's Sheds Association, IMSA, has been allocated total funding of €243,158 over the three-year period of the scheme. Last November, I was delighted to announce funding of €800,000 to the IMSA to support men's sheds throughout the country. The initiative will see grants of up to €2,000 provided to over 400 men's sheds nationwide to assist them with running costs such as electricity or insurance bills. This funding complements the €100,000 ring-fenced funding I announced last October to support the growing network of women's sheds.
Separately, men's and women's sheds can also apply for funding under the community support fund, CSF, which I launched last November. This €10 million fund was set up to help small community groups with their energy or running costs but will also provide funding for small capital works projects.
I thank the Minister sincerely for the work she is doing. I also compliment the Irish Men's Sheds Association, its chief executive and others on the work they are doing, their professionalism and the way they go about their business. In a very short time, it has grown into a large organisation that impacts on many thousands of men, and now women, across the country. It is a really good news story, which perhaps some of the people in the fourth estate might pick up on, promote and acknowledge. It really is very impressive.
The €800,000 the Minister made available this year is most welcome and has made a huge difference. Will this be an annual fund to which the Minister can commit? The overhead costs - insurance, electricity and so on - are having an impact and this fund has been a major help. The men's and women's sheds are all very grateful to the Minister and her Department for that.
As the Deputy is aware, I always have to negotiate funding commitments with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform at budget time. The work the men's sheds are doing is invaluable in terms of the network and social support provided. If someone is having a bad day, the best place he can go is up to the men's shed. He will get a good cup of tea and will hear what is happening in the country. The sheds really do people good and I am a big supporter of them. The role they have developed has become vital in communities. Last year, I was delighted to be able to provide funding of €800,000 to the national Irish Men's Sheds Association. There are roughly 400 men's sheds so each one will receive up to €2,000. We did not complicate the matter by having fancy formulas. We just divided up the funding and left it with the IMSA to get it out to the men's sheds. I compliment the association on its work.
The men's sheds are ahead of everybody else on this. Last year, I met representatives of various women's groups to encourage them to come together to form a similar organisation. I put €100,000 aside and told them to make applications for this funding to help them set up a similar type of organisation. I said I was sure the men's sheds would give them the benefit of their experience. That is out there at the minute.
Again, I join the Minister in acknowledging the work the men's sheds are doing for their members and also for their local communities. They often get involved in local projects and help other organisations and community groups by offering the woodworking and other skills their members have. This is having a big impact. We have an impressive men's sheds group in my home town of Midleton and there is also one in Glounthaune which is involved in Harper's Island wildlife sanctuary and so on. They are really impressive.
One of the challenges men's sheds can experience is in acquiring capital funding to build and provide a shed. The Minister indicated she is making a small amount of capital funding available. Has she considered a fund that could be used by aspiring men's sheds if they want to buy a shed or some property in which to locate a shed? The amount needed can be substantial and this can be a stumbling block, especially in areas which may not have access to the economic supports that are available in some other areas.
If sheds are looking for premises, I always encourage them to work with their local authorities. Under the town and village renewal scheme, especially under the building acquisition measure, local authorities have been able to buy buildings in towns and villages, particularly former bank buildings. These buildings usually have a fine big space out the back and there is no reason they cannot be used for multiple purposes. As I said, each shed has its own individual needs. Many of them are renting premises. I have a case in my constituency where a men's shed is desperately looking for premises. I am encouraging it to engage with the local authority because there are a number of different funding streams available.
On the community support fund, I have some opening and closing dates if people want to apply to the fund. The Cork County Council community support fund opened on 3 February and it will close on 13 March. I advise any of these organisations to apply for funding from that source. They can contact Cork County Council at communitydevelopmentunit@corkcoco.ie. I want to see these applications coming in, and hopefully they will be completed by the end of March. Each county has an allocation and it is up to them to get the money out. The message I want to send out to the women's sheds, or whatever name they might have, is that if women are thinking of forming such a group, they should contact the local authority because there is a few bob available to support them. I would like to see a similar organisation for women across the country in due course.
