Written Answers Nos. 1-146
142. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of turf cutters who have made application under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme for raised bog special areas of conservation; the number of applications that were successful; the numbers that were not successful; and the number pending; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5530/15]
View answer3,057 applications under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme for raised bog special areas of conservation have been received and acknowledged by my Department to date. A total of 6,437 payments and 650 turf deliveries have been made in respect of the applications received. In addition, 1,330 once-off incentive payments of €500 have been made to applicants who have signed and returned legal agreements under the scheme to my Department. This equates to some 2,300 individual applicants having received payments under the scheme thus far.
The qualifying criteria for the scheme are that:
- The claimant must have a legal interest in one of the raised bog special areas of conservation – ownership or turbary right;
- The claimant must have been the owner or entitled to exercise turbary rights on the land in question on 25 May 2010;
- The turbary on the site must not be exhausted;
- The claimant must have been cutting turf on the land in question during the relevant five year period; and
- No turf cutting or associated activity is ongoing on the property.
I am advised that, at this stage, 138 applicants from raised bog special areas of conservation have been informed by my Department that they do not fulfil the qualifying criteria of the scheme.
While it may be anticipated that there will be further instances where applicants will be informed that they do not fulfil the qualifying criteria, current priority is being given to providing payments to those who clearly appear to fulfil the criteria on the basis of the information they have provided. In addition, establishing ownership rights is particularly complex and my Department is working with owners of land and turbary right holders to assist them in this regard.
A number of applicants are not being provided with compensation under the scheme as the areas on which they have been cutting turf are not within one of the designated sites.
143. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her views regarding plans she may have to change the way arts funding is organised. [5460/15]
View answerThe Government's policy on the arts is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, to increase access to and participation in the arts, and to make the arts an integral and valued part of our national life.
Under the Arts Act 2003, primary responsibility for the promotion of the arts at all levels throughout the country is devolved to the Arts Council. The Arts Council is the main channel of State current expenditure on the arts and will receive almost €59 million in 2015. Although the Council is funded through my Department, it is statutorily independent in its funding decisions, as provided by the Arts Act 2003.
I believe that the Arts Council serves the arts and this country well, and I have no plans to change the institutional arrangements, which encompass the arm's length approach to the distribution by the Council of Exchequer funding to the arts. Significant expertise on the arts resides in the Arts Council and I believe, therefore, that it is best placed to identify and fund excellence in the arts.
I am also committed to ensuring the delivery of the country's first ever national cultural policy - Culture 2025 - which will set out the high-level aims and policies of the Government in the period up until 2025. I will shortly be initiating a wide-scale consultation process to ensure that all stakeholders and members of the public can make their views known on the various aspects of arts and cultural policy.
144. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht , in view of the fact that she has previously stated in relation to Moore Street that her only responsibility is to protect the national monument, the steps she is taking to protect the national monument; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5520/15]
View answerMy function in this case relates to the buildings at Nos. 14-17 Moore Street, which are the subject of a Preservation Order under the National Monuments Acts because of their association with the events of Easter Week 1916. As a consequence of the Preservation Order, any works affecting Nos. 14-17 require the formal consent of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the National Monuments Acts. After extensive deliberations, a final Ministerial consent was given to the owners in April 2014 for the creation of a 1916 commemorative centre in the monument buildings, involving the full repair and restoration of the structures, both internally and externally.
Proposals that subsequently went before Dublin City Council late last year would have allowed the exchange of two modern 1990s buildings at Nos. 24 and 25 Moore Street, currently used as a cleansing depot, in return for full ownership of Nos. 14-17 being transferred to the City Council. The transfer would have been accompanied by NAMA funding to cover the full cost of the restoration project and the proposed commemorative centre.
I was disappointed that Dublin City Councillors rejected these plans, which I believe provided a real opportunity to have the restoration work completed and the commemorative centre open in time for the centenary of the Rising in 2016. Following the decision to reject the proposal, it is now a matter for the City Council and the monument owners to consider what the implications are for the national monument buildings, for the NAMA funding for the restoration project and for the centenary commemorations in 2016.
In the meantime, my Department continues to monitor the condition of the protected buildings, including undertaking regular site inspections. Works have been carried out by the monument owners from time to time, with my Department’s formal consent, with the objective of preventing any deterioration in the condition of the structures.
145. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to change the approach her Department has made to the granting of licences to coursing clubs, in view of the growing concerns regarding the operation of these clubs. [5459/15]
View answerThe control of live hare coursing, including the operation of individual coursing meetings, is carried out under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958, which is the responsibility of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Hare coursing is administered by the Irish Coursing Club, which is a body set up under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958. Licences were issued by my Department in August 2014 under the Wildlife Acts to the Irish Coursing Club, on behalf of their affiliated clubs, to facilitate the tagging and capturing of hares for the purpose of hare coursing for the 2014/15 coursing season.
Where resources allow, officials of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department attend coursing meetings, on a spot-check basis, to monitor compliance with conditions on the licences. My Department will review the operation of the 2014/15 coursing season following the end of the season. This review will take account of the inspections undertaken by National Parks and Wildlife Service officials at coursing meetings during the season. Any issues that may arise from these inspections will be pursued with both the Irish Coursing Club and the individual coursing clubs in question.
In addition, veterinary staff from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine carry out some monitoring inspections during the coursing season to verify compliance with the rules governing animal welfare. The Irish Coursing Club also ensures that a veterinary surgeon and a control steward are present at all coursing meetings. As a further control, a Monitoring Committee on Coursing, comprised of officials from my Department, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Irish Coursing Club, continue to monitor developments in coursing.
In that regard, the situation is kept under constant review to ensure that coursing is run in a well-controlled and responsible manner, in compliance with the relevant licensing conditions.
146. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht , in view of the fact that her Department recently rejected an Ireland Inspires proposal modelled on the success of The Gathering 2013, the reason trade and tourism are not among the priorities of the Ireland 2016 commemoration programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5463/15]
View answerWhile The Gathering initiative was successful in generating tourism and trade in Ireland, it is widely acknowledged that the commemoration of the events of 1916 should and will have a different focus. In this regard, I am committed, together with my Government colleagues, to ensuring that the commemorations to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising will be inclusive, appropriate and respectful.
The Ireland 2016 initiative, which I am leading, aims to develop, coordinate and deliver a programme to honour and remember those who fought and died in the Rising. It will also reflect on the legacy of that period and look towards our future, based around 5 themes, as set out in the Government's framework plan:
- Remembering the past
- Reconciling and respecting all traditions
- Presenting Ireland to the world
- Imagining our future
- Celebrating our achievements.
The Ireland 2016 initiative will, as did The Gathering, seek to build positive engagement with the citizens of Ireland across the Government, State agency and community sectors.
I have secured an allocation of €4 million in current funding to support the development of an integrated national plan focused on the commemoration of the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. This allocation will be used to engage with and support a wide range of activities and events by interested groups, including local community groups and the arts, as well as Irish language and educational projects. The allocation of €4 million is in addition to the capital provision of €22 million, which will be allocated in 2015 to a number of flagship commemoration projects.
I anticipate that the overall investment in the Ireland 2016 programme will have a positive impact in terms of employment, trade and tourism, as well as wider economic benefits, both locally and nationally.
I will continue to work with the Oireachtas All-Party Consultation Group on Commemorations, the Expert Advisory Group and a wide range of stakeholders over the coming 18 months to ensure that the events of Easter 1916 are marked in a fitting manner.
