Written Answers Nos. 462-466
462. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if an extension can be given to an organisation (details supplied) to draw down is Clár funding for a new bus as the bus supplier has informed the organisation that the bus will not be ready in time for its end-of-June deadline, and the organisation is hoping that it can be given an extension for drawdown to 30 September 2023. [31783/23]
View answerThe CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period.
Since its relaunch in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures, and funding of over €57 million has been approved for almost 2,100 projects.
In 2022 CLÁR’s Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport Measure facilitated the purchase of vehicles by voluntary organisations based in CLÁR areas. This was with a view to facilitating:
• transport to/from day care/other medical/therapy/respite services for those with significant mobility issues including requiring specialised wheelchair accessible vehicles; or
• transport to/from designated cancer treatment hospitals/centres under the National Cancer Care Programme; or
• Community First Response Support/Search and Rescue organisations
The project in question was approved funding under this Measure and my Department will make contact with the organisation regarding a project extension.
463. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department purchased or produced any memorabilia such as pens, stationery, pins, badges, mugs or other types of souvenirs to mark or celebrate Pride 2023; if so, the costs incurred; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31816/23]
View answerMy Department acknowledged Pride 2023 by hosting staff tea breaks in our offices in Dublin and Ballina. While souvenirs as referred to by the Deputy were not purchased, items such as flags and bunting were purchased to a nominal value of less than €100 to display in both locations to mark Pride month.
464. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development whether the details of the public liability policy for the two existing mountain access project areas mentioned in her reply to a Parliamentary Question on 20 June 2023 have been communicated to all the farmers in the mountains in question by her Department; if not, whether she plans to take steps to expedite same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31832/23]
View answerEmbracing Ireland's Outdoors has committed to enhancing access to outdoor recreation amenities including expanding the Mountain Access Project to other uplands areas. My Department has, for some time, been examining how best to introduce a scheme to indemnify private land owners in upland areas who allow access to their lands for recreational purposes. This is a complex issue and my Department has been advised that an indemnity scheme such as has been proposed would require legislative provision and that a number of separate pieces of legislation might need to be amended.
In 2021 in order to find an interim solution to address concerns raised by the Mountain Access Project representatives, my Department in consultation with Comhairle na Tuaithe and the Mountain Access Project representatives secured a public liability insurance policy on a pilot basis for the two Mountain Access Project areas, the MacGillycuddy Reeks in Kerry and Binn Sléibhe in Galway.
I understand that a letter regarding the indemnification process issued from Comharchumann Dhúiche Sheoigheach Teo to 94 landholders in the Binn Shléibhe Mountain Access Project area in 2022. The letter also invited the landholders to a meeting to discuss this. The meeting took place on the 8th September 2022 where further information on the insurance policy was provided. I understand that a follow up meeting was also held.
My Department has agreed to provide funding for an Engagement Officer to work with the local stakeholders. In addition, the Department has asked the Irish Farmers' Association and the Galway Rural Recreation Officer to assist at a local level.
My Department has also provided an information note and a copy of the insurance policy to both Mountain Access Project representatives.
465. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the main policy achievements of her Department since 27 June 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31868/23]
View answerSince the formation of this Government my Department has continued to play a critical role in supporting communities across the country in both rural and urban Ireland. My Department’s continuing focus is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. This mission is set out in our Statement of Strategy.
My Department has made substantial progress since 2020 in delivering programmes and policy interventions efficiently and effectively for rural Ireland and urban communities, and has ensured that our funding and supports are directed to best support communities, particularly in respect of the recent and emerging challenges of climate change, the impact of the war in Ukraine and Covid-19.
Our Rural Future, published in 2021, is the Irish Government’s blueprint for the development of rural Ireland over the period 2020 - 2025. It provides the framework to achieve the vision of transforming the quality of life and opportunity for people living in rural areas. Since publication, implementation of measures continues to be strong. Progress updates are published every six months and a work programme for the following year produced, enabling new actions to be added over the lifetime of the policy.
Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland, published in August 2019, sets out how Government will support the sector in the years to come and aims to provide communities with both the means and opportunity to be involved in decisions that affect them. With actions to be implemented to 2024, the Strategy sets a general direction of travel for government policy in relation to community development, local development and supporting the community and voluntary sectors for the years ahead. I will continue to work with stakeholders and cross-Government colleagues in the implementation of the strategy.
Ireland’s first National Social Enterprise Policy, published in July 2019, focuses on building awareness of Social Enterprise, growing and strengthening Social Enterprise, and achieving better policy alignment. Implementation of measures contained in the policy is ongoing and the 4th National Social Enterprise Conference took place late last year. The theme of the conference was “A New Beginning”. The Conference brought together a wide range of national and international speakers representing the full spectrum of social enterprise activity in Ireland.
Our Public Libraries 2022: Inspiring, Connecting and Empowering Communities is an ambitious strategy to develop the public library service over the period 2018 - 2022. The strategy was developed by my Department, the County and City Management Association and the Local Government Management Agency. Building on technological and service innovations of recent years, it focuses on improving access, use and visibility of the public library and establishing it as the go-to place for a range of sustainable, integrated public services.
The Town Centre First policy was launched in February 2022. It was developed jointly by my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings.
The National Hub Network and its online platform, connectedhubs.ie, was launched in May 2021. This project began as a small regional project in the west of Ireland and was scaled up rapidly during the public health crisis to meet a huge increase in demand for remote working facilities. Our Rural Future commits to 400 hubs on the platform by 2025, a target I am confident will be met, if not exceeded.
Other achievements include the National Volunteering Strategy 2021 – 2025 which sets out a long-term vision for volunteering and volunteers with a series of implementation actions underway.
Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, Ireland’s first ever National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, was also launched late last year. It will set the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland for years to come bringing huge economic and health benefits to communities across the country.
The new national islands policy, Our Living Islands, was published on 07 June 2023. It is the first whole-of-Government Policy for the islands to be published in 27 years. Our Living Islands is an ambitious ten year national policy designed to support sustainable island communities and is accompanied by an Action Plan for the period 2023-2026. The Action Plan consists of 80 new time-bound actions agreed with and to be implemented by various stakeholders, led by a nominated Government Department or State Agency.
Work is also continuing on the development of the new Irish National Policy on Philanthropy and a public consultation has recently been launched.
466. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the total advertising budget allocated by her Department and agencies in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2023, respectively; the funding provided directly to RTÉ in each year; if she has sought and secured an assurance that none of this funding was rebated via the RTÉ advertising barter account; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32014/23]
View answerMy Department does not allocate a specific budget for advertising. However, if a business need for some limited advertising expenditure arises, it may be approved on a case by case basis. No advertising funding has been provided directly to RTÉ by my Department.
There are four agencies under my Department’s remit: the Western Development Commission, POBAL, Irish Water Safety, and the Charities Regulator. In respect of these bodies, information relating to such expenditure is a matter for the bodies concerned. They are all independent legal entities responsible for managing their own administration and corporate affairs in compliance with their statutory obligations.
