Darragh O'Brien
Ceist:251. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government when he plans to publish guidelines on short-term lettings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24149/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraRental Sector
Ceisteanna (251)
Freagraí scríofa
Under Action 18 of the Strategy for the Rental Sector, my Department established a Working Group, involving representatives of all major public stakeholders with a policy interest in short-term lettings, to develop guidance in relation to planning applications, changes of use relating to short-term lettings and to examine the need for new regulatory arrangements.
The proposals under consideration by the Working Group, which has met on six occasions to date, have been aimed at facilitating short-term letting of accommodation within permanent residences, known as home-sharing, while protecting existing stock of residential property in areas of high demand, safeguarding neighbourhood amenity and consumer protection, and generating revenue to address any negative externalities of short-term letting.
The Working Group completed guidance for local authorities on planning applications relating to short-term lettings and my Department issued a circular on the matter last October. The circular is available on my Department's website at the following link: www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/circular_pl10_aph3_2017.pdf.
The Group has since been focused on developing proposals for an appropriate comprehensive regulatory approach for short-term tourism-related lettings as well as identifying amendments to relevant legislation that may be necessary to give effect to such a regulatory regime.
The report of the Working Group has now been submitted to my Department and I will complete my consideration of it, including the need for a targeted public consultation, without delay.
Departmental Properties
Ceisteanna (252)
Michael Healy-Rae
Ceist:252. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the person or body that owns an island (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24012/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The island in question is not owned by my Department. It is a privately owned Nature Reserve and is designated as a Nature Reserve under Statutory Instrument 110/198 (Nature Reserve) Recognition Order, 1989.
Ministerial Meetings
Ceisteanna (253)
Seán Sherlock
Ceist:253. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of times she has met the head of a local authority regarding a project (details supplied). [24049/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I have not met with the person to whom the Deputy refers in relation to the project referred to. My officials are however in contact with the local authority on an ongoing basis in relation to the project.
Appointments to State Boards
Ceisteanna (254)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:254. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she will take to ensure that there is a regional and gender balance on the new board of An Chomhairle Ealaíon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24131/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Arts Act 2003 requires there to be a statutory gender balance on the Arts Council. Section 11(7) of the Arts Act 2003 states that "Of the members of the Council, not less than 6 of them shall be men and not less than 6 of them shall be women". This legislation also requires members of the Council to have a special interest or knowledge in relation to the arts or matters concerned with the functions of the Minister or the Council.
In line with Government policy, all Ministerial appointments to State boards under my remit including the Arts Council are made following an open application process via the Public Appointments Service (PAS).
The dedicated website, www.stateboards.ie, is the channel through which the PAS advertises vacancies on State Boards. It is also the means through which accomplished, experienced and qualified people, including people who might not previously have been identified as available for appointment, can then apply to be considered for particular vacancies.
The Arts Council currently has a number of vacancies with further ones arising over the next 12 months including the Chair of the Arts Council. Under the PAS process, expressions of interest were invited from members of the public to join the Board of the Arts Council.
The call for expressions closed on 25 May 2018. The PAS will convene a panel to review the applications received and a short list of names will be submitted to me for final selection and appointment.
This process aims to achieve a balance of different skills and qualifications needed for each board, whether these be in the Cultural, Heritage or Gaeltacht areas, or in more general areas of expertise such as corporate governance, finance, risk management, philanthropy, etc. I will also consider regional balance in making appointments.
Seirbhísí Oileán
Ceisteanna (255)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:255. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Cultúir, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta an bhfuil aon chead tugtha i scríbhínn do Chomhairle Contae na Gaillimhe pleananna a réiteach do chéim 2 agus 3 d’fhorbairt Ché Inis Meáin; cad é méid an chaiteachais mheasta ar an togra atá ceadaithe le dearadh; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [24139/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Bíonn cruinnithe rialta idir oifigigh mo Roinne agus Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe ag a bpléitear forbairt Ché an Chalaidh Mhóir. Anuas air sin, tá forbairt na cé seo luaite sa Phlean Forbartha Náisiúnta 2018-2027, rud a léiríonn dáiríreacht mo Roinne maidir leis an togra a bhrú chun cinn.
Tá na féidearthachtaí maidir lena forbairt pléite le coiste na cé ar roinnt ócáidí agus táthar ag éisteacht lena gcuid mianta. Táthar anois ag tógáil céimeanna chun aontú a fháil maidir le scóip na forbartha, i gcomhthéacs na n-acmhainí airgeadais a bheidh ar fáil do mo Roinn sna blianta amach romhainn agus na n-éileamh éagsúla ar na hacmhainí sin. Agus é sin déanta, déanfar an cás a mheas, faoi réir théarmaí an Chóid um Chaiteachas Poiblí, chun comhairleoirí a cheapadh le tabhairt faoi dhearadh na n-oibreacha.