Questions Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive, taken with Written Answers.
Departmental Strategies
Thomas Gould
Ceist:10. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the role her Department is taking in the implementation of the national drugs strategy. [9262/23]
Question No. 10 is in the name of Deputy Thomas Gould. Deputy Paul Donnelly will ask the question on the Deputy's behalf.
Will the Ministers outline the Department's role in the implementation of the national drugs strategy?
My officials have regular engagement with the Department of Health regarding the national drugs strategy. My Department is represented on the strategic implementation group 4, SIG 4, reducing harm and supporting recovery. This group comprises sectoral, agency and departmental officials.
The strategy is relevant to my Department's work in the community and voluntary sectors as it is vital in ensuring the collective input of the statutory, community and voluntary sectors to provide a co-ordinated response to drug and alcohol use in Irish society. The strategy also involves mobilising communities and building their resilience to respond to the drug problem, particularly in marginalised communities. This links well with the Department's social inclusion and community activation programme, which supports those hardest to reach and most at risk of marginalisation.
The Department has two main goals in the strategy. These relate to providing community supports in collaboration with schools and other youth programmes and improving the life chances of those who are marginalised in society. The Department will continue to assist with the important work of the national drugs strategy in the future.
As the Minister of State knows, I have been involved in the local drugs task force since the beginning, back in the late 1990s. The role of community representatives on the task force is critical. I know this has become a huge challenge for the community in recent years. There has also been something of a pushback from certain Departments against community involvement. Basic respect for the community is needed, with its experience, expertise, knowledge and commitment to driving the national drugs strategy. Since the Department is on that task force, I ask the Minister of State to ensure that every support is given to the representatives of the community. I do not think it is. There are small improvements but much more work needs to be done to get us back to where we were at the beginning, when we felt there was a real sense of purpose for everybody sitting down and working together to try to deal with the difficulties of drug use in our communities.
I am aware that some drugs task forces, which do not sit fully in our Department, have vacancies in the community seats. It is vitally important that the community perspective is represented on the drugs task forces. The community side is particularly important because community engagement can play a huge preventative role in stopping people from falling in the wrong direction. It also plays a big role in recovery and offering people pathways out of the situation they are in. We have supported a couple of projects on a pilot basis. The pilot street outreach workers in Killinarden have been extremely effective. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, met them a couple of months ago. They have intervened at a street level and an individual level. We are not taking all that on. We are just doing that via SICAP to show what can be done and good practice too. I will say a little more about the task force in my second supplementary answer.
This is deeply worrying in the community. Over the past couple of years, I have attended a number of meetings with Citywide and community representatives on the respect that people are not getting in the interaction with and implementation of the national drugs strategy. I commend the Citywide drugs crisis campaign. I know a call has gone out for participants in the provision of level 5 training for community representatives on local drugs task forces. That is a really good move. I encourage anybody who has an interest in that and wants to help, support and get involved in that to contact Citywide and do its course. It will be over a 12-week period for one morning per week. The objectives of the course are really important and will help to strengthen drugs task forces and the voice of the community in those task forces. I hope that permeates right up to the very top, including the national drugs strategy implementation group, which is extremely important.
I encourage community representative involvement in the task forces. I mentioned this earlier but I think it is relevant to what the Deputy is describing now too. The values and principles document is for every level of government too. It is agreed at a national level but it is relevant here too. That is an agreed document for engagement between the statutory, community and voluntary sector. It could be put on the table in the situations the Deputy describes.
Our role at a national level is often about joining the dots. With SICAP in particular, we have a good overview of the various services in a community. I have been talking to my officials about this and, at a national level, this is what we do to make sure everyone at the table is aware of the various options available to them in the battle against the damage that drugs are doing to communities. While it is in another Department, I have to mention the community employment drugs rehabilitation scheme, because the work it is doing is amazing across the country. I wanted to give it a mention because I have seen what it does and it is amazing.
