Written Answers Nos. 772-775
772. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she has plans to improve the accessibility of the ferry service to the Aran Islands for passengers with disabilities and in particular for passengers who use wheelchairs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58318/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, Local Authorities are the responsible bodies for developing and maintaining pier infrastructures on the mainland and on the offshore islands.
In the case of the Aran Islands, Galway County Council are ultimately responsible for developing the piers to improve accessibility for ferry passengers with disabilities. In the recent past the Council installed pontoons at the mainland harbour at Ros a’ Mhíl, which has greatly improved accessibility for all, particularly for those passengers that are wheelchair users.
My Department does, however, address the issue of accessibility when tendering for the service. Tenderers must consider and make suitable arrangements for passengers with disabilities, including passengers of reduced mobility, to and from the vessel. In doing so, the Guidelines for Accessible Maritime Passenger Transport which have been issued by the Department of Transport and the National Disability Authority should be taken into account and complied with, as appropriate.
As technologies evolve and better quality vessels with better and more inclusive accessibility solutions become mainstream, the Department will review and amend its Request for Tender documents to encourage potential operators to upgrade their fleet of vessels so that wheelchair users and passengers of reduced mobility can expect a higher quality of service as they travel to and from the Aran Islands.
773. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of funding allocated through the LEADER programme in 2020 and to date in 2021, by county; her plans to increase the funding allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58787/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 2014-2020 LEADER programme had a total allocation of €250 million. €225 million of this budget was allocated directly to the Local Action Groups (LAGs) who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level. This funding was allocated to the LAGs for the programming period rather than on an annual basis to give them greater flexibility to manage their budgets. The balance of €25 million is provided for thematic projects which are approved at national level.
In December 2020, I launched the Transitional LEADER Programme, which came into effect from 1 April 2021 and will run to the end of 2022. A total of €70 million has been made available over this programming period. €65 million of this budget has been allocated to LAGs who deliver the programme and approve projects at local level. A further €3 million of the funding has been allocated to support Co-operation projects and innovation between LAGs, while the remaining €2 million is being provided to support strategy development for the next LEADER programme.
Table 1 below provides details of the LAG allocations for the 2014-2020 and Transitional LEADER Programmes.
The new LEADER programme will commence in 2023. I recently announced the indicative allocation for the new LEADER programme of €180m. Taken together with the €70m secured for the transitional programme this gives a total funding allocation of €250m programming period from 2021- 2027 maintaining funding at the level provided for the 2014-2020 period.
Table 1: Funding Allocations for the 2014-2020 and 2021-2022 Transitional LEADER Programmes
|
Local Action Group |
LEADER 2014-2020 Allocation |
LEADER 2021-2022 Allocation |
|
Carlow |
€6,416,803 |
€1,895,874 |
|
Cavan |
€9,022,286 |
€2,517,948 |
|
Clare |
€8,920,225 |
€2,635,521 |
|
Cork North |
€5,591,846 |
€1,504,409 |
|
Cork South |
€3,831,303 |
€1,131,976 |
|
Cork West |
€5,015,674 |
€1,481,904 |
|
Donegal |
€13,413,878 |
€3,815,464 |
|
Dublin Rural |
€6,370,438 |
€1,882,175 |
|
Galway East |
€7,655,851 |
€2,261,956 |
|
Galway West |
€4,540,033 |
€1,341,373 |
|
Kerry |
€10,719,868 |
€3,019,507 |
|
Kildare |
€5,261,600 |
€1,554,564 |
|
Kilkenny |
€7,791,573 |
€2,302,056 |
|
Laois |
€7,124,587 |
€2,104,992 |
|
Leitrim |
€6,498,475 |
€1,772,277 |
|
Limerick |
€9,776,594 |
€2,740,812 |
|
Longford |
€7,597,623 |
€2,244,752 |
|
Louth |
€6,101,862 |
€1,802,823 |
|
Mayo |
€11,621,432 |
€3,285,878 |
|
Meath |
€6,903,124 |
€2,039,559 |
|
Monaghan |
€7,592,720 |
€2,243,303 |
|
Offaly |
€8,536,761 |
€2,374,498 |
|
Roscommon |
€8,852,659 |
€2,615,558 |
|
Sligo |
€7,655,648 |
€2,261,896 |
|
Tipperary |
€10,603,443 |
€2,985,108 |
|
Waterford |
€8,022,796 |
€2,222,644 |
|
Westmeath |
€7,384,206 |
€2,181,697 |
|
Wexford |
€9,840,141 |
€2,907,314 |
|
Wicklow |
€6,336,549 |
€1,872,162 |
|
Total |
€225,000,000 |
€65,000,000 |
774. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of remote working hubs built in Ireland as of November 2021 by county; and the number of remote working hubs to be built by 2025 by county. [58815/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraOur Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated network of 400 remote working hubs over the lifetime of the policy to 2025.