Údarás na Gaeltachta Expenditure
Ceisteanna (256, 257, 258)
Éamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:256. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Cultúir, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta an raibh plé aici le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta ar na riachtanais chaipitil do 2019; an bhféadfadh an tÚdarás €12 milliún a chaitheamh sa bhliain sin ar thograí caipitil; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [24142/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraÉamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:257. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Cultúir, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta cad é an líon post breise a d’fhéadfadh Údarás na Gaeltachta a chruthú sna blianta 2019, 2020 agus 2021 dá mbeadh €12 milliún ar fáil dóibh do chaiteachas caipitil sna blianta sin; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [24143/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraÉamon Ó Cuív
Ceist:258. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Cultúir, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta cén méid airgid a chuir an Ghníomhaireacht Forbartha Tionscail agus Fiontraíocht Éireann ar fáil d’Údarás na Gaeltachta i ngach bliain ó 2009 i leith; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [24144/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 256 to 258, inclusive, together.
I dtús báire ní miste dom a rá go mbíonn plé ar bhonn rialta ag Oifigigh mo Roinne agus go deimhin agam féin le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta maidir le réimsí éagsúla lena n-áirítear riachtanais chaipitil na heagraíochta.
Tuigim go maith go bhfuil sé mar sprioc straitéiseach ag Údarás na Gaeltachta a bhuiséad caipitil a mhéadú thar tréimhse ama go €12m in aghaidh na bliana. Ár ndóigh, mar is eol don Teachta, tá gealltanas tugtha sa Phlean Forbartha Náisiúnta 2018-2027 go méadófar, ar bhonn céimiúil, allúntas bliantúil caipitil an Údaráis ó €7m go €12m. Déanfar cinneadh maidir le hamchlár an mhéadaithe seo agus na spriocanna fostaíochta a bhainfidh leis le linn an ghnáthphróisis meastacháin agus pleanála ghnó sna blianta atá amach romhainn. Tuigfidh an Teachta go ndéanfar soláthar airgid don Údarás don bhliain 2019 a mheas tríd an bpróiseas meastacháin agus cáinaisnéise níos déanaí i mbliana.
Maidir leis an gceist faoin méid airgid a chuir an tÚdarás Forbartha Tionscail nó Fiontraíocht Éireann ar fáil don Údarás, tá deimhnithe ag an eagraíocht nach gcuireann ceachtar don dá eagraíocht sin aon airgead ar fáil dóibh. Is amhlaidh, mar thoradh ar chomhoibriú agus socrú atá déanta ag Údarás na Gaeltachta le Fiontraíocht Éireann go bhfuil an tÚdarás ábalta tacaíochtaí agus scéimeanna áirithe a thairiscint dá chliantchomhlachtaí a bhíonn ar fáil do chomhlachtaí taobh amuigh den Ghaeltacht (mar shampla An Scéim Taighde & Forbartha). Sna cásanna seo, bíonn na deontais íoctha ag Údarás na Gaeltachta lena chuid cliant agus ansin faigheann an tÚdarás aisíocaíocht ó Fiontraíocht Éireann ina leith. Tá an méid airgid a bhain cliantchomhlachtaí an Údaráis tairbhe as faoi na scéimeanna sin i ngach bliain ó 2009 i leith leagtha amach sa tábla thíos.
|
Bliain |
€ |
|
2009 |
1,862,176 |
|
2010 |
2,203,830 |
|
2011 |
3,520,607 |
|
2012 |
370,000 |
|
2013 |
1,447,255 |
|
2014 |
1,169,417 |
|
2015 |
0 |
|
2016 |
0 |
|
2017 |
684,985 |
|
2018 go dáta |
0 |
|
Iomlán |
€11,258,270 |
Creative Ireland Programme
Ceisteanna (259)
Barry Cowen
Ceist:259. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the investment of €8.5 million in Creative Ireland as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds have been spent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24215/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
A budget of €6m was provided as part of Budget 2018 to further the implement the Creative Ireland Programme. This will ensure that the Department can build on the work accomplished in 2017, continue to drive the implementation of the Programme at local level and fund specific actions and priorities which further the wider aims of the Programme.
€1.15m of the above budget has been allocated to the implementation of Creative Youth: A plan to enable the creative potential of every child and young person in the country, launched in December 2017. This is a wide-ranging and ambitious plan that puts culture and creativity at the heart of education. The Department of Education is also providing over €1m for this Plan in 2018.
In addition to this commitment to implementing Creative Youth, the allocation from my Department to each local authority will be doubled to €2m for 2018 to enable them commence the implementation of their long-term Culture and Creative Strategies due to be launched very shortly. An additional €1m has been provided by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.
€0.8m has been allocated to Cruinniú na nÓg which will take place on the 23 June 2018 and which aims to get as many young people involved in creative activities as possible with an emphasis on making, doing, seeing and experiencing. Every local authority has been allocated €10,000 to fund a programme of local activities while there will be a special programme of activities across Dublin City.
A sum of €0.7m has been allocated to the new Creative Ireland Programme Scheme launched in May 2018. This will significantly add value and/or scale to the implementation of the programme and will help inform policy and/or cross-sectoral development in the area of culture, creativity and wellbeing. The scheme focuses on three areas, individual and collective wellbeing, innovation and connecting communities. Further information on the scheme can be found on https://creative.ireland.ie.