Rural Schemes
Alan Dillon
Ceist:11. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the 2023 town and village renewal scheme will open for applications; the priorities or themes that will be central to this coming year's scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9228/23]
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:47. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will outline her programme for rural and community development throughout the country in the coming year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9178/23]
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:64. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the degree to which she continues to fund infrastructure throughout the country, in such a way as to encourage the retention of jobs and the attraction of investors in jobs throughout the regions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9177/23]
The town and village renewal scheme is vital to the continued sustainability and enhancement of rural areas across the country. Since its introduction in 2016, hundreds of towns and villages have benefited from the development of community amenities, public spaces and local businesses. I ask the Minister when this year's application process will open and what the priorities or themes will be when included in the upcoming scheme.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 47 and 64 together.
I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. Our Rural Future - Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 creates 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. In 2022, my Department had a budget allocation of €379 million which supported rural and community development, including through investment in infrastructure and initiatives assisting the retention and attraction of jobs throughout the regions. This will continue in 2023.
The programme for Government places a strong emphasis on balanced regional development. My Department supports this commitment through targeted investment that empowers communities, supports sustainable rural regeneration and fosters regional growth. The town and village renewal scheme is one such measure that supports the revitalisation of rural Ireland. Last year, I was delighted to confirm a total funding package of €28.5 million across the various strands of the town and village renewal scheme to support a wide range of projects across rural Ireland. The rural regeneration and development fund has an allocation of €60 million for 2023. To date, 215 projects have been approved for funding of €395 million for projects costing €542 million throughout rural Ireland.
The outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme is another important area of investment, with an allocation for 2023 of €16 million. The allocation for this scheme has increased year on year since 2020 and the projects funded will be key enablers of the recently launched national outdoor recreation strategy, Embracing Ireland's Outdoors. Similarly, I was delighted to introduce significant new supports for the development of community centres across the country last year, while the CLÁR programme and the local improvement scheme continue to deliver important projects in rural communities across the country each year.
Scheme priorities are reviewed at the end of each scheme year and this process is at an advanced stage in respect of planning for our 2023 schemes. As part of this process, I am anxious to ensure that the range of schemes offered by my Department continues to be 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 delivers real and tangible benefits for communities. Scheduling of scheme announcements for 2023 is currently under review by my officials and I expect to be in a position to announce details of the 2023 town and village renewal scheme and other schemes shortly.
I thank the Minister for her response. We certainly see the benefits of the many schemes that she has rolled out through her Department. Many rural towns and villages really benefit and seek solutions from these successful funding programmes to address challenges that they face, whether limited employment opportunities, a decline in population or the lack of essential services and amenities.
Certainly we are putting funds in place that are having enormous benefits and are a real game-changer in rural Ireland in supporting local communities with projects to enhance the social, economic and environmental well-being of these areas, creating as the Minister said previously, more vibrant, attractive and sustainable places for people to live and work. What changes are being made, possibly to streamline the application process? We need to get communities more involved and engaged in these types of applications. It can be quite complex and time-consuming at times and maybe it could be a deterrent for many communities which do not have that level of expertise. I ask that maybe we show some flexibility in the application process.
I compliment the Minister on the extensive work and benefit to all areas throughout the country arising from this particular initiative. I would like to ask the extent to which she expects to be able to encourage inclusivity in communities throughout the country, to encourage the recognition by communities of others within their community, whether they be local, national, or whatever in an effort to bring together and to encourage the bringing together of people who have common cause, common requirements and will need this encouragement and help in the future.
I thank Deputies Dillon and Durkan. Both of them are raising the issue of community involvement and I absolutely agree with them because I believe what we need and continue to need is that local ground-up approach. It is about talking to people on the ground about what they need in their community. These applications for town and village are processed through the local authorities and the local authorities have their community section. I know they engage through different fora with communities, whether it is the public participation network or the local community and development committees. I always say to them to engage, engage, engage and find out what people want on the ground because they know what they need in their areas.
I will continue to impress that point on local authorities. I was in a town in west Cork and people said to me that they felt they were not being included. I said that was not the way it should be, that they should be consulted and part of the development of their town and their village because they are the people who are living there and they are the people who know what is needed most.