My Department operates a number of funding schemes that focus on projects supporting remote working and that add to the remote working infrastructure in every region. For example, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme both support the establishment of digital hubs. Under this year's schemes, projects that bring vacant properties in town centres back into use as remote working hubs were eligible to apply for funding. Projects that repurpose existing community or publicly owned buildings in town or village centres to facilitate remote working were also eligible.
My Department also supports the development of the Connected Hubs Network (www.connectedhubs.ie). The connectedhubs.ie platform offers a suite of booking, hub management and e-commerce applications to members of the Network. The Network will also facilitate the sharing of innovation, experience and best practices across the community. These supports will serve to maximise benefit to member hubs, hub clients, employers, local communities and the wider economy. There are currently 170 hubs live on the platform, with this number growing every month. Table 1 provides the number of remote working hubs onboarded onto the platform to date by county, together with remote working hubs that have been mapped to be invited to join the National Connected Hubs Network.
Earlier this year I awarded almost €9 million in funding through the Connected Hubs stream to add capacity to existing remote working infrastructure in digital hubs and broadband connection points throughout the country.
The development of a national hubs network is a key commitment in Our Rural Future and I am committed to continuing my Department's support for the development of remote working hubs in recognition of the vital role that they can play in our post-Covid recovery. Officials in my Department will continue to consider options to support the development of remote working hubs over the coming years.
TABLE 1 – Connectedhubs.ie - Remote Working Hubs by County (as at 26 November 2021)
|
County |
Live on the connectedhubs.ie platform |
Mapped to be invited to join the connectedhubs.ie platform |
|
Carlow |
4 |
3 |
|
Cavan |
3 |
6 |
|
Clare |
10 |
7 |
|
Cork |
13 |
18 |
|
Donegal |
11 |
11 |
|
Dublin |
27 |
38 |
|
Galway |
16 |
27 |
|
Kerry |
13 |
13 |
|
Kildare |
3 |
7 |
|
Kilkenny |
1 |
5 |
|
Laois |
4 |
5 |
|
Leitrim |
7 |
14 |
|
Limerick |
10 |
11 |
|
Longford |
2 |
3 |
|
Louth |
3 |
7 |
|
Mayo |
11 |
21 |
|
Meath |
0 |
12 |
|
Monaghan |
6 |
3 |
|
Offaly |
4 |
10 |
|
Roscommon |
4 |
14 |
|
Sligo |
3 |
9 |
|
Tipperary |
4 |
21 |
|
Waterford |
4 |
8 |
|
Westmeath |
0 |
8 |
|
Wexford |
5 |
9 |
|
Wicklow |
2 |
4 |
|
TOTAL |
170 |
294 |
775. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if compensation schemes are available for landowners who give access to their land to facilitate a rural walk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58967/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraWalking trails that traverse private land are generally provided on a permissive access basis. Compensation payments are not available for the provision of this permissive access by the landholder. However, my Department operates the Walks Scheme which contracts landholders to undertake maintenance work on National Waymarked Ways and other priority trails that traverse their lands. The landholders receive modest payments for maintenance work undertaken in line with agreed work plans.
On 29 September, I announced the 'approval in principle' of 31 new trails to join the Walks Scheme. This fulfils the commitment in the Programme for Government and Our Rural Future to double the number of trails on the Scheme to 80 trails. These trails will be formally brought into the scheme by Local Development Companies who deliver the Walks Scheme locally and who will develop work plans for each of the individual landholders involved.
Once these trails are fully operational under the Scheme, I will examine the potential for the further expansion of the Scheme. An expression of interest process will be opened for new trails in advance of any further expansion of the scheme.
