Written Answers Nos. 494-509
494. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of projects in County Tipperary that have been received under the CLÁR programme; the value of funding allocated for those projects; if there are still funds available under this programme for County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9784/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe CLÁR programme, which provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in rural areas which have suffered the greatest levels of population decline, was closed for new applications in 2009.
In October 2016, I reopened the programme and invited all Local Authorities with designated CLÁR areas to make submissions under the scheme under the following measures:
- Measure 1: Safety Measures for Schools and Community/Sports Facilities
- Measure 2: Playgrounds and Multi-Use Games Areas
- Measure 3: Local Access Roads.
Tipperary County Council submitted 48 applications for funding for Safety Measures for Schools and Community/Sports Facilities. 43 proposals of these proposals were approved and were allocated funding to the total value of €371,000.
Details of the individual projects approved under each measure of the 2016 CLÁR programme, and the amount of funding allocated to each project, is available on my Department's website at http://www.ahrrga.gov.ie/rural/rural-development/clar-2016/.
All funding available for the 2016 CLÁR programme was fully allocated. However, I have secured a budget of €5 million for CLÁR for 2017. Details of the particular measures to be funded this year will be announced shortly. The programme will be open to CLÁR areas in County Tipperary.
495. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if grant assistance is available for the restoration of a listed and protected building (detail supplied) in County Mayo; the detail of the application process for grant assistance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9827/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy role, as Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage, is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the role of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners as regards heritage assets.
There are a number of ways in which my Department and other bodies act in respect of possible heritage sites/buildings deemed to be at risk. Financial support is provided through a number of structured schemes for the repair, conservation, preservation or safeguarding of protected structures, sites or monuments.
Both the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2017 and the Structures at Risk Fund 2017 are open for applications throughout the month of February. Applications are made via the relevant local authority. Details of the schemes are available on my Department’s website and each local authority will have details of the application process for their areas on their own websites.
The Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2017 is for the repair and conservation of structures that are protected under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). The scheme aims to support a significant number of labour-intensive, small-scale conservation projects across the country and to support the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craftspeople and tradespersons in the repair of the historic built environment. I understand that the building in question was in receipt of grant funding under the scheme of just under €10,000 in 2016.
The Structures at Risk Fund 2017 helps with conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership that are protected under the Planning and Development Acts and are deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration. This fund is again administered through the local authorities and seeks to encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties, and give support to owners/occupiers in their long-term commitment to securing the future of the architectural heritage which might otherwise be lost.
My Department also funds the Heritage Council, which provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage. It is primarily a matter for the Heritage Council to decide how its funding should be allocated across the range of research, education and conservation programmes it supports annually, having regard to competing priorities for limited resources. They have just announced their Community Heritage Grant Scheme 2017, which is open for applications from 1 March 2017. Information on the scheme is available on their website.
496. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the progress on the implementation of the Arts in Education Charter; the next objectives for her Department; if the charter has had any specific successes to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9978/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra497. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the contribution by the State to youth-based arts initiatives by contribution, from the Arts Council, local authorities, her Department or otherwise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9979/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 496 and 497 together.
The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to the continued implementation of the Arts in Education Charter and my Department is working closely with the Department of Education and Skills and the Arts Council to deliver the objectives of the Charter.
The work of the two Departments and the Arts Council in implementing the Charter is achieved largely through existing structures such as education centres. Good progress has been made to date in terms of launching Ireland’s first Arts in Education Portal, holding National Arts and Education Days and developing Teacher Artist Partnerships through the Education and Training Centres. Indeed, the research report into exploring Teacher-Artist Partnership as a Model of CPD for Supporting and Enhancing Arts Education in Ireland will be launched tomorrow in the Department of Education and Science.
The Arts Council's ten-year strategy - Making Great Art Work 2016-2025 - places specific emphasis on the need to plan and provide for children and young people. The strategy also commits to working to achieve full implementation of the Arts in Education Charter. Arising from the significant increase of support of €5m which I secured for the Arts Council as part of Budget 2017, I am pleased to say that Arts Council funding in this area for 2017 has in turn increased from €3.1m in 2016 to €3.7m this year. This is a very clear indication that the Arts Council is prioritising arts participation by young people and children.
In addition to the Charter, the Creative Ireland Programme, which the Taoiseach and I launched in December, places a special focus on “Enabling the Creative Potential of Every Child”. Building on the Arts in Education Charter this will involve the development of an integrated plan to enable every child in Ireland to access tuition in music, drama, art and coding by 2022. My Department will be working with relevant Departments and other stakeholders over the coming months to develop this plan.
498. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the cost of implementing a living wage of €11.50 per hour for all employees directly employed or in agencies funded by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10094/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised that, based on current staffing and pay levels, the estimated additional annual cost of introducing an hourly wage of €11.50 for all employees, employed both directly in my Department and in agencies under its aegis and who are not already paid that amount or more, would be in the order of €299,000.
499. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if a person (details supplied) is entitled to hen harrier compensation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10213/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department was in correspondence with the named individual and a farm planner in relation to drawing up a plan for the NPWS Farm Plan Scheme, but a plan was never submitted. It is not the case that an individual cannot farm their lands because of a designation. Two farming related activities require consent: removal of field boundaries and agricultural improvement of heath-bog, both of which would normally require consent anywhere in the country (including outside of designated areas) under the Terms and Conditions of the Basic Payment Scheme, the EIA (Agriculture) Regulations 2011 and/or the Planning and Development Regulations 2011.
My Department fully recognises the value of farming in the Hen Harrier Special Protection Areas to contribute biodiversity, landscape and other environmental benefits including flood mitigation and carbon sequestration.
There are significant payments available under existing and forthcoming agri-environment schemes. I understand that the person to whom this question refers may be a participant in the AEOS 2 scheme.
I am also aware that farmers in Hen Harrier Special Protection Areas are prioritised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for entry to GLAS and GLAS+ and the upcoming Locally-led Agri-Environment Scheme for Hen Harriers. Furthermore, my Department has worked with the Department of Agriculture to seek to ensure that maximum area of lands within Hen Harrier SPAs that are managed favourably for the species are determined as eligible for the Basic Payment Scheme.
500. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason County Louth, and Drogheda in particular, has been overlooked in the recent €9 million which has been allocated to 56 arts and culture centres around the country. [10316/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recently announced details of more than €9 million in capital funding for arts and culture centres across the country. This capital scheme is the most significant investment in arts and cultural centres in a decade and will target investment at a range of different facilities, including arts centres, theatres, galleries and museums, as well as artists’ studios and creative spaces. This kind of investment is at the centre of what I am trying to achieve through Creative Ireland and the Action Plan for Rural Development.
The Arts and Culture Capital Scheme was considerably over-subscribed. The Department received 106 applications in total under Stream 1 and 2 seeking total funding of over €20m with eligible requests for funding totalling over €14.6m. Following the assessment process, 56 projects are being funded.
Of the 106 applications, two were from organisations in Co Louth. Unfortunately both of these applications were ineligible under the terms of the scheme. The Department will however, be happy to engage with each applicant in relation to their specific application. Unsuccessful applicants have also been informed of the Stream 3 small capital grant scheme for arts and cultural facilities which I will be announcing shortly.
501. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when the next five years of the papers will be published in view of the fact that the years 1818 to 1822 of the Chief Secretary's office registered papers by the National Archives are published. [10345/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy is referring to a project at the National Archives to catalogue to international archival standards the Chief Secretary's Office Registered Papers from 1818 to 1852. The Chief Secretary for Ireland was the Government Minister of the British Cabinet with responsibility for governing Ireland from the early 19th century until the end of British rule. This project will facilitate public access to one of the most valuable sources of original material for research on Ireland in the first half of the nineteenth century. There are currently three archivists employed on the project.
The catalogue records for the years 1823 – 1827 have been completed and they are in the process of being edited for online publication in addition to the drafting of other contextual material. It is expected that these will be made available on line later in 2017.
The project was originally made possible by a bequest from the late Professor Francis J Crowley. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Professor Crowley was educated at Yale and Princeton, and became a professor of French at the University of California at Los Angeles. Both his parents were born in Ireland, and in his will he bequeathed most of his estate to Ireland to be used for the preservation of records of the history of the Irish people.
502. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason services to the equine industry appear to have been removed from the list of projects eligible to be funded from Leader funding in view of the fact this is having a huge impact to the Leader programme in counties such as Meath in which the equine industry is a substantial employer in the rural area; if this will be reviewed to allow such projects to remain eligible for Leader funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10402/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe race and sport horse industries were deemed as ineligible activities under the 2007-2013 LEADER programme. However, support for ancillary activities for the provision of services to those industries was eligible where this was in keeping with the Local Development Strategies developed in each area. Ancillary activities included a broad range of actions, such as equestrian centre and riding school projects.
In light of the considerable level of investment already undertaken in ancillary activities under the previous programme, it was decided that support for such activities would not be eligible under the 2014-2020 LEADER programme. However, in the period since I launched the implementation of the new LEADER Programme in July last year, it has become clear to me that there is still some demand for further investment in ancillary activities, particularly where this contributes to rural tourism.
I have therefore announced that I am amending the ineligible list of activities to allow for funding of ancillary activities for the equine industry. This will be on a targeted basis, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that the supported infrastructure is widely accessible to the public.
503. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the expenditure to date of the capital carryover from 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10471/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Oireachtas provides approval for the carryover amounts through its approval of the Appropriation Bill and the Estimates. Provision is made in the Revised Estimates Volume for the capital carryover amount by subhead and in a Ministerial Order to be made by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform before 31 March in the year of carryover. The making by the Minister of this Order renders capital expenditure on the programmes, which have been included in the Order, a first charge against the carryover amounts for those programmes. As such a Ministerial Order has not yet been made in 2017, no expenditure has been incurred by my Department this year against capital carryover.
504. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the details of the work carried out under various regional and rural schemes since 1 January 2017 for which prepayments were made to local authorities before the end of 2016; the amount of mature liabilities that have been approved by her Department for work completed; the number of inspections carried out on this work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10472/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the Government’s programme to support rural development, a number of initiatives including CLÁR, the Rural Recreation Scheme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, and REDZ (Rural Economic Development Zones) were launched by my Department during 2016. In general, these initiatives were implemented through the Local Authorities.
All funding was made available in line with the sanction received from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and on the basis of funding agreements signed with the Local Authorities.
I am very conscious of the need to ensure that all funds allocated to the Local Authorities under these schemes are fully accounted for. In this context, my Department is working closely with the Local Authorities to ensure that all expenditure is in line with the Public Spending Code and that the funding is spent promptly and in accordance with the project proposals.
My officials are engaged in establishing the most up-to-date position with regard to project expenditure and work completed in respect of all of the schemes in question and I will be happy to update the Deputy when this information has been compiled. A programme of inspections will also be initiated on the basis of this information.
505. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta, Gnóthaí Réigiúnacha, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta an bhfuil sé i gceist an ráta laethúil a íoctar le teaghlaigh faoi Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge a ardú i mbliana; cén uair atá sé i gceist aici a rá go deimhnitheach an bhfuil an ráta le hardú nó nach bhfuil; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [10473/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTá an cheist maidir leis an ráta deontais a íocfar le teaghlaigh faoi Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge in 2017 á breithniú agam faoi láthair i gcomhar leis an Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe. Táthar ag súil le cinneadh ina taobh a fhógairt go luath.
Le cúinsí airgid mar a bhí le roinnt blianta, tá mé sásta a rá go raibh ar chumas mo Roinne an deontas a íoctar le teaghlaigh a choinneáil ag an ráta céanna le cúpla bliain anuas. Is fiú a nótáil chomh maith go bhfuil aon airgead a shaothraíonn teaghlaigh faoin scéim saor ó cháin agus nach gcuirtear san áireamh é ach oiread agus iarratais ar íocaíochtaí leasa shóisialaigh ón Roinn Coimirce Sóisialaí á meas.
506. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta, Gnóthaí Réigiúnacha, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta cén uair atá sé i gceist aici treoir fhoirmiúil a thabhairt do Chomhairle Contae na Gaillimhe maidir le Céibh Inis Meáin; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [10474/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMar thoradh ar theagmhálacha a bhí agam le déanaí le hionadaithe Inis Meáin, ionadaithe poiblí agus páirtithe leasmhara eile san áireamh, tá iarrtha agam ar oifigigh mo Roinne dul i dteagmháil le Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe féachaint cén réamhobair a d’fhéadfaí a dhéanamh i mbliana chun an fhorbairt ar Chéim III de Ché an Chalaidh Mhóir a thabhairt chun cinn.
507. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health the progress that has been made to date on the mechanism to deal with health care for survivors of the Magdalen laundries who live overseas (details supplied). [9772/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Quirke Report recommended that a provision of a comprehensive suite of health services be provided to the Magdalen Women. A specific medical card has been issued to these women so they can access the enhanced health services they require without charge.
Although the Quirke Report did not make a recommendation that health services be provided to Magdalen women abroad, the Irish Government decided that practical arrangements should be put in place to support these women. The HSE is currently exploring the arrangements to be put in place for these women. It is an extremely complex matter as health systems around the world vary in organisation and each system is practically unique and equally complex. Work in ongoing and it is hoped to have practical arrangements in place for these women in the near future.
Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
508. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health the reason the report into psychiatric services in County Roscommon has not been published despite it being circa 12 months overdue and there being no legal impediment to same being published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9958/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra509. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health when the report into psychiatric services in County Roscommon will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9959/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 508 and 509 together.
In the context of concerns raised some time ago concerning Mental Health Services in Roscommon, the HSE commissioned an independent review of the quality, safety and governance of these local services. This Review commenced on 28 August 2015, and is being conducted by a Team external to the Executive. It was initially envisaged that the Review would be completed by March 2016. Given the scale of the Review, and the legal and other complexities involved, the Team sought extensions to the original timeframe for the Review. I understand that a Report on this matter will be delivered to the HSE in the near future. As this is a operational matter, I am referring the Deputy's questions to the HSE for a more detailed response.