There is a plethora of different funding streams from my Department, as the Deputies know, and it is about putting those applications in. Again, it is not what the local authority wants it is what the communities want first and foremost. However, it has to be co-ordinated.
I thank the Minister and I could not agree more. I think that certainly by encouraging community participation in planning and implementation of these projects it helps to create a strong sense of ownership and engagement in communities. Certainly we have seen the benefits of this in the past number of years, especially in my own county of Mayo in relation to the valuable projects that have been delivered. One area in relation to themes and priorities is increasing our infrastructure and connectivity and ensuring people have access. I know the Minister has done great work in the connected hubs and the remote working hubs as we broaden the opportunities for people to work remotely. Certainly around the infrastructure piece in rural areas we need to continue to ensure that people can set up businesses, can be entrepreneurs and can live and work in smaller towns and villages.
Second, the promotion of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and environmentally friendly practices within each community is also an important theme we should look towards enhancing within the town and village renewal scheme.
I compliment the Minister on her approach. Without doubt the bottom-up approach is the correct one, recognising the wisdom of the community and the local knowledge that exists in every community and putting to use that local knowledge to improve the situation for everybody all round. As I said before, we are now a bigger community but one can be isolated in a big community as well as in a small community. I ask the Minister to continue to do everything possible to encourage new entrants, new bodies, into the arena as it were, and to ensure she continues to provide the basic infrastructure that can be utilised in the expansion of the activity she has so rightly initiated.
I compliment the work the Minister and her Department are doing in this area. The Minister is right when she says that local communities should have a voice. However, there are areas where local communities do not have a voice because there is no local organisation or community council or whatever established. If that is the case, that community loses out and quite often it might be the less prosperous communities that are involved here. Can the Minister tell me whether or not her Department or herself are looking at this area of community development where there are no community organisations established, to identify and maybe put in place a mechanism where these organisations can be encouraged and supported? There is also the issue of, and we spoke about men's sheds earlier, the administrative costs and other kinds of legal issues that community organisations have to be aware of now in order to protect their members and to go about their business properly, such as establishing themselves as companies, having charitable status and so forth.
I acknowledge what all of the Deputies have said. As they know we have the community centres fund and that was a very successful fund. It was initially a fund of €15 million but the demand was so much that we increased that to more than €40 million in allocations. In fact the applications that came in for that particular fund were for more than €70 million. A lot of the applications were actually for energy efficiency projects, such as replacing the heat system in community halls. That gives an indication of the commitment out there and that communities know exactly what needs to be done. I was glad to see that come in and that work has all started now.
Through our Tidy Towns initiative there is a lot of focus on biodiversity as well. Also the broadband connection points, the BCPs, were mentioned and the broadband officers. I met them last week. They have done a huge amount of work in local authorities in fairness to them and I would like to say they have made things happen and have knocked down the barriers because sometimes there are investors coming in, there are people who want to set up businesses and there are barriers and they have managed to do a huge amount of work making sure that rural areas have the connectivity they need. In terms of the communities that are setting up, we have SICAP funding to help new communities and to help social inclusion and again that support is available for those who want to set up. I absolutely agree and I continue to prioritise the importance of that engagement with people on the ground.
Questions Nos. 12 and 13 taken with Written Answers.
Community Development Projects
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:14. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development how her Department is engaging with local communities to encourage awareness and applications to the community recognition fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8977/23]
Alan Farrell
Ceist:62. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the roll-out of the community recognition fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8490/23]
My question is about the new community recognition fund that was announced and which I very much welcome. Can the Minister give some more information on how she plans to build awareness of that scheme and how it will work in conjunction with local authorities?
I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 62 together.
I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising this matter. On 24 January I launched the €50 million community recognition fund which aims to support the development of community infrastructure and facilities in recognition of the contribution being made by communities across the country in welcoming and hosting significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries. This funding is specifically targeted at projects that are located in communities, towns and villages that are hosting the beneficiaries of temporary protection and-or international protection applicants. The fund aims to support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of the community.
It is separate in its objectives and scope from any other public funding streams which aim to support the development of public service needs arising from the significant number of arrivals from Ukraine.