A full breakdown of how the budget has been allocated is outlined in the table below.
|
Area of Expenditure |
Amount €m |
Deliverables |
|
Local Authority Partnership (Pillar 2) |
€2.8 |
Development and publication of Local Authority Cultural Strategies and 2018 Activity Plans and roll out of Cruinniú na nÓg across the country on the 23 June 2018 |
|
Creative Youth (Pillar 1) |
€1.15 |
Implementation of actions contained within Creative Youth Plan |
|
Creative Ireland Programme Scheme |
€0.7 |
Funding pilot projects and new proposals under this open funding scheme |
|
Citizen Engagement/Web Development/Digital Content |
€0.5 |
Multimedia communications and awareness programme across various media platforms aligned to deliverables |
|
Administrative/Operational Costs |
€0.5 |
Costs associated with operating Project Office including, for example, design, printing, launches, workshops as well as the salaries of contract staff. |
|
Research Programme |
€0.15 |
Pilot Creative Ireland Research Programme looking at how the arts, culture and creativity contribute to individual, community and national wellbeing |
|
Contingency Fund |
€0.2 |
Contingency funds to support unforeseen initiatives or costs that may arise |
|
Total |
€6m |
The overall allocations to each of the above elements are approximate and may vary as the Creative Ireland Programme evolves throughout 2018. |
While allocations have been made under the Programme in 2018 most expenditure will arise in the second half of the year as costs are claimed. To date, approximately €250k has been expended on a range of initiatives under the Programme. The Deputy will appreciate that expenditure figures at this point are provisional and that fully verified and audited expenditure figures will be ultimately be published in the Department's Appropriation Account.
National Biodiversity Plan
Ceisteanna (260)
Barry Cowen
Ceist:260. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the heritage initiatives, including Waterways Ireland biodiversity action plans and invasive species county mitigation plans, as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the €2 million allocation that has been spent; the way in which the moneys were spent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24216/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I recently announced that my Department would be accepting applications for two new funding schemes specifically aimed at local authorities. These schemes are a grant scheme to assist local authorities in implementing actions contained in the National Biodiversity Action Plan 2017-2021 (NBAP) through biodiversity-led projects in their areas, and an additional scheme to assist local authorities in tackling invasive alien species (IAS). In their initial year, €250,000 has been allocated to the NBAP scheme and €150,000 to the IAS funding stream.
Local authorities were notified of the NBAP and IAS schemes on 08 May 2018 and 24 May 2018 respectively. The closing dates for receipt of applications is 05 June 2018 for the NBAP and 15 June 2018 for the IAS funding stream.
Both schemes are administered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department and are an important part of the ongoing implementation of Ireland’s National Biodiversity Action Plan, particularly with regard to raising biodiversity awareness at the local level.
There are a number of heritage and biodiversity initiatives being implemented as part of the Waterways Ireland Heritage Plan 2016-2020 including the commission of updated baseline ecological datasets of the Royal and Grand Canal in order to inform maintenance and capital projects, commencement of Invasive Specie Strategy and Biosecurity Protocols for Waterways Ireland, the commission of 8 Digital Media Heritage features called 'Stories from the Waterways' in partnership with the County Heritage Officers and the development of a community biodiversity toolkit for waterways communities.
The Budget allocated by Waterways Ireland to this set of initiatives for 2018 is €78,500 (some projects are still in progress and therefore all 2018 monies have not been spent yet).
Irish Language
Ceisteanna (261)
Barry Cowen
Ceist:261. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the €2.5 million allocated for the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language and other Irish language supports as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocation that has been spent; the way in which the moneys were spent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24217/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I assume the Deputy is referring to the €2.65m allocated specifically in Budget 2018 to further support the implementation of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 and the language planning process, as set out under the Gaeltacht Act 2012.
Given that the implementation of the language planning process is now gathering momentum, with language plans moving to the implementation stage in 2018, the entire allocation will be directed towards its implementation this year. In addition to the funding of language plans, a number of specific new measures will be introduced to support centrally both the language planning process and the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022, both of which are key drivers of the 20-Year Strategy. The allocation of funding within the overall funding envelope is currently being finalised and I will be announcing the funding arrangements for the various measures over the coming weeks.
The language planning process is now underway in all 26 Gaeltacht areas and the first six language plans have been approved. Six further plans are currently being assessed by the Department with the expectation of approving them in the near future. An allocation of up to €100,000 will be provided over a 12 month period in respect of each area in order to begin implementing the plans. An additional €50,000 will be allocated in respect of 5 specific language planning areas due to particular challenges associated with these areas.
The preparation of plans is in hand in relation to the Gaeltacht Service Towns of Letterkenny and Daingean Uí Chúis, and the cities of Galway and Cork, while it is anticipated that work will begin this year to prepare plans in respect of Dungarvan, Tralee, An Clochán Liath and Castlebar.
Preparation of plans continues in relation to the Irish Language Networks of Ennis, Loughrea and Clondalkin, with plans expected to be submitted for approval by end of year.