The funding will be drawn down over 2023 and 2024, and projects will be delivered in the main by local authorities in conjunction with community organisations. The fund is being administered at a local level by local authorities which are developing funding proposals. Each funding proposal is developed based on direct engagement with impacted communities and in consultation with the municipal districts, local community development committees and the local community response fora. Proposals should also be consistent with the local economic and community plans. It is essential the funding is targeted at and specifically invested in those communities, villages and towns where the highest levels of new arrivals are located and where there is a clear need for investment identified. The types of projects eligible for funding include community or cultural facilities, including play areas, walkways, parks, community gardens, allotments and recreational areas; local club and sports facilities; enhancement of openly accessible school and parish facilities; equipment for local clubs, festivals, community events and organisations; and the purchase and refurbishment of buildings or land for the development of community facilities.
Funding proposals are to be submitted to my Department by mid-March. This allows seven weeks for local authorities to engage directly with the impacted communities and to develop quality proposals. I must again reiterate that my Department has made it clear to all local authorities that proposals which do not display adequate levels of community engagement and appropriate targeting of support will not be approved. In addition, my Department is also providing supports to impacted communities through the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and the volunteer centres. I encourage communities to engage directly with their local authorities to identify the needs in their area and to ensure high-quality projects are delivered which will benefit their communities, villages and towns for years to come.
This is an opportunity for communities to identify projects they have long considered and long thought about. This is their chance to work with the local authority, engage with it and submit an application. I thank the Deputy for raising this. The fact we are raising it here today is creating the awareness that this fund is in place and we want it spent. There is €50 million in it. It is a big fund. We want the applications.
I welcome this scheme and this fund for communities. However, I also believe there is a role for the Department to play given that, not primarily but in many cases, it is rural communities that are welcoming refugees and international protection families and individuals. We just spoke about communities needing to be heard and their voices needing to be listened to, but that includes practical supports. There is a role for the Department when it comes to delivering those practical supports. They have to be for the benefit of all members of the community, both those already living in towns and villages where refugees are coming in and for the refugees. From my point of view, there does not appear to be any co-operation across Departments when it comes to supporting these communities at a practical level, particularly when it comes to healthcare. I would make the point that there is a role for the Department to play, with other Departments, to ensure practical supports such as healthcare and additional supports for education in local schools are delivered as well as this fund. This fund is only for communities and clubs, and while it is welcome, it is not enough for communities that are taking in refugees.
This is a €50 million fund. It is separate in its objectives and scope from any other public funding streams which aim to support the development of public service needs arising from the significant number of arrivals from Ukraine. The funding is specifically targeted at projects located in communities, towns and villages that are hosting the beneficiaries of temporary protection or international protection applicants, or both, including towns identified for the rapid-build homes programme. It is set to benefit the entire community in recognition of the support the people have shown to people from Ukraine and other countries who have come into their communities. There must be direct engagement with impacted communities, first and foremost, and local authorities must also consult the municipal districts, the local community development committees, the local community response forums and all the different stakeholders. I know the local community development committees will also be talking to the schools because we believe there is a role for the schools. Deputy Stanton brought up in the House on other occasions how schools, in particular their facilities, could be used after school hours. It may be that we can develop a system or a way in which to use those fine facilities in our schools that we have invested in when they are not being used when the school is closed. Perhaps we can look at the barriers in that regard and overcome them. They should be for everybody to use. They will also engage with the HSE. There will be opportunity for engagement across the different Departments.
More or less every local authority in the State will be involved in this. Is there a point person within each local authority who will oversee all of this?
I have to take the opportunity to raise the prime example of Ballaghaderreen in my constituency, which I have raised with the Minister before, which has been welcoming hundreds of refugees since 2017 in the emergency reception and orientation centre, EROC, in the town, with zero supports. I cannot understand why the Government is creating a situation where refugees and international protection families are located in Ballaghaderreen which is the most economically poor town in all of County Roscommon. It now has 400 refugees out of a population of 1,800 people in the town. It is not being supported. The Government is creating frustrations in a town which are totally avoidable if supports such as healthcare are put into place. A healthcare professional was promised in 2017. It never happened. Both the GPs in the town are under incredible pressure. We are seeing nothing on the ground. The Government needs to look at towns such as Ballaghaderreen which need to be supported. I will keep raising this issue until we see those additional resources. Since 2017, which is not yesterday or last year and is a long time ago really, nothing has been delivered.
I thank Deputy Kerrane. The chairs of the community response forums will be the liaison persons and the point of contact for communities that want to engage. I encourage them to engage with the local councillors as well because they will be aware of this funding that has come into the county. In regard to Roscommon County Council, under this specific fund, it has been allocated €689,057, so it will be able to do some good work with that allocation of funding. Some counties have received a great deal more. Donegal has been allocated €3.1 million because of the number of Ukrainian refugees who have been housed there as well as international protection applicants.
We have tried to focus this funding on the areas where the most people have been located. I have been down to County Clare, for example, where a great deal of good work has been done. Clare County Council has been allocated €2.9 million. The Acting Chairman, Deputy Carey, will be well aware of this. A high level of funding has been made available for good projects in those towns and villages. I was in Lisdoonvarna, where the local community groups have worked extremely hard in welcoming and facilitating Ukrainians. It is right and proper that we support them now in enhancing other facilities they have, for their own use and for the use of the wider community in those areas.
I take on board the points made by the Deputy. I will certainly raise them with the Department, in particular healthcare.
I support the concept, as I did in my earlier question. There is a benefit for everybody in the existing community, where in many cases there have been deficiencies for several years by virtue of emigration, a declining population and so forth. There is now an opportunity to address those issues for the benefit of refugees and the existing community to make it an attractive place for local people and the incoming population. There is an obvious economic as well as social benefit.
I thank the Deputy. He is dead right. This is a good example of how we can have real and meaningful community engagement that delivers for people. Deputy Kerrane mentioned Ballaghaderreen. The local development company is providing support to the direct provision centre there. In fairness, these local development companies have done good work throughout the country. In my constituency, the local development company has engaged in Cavan in particular. There is a good example there of how Syrians integrated when they came into the area. Work is happening there and we have supported it.
As the Deputy said, we now have a real chance to have proper engagement. The number one priority when I announced the fund, along with the instruction to local authorities, was engagement. If they cannot show they have engaged with local communities, they will not get the funding. It is as simple as that. This is not for some long-awaited project that a local authority had in mind; it is about communities.
The system needs to be streamlined through the local authorities because, at the end of the day, we have to be strategic. They deal with the bigger picture and see what is going on. We do not want duplication or for taxpayers' money to be wasted. It is important they play a role in this. The one message I want to get out today is that communities need to get their voices heard, contact their local authorities and councillors and speak to their local representatives.
We move to Question No. 15 in the name of Deputy Connolly
Question No. 15 was already dealt with as a priority question, in effect. It is the same question as the priority question. I am not sure why it was left in. May I take Question No. 18 instead?
Question Nos. 15 to 17, inclusive, taken with Written Answers.
Harbours and Piers
Catherine Connolly
Ceist:18. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Question No. 320 of 14 December 2022, if she will provide an update on the development of Caladh Mór pier on Inis Meáin; if her Department has received the draft business case to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9084/23]
Táimid ar ais arís go dtí na céibheanna agus go háirithe an Caladh Mór ar Inis Meáin. Cad é stádas na céibhe seo? Cá sheasann sé? What is the status of the Caladh Mór pier? We are at stage 3. Has the draft business case been received?
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As she is aware, Galway County Council is the responsible authority for the maintenance and development of pier infrastructure on the Aran Islands. A steering committee consisting of representatives from my Department and Galway County Council meets regularly to monitor progress on the development of the piers on the Aran Islands and held its most recent meeting earlier this week.
Regarding Inis Meáin, Galway County Council is responsible for the development of stage 3 of the Caladh Mór pier. I confirm to the Deputy that my Department has not yet received the draft business case from Galway County Council. As the Deputy is aware, the public spending code sets out a number of important steps and decision gates regarding any business case.
As part of the preparatory works, the National Maritime College of Ireland was requested by Galway County Council to develop a model simulation for the harbour. It has been completed and a full demonstration took place in September 2022, with the skippers of the key relevant vessels in attendance. That data has now been compiled, along with the feedback received from the vessel operators who participated.
It is my understanding that Galway County Council will soon start preparing an updated draft business case and strategic assessment. This will be based on the findings and data from the model simulation along with consideration of the various options. Once Galway County Council has completed this phase, the draft business case will be submitted to my Department for review and finalisation, in line with the public spending code.
Go raibh maith agat. This relates to the question on policies for the islands. This particular quay goes back to 2008, when phases 1 and 2 were completed. That is now 15 years ago. The failure to complete phase 3 directly affects business on the island. As the Minister knows, Cniotáil Inis Meáin is directly affected, not to mention all of the other users of the quay.
I welcome that the maritime college in Cork has completed its modelling. That is good. Over recent months that was a stumbling block, but that work has now been completed. The Minister is now telling me that Galway County Council will soon start preparing an updated draft business case. That is good. I would like a date for that.
As Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I had the privilege of looking at an answer to a previous question put by Deputy Mairéad Farrell. I am concerned that the answer stated the next step will involve Galway County Council completing an updated feasibility study and strategic assessment options. What is being done? One answer refers to a feasibility study, which I thought we were way beyond. Another answer refers to a business case. Perhaps the Minister could clarify the position.
I thank the Deputy. She is correct. Plans for phase 3 of the Caladh Mór pier in Inis Meáin were initially drafted in 2009. They involved an extension to the breakwater and the dredging of a substantial section of the harbour. The project then stalled. In 2019, Galway County Council began to amend the draft business case, in line with the public spending code, based on a template supplied by the Department.
Following further discussions with ferry operators in 2019, it was discovered by Galway County Council that the main problem for the ferries using the harbour related to the narrow entrance to the harbour and the dangerous swirling currents at that point, which forced vessels to accelerate too fast when entering the harbour, thereby presenting them with problems with stopping safely inside the harbour. In addition, there is an issue which impacts the cargo ferry, as the Deputy knows. On many occasions, there were large differences in the sea levels created by the swell which prevented the ferry from docking safely and forced vessels to travel to Inis Mór.
That is why we had to have simulations which, God knows, took long enough. We know that. They are now finished. My officials told me yesterday that the next step lies with Galway County Council, which is preparing a business case. The public service code sets out all of the different steps it has to take. It is updating the feasibility study based on the completion of the digital simulation. It is examining an assessment of options. Based on those findings, it will have to update the feasibility study.
Officials from my Department meet every fortnight with officials in Galway County Council. It now has work to do and the ball is clearly in its court. I will keep as much pressure as I can on it. This has gone on long enough. I reassure the Deputy that the money will be forthcoming when the plans are finally finished.
I thank the Minister. I do not like the word "finally", but I thank her for the clarification.
I do my best.
Perhaps she can clarify what money has been set aside or will be set aside to complete phase 3. As she knows, this is directly affecting business life on the island and the lives of residents on the island in terms of cargo coming in and being interrupted because of bad weather.
The Minister has said two things to me. Will they take place in parallel? She referred to a draft business case and an updated feasibility study now that the Cork part has been completed. Is that what she is telling me?
What are the timelines for the completion of those two items? When does the Minister envisage phase 3 being completed?
All I can say is Galway County Council is doing the business plan. It knows the steps under the public service code. As I understand it, based on the findings of the simulation, some changes may have to be made to the feasibility study. That is my understanding of it and I want to see this moved on. It is in the national development plan, NDP, the money will be provided when the plans come in and there is a commitment there to do it. I sometimes wish I could do these jobs myself, but I cannot. The Department cannot build the piers, but Galway County Council has to get the ducks lined up and get that application into my Department. It will obviously have to be assessed when it comes in. This is a big project; it is not a simple one. I reassure the Deputy I am committed that this project will be done.