As a former Minister with responsibility for business, I am somewhat aware of what the Deputy is referring to. I know the Irish Centre for High-End Computing, ICHEC, does a lot of work in that area. I cannot give the Deputy the detail as to why this has not happened but I am sure there is a good reason for it. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy with a response.

I have been to Cappoquin many times. It is a fine place and the Deputy is doing great work there. Funding of €3.3 million was announced for Ardmore and I know the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, was very keen that we would support it. That came under the rural regeneration development programme. The Gaeltacht areas get support when they put in applications. A Gaeltacht area in west Cork got support under the rural regeneration fund that was just announced on Monday, although the name of the area eludes me. They n…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The development and enhancement of community centres across the country has been a priority for the Government. This has been achieved through a range of my Department’s funding schemes, including the new community centre investment fund that I introduced two years ago. Under the 2022 fund, over €45.8 million has been committed for improvement and refurbishment works to more than 860 existing community centres. I am happy to confirm that approximately 600 of these project…

The short answer is "Yes", as I am considering another round of funding. This is an issue that the Deputy has raised with me several times. Sports capital grants are successful and popular and have been on the go for a long time, but we had no dedicated fund for community centres. During Covid, we saw how they did not have the same opportunities to raise money. Like a house, if you do not keep doing bits every year, it starts to fall into disrepair. It was important that we be able to provide some assistance. We al…

I was at Hartstown with the former Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, when I announced €30 million for 12 new community centres whose applications had been received. That was two weeks ago and I have managed to visit six of them already. I hope to see the other six. Those projects arose where there were new communities and increased populations and they needed community centres. I was delighted to be able to announce that funding. There will be another round. I am considering having a round for existing community centres.…

The SuperValu Tidy Towns competition is a unique volunteer-led programme that makes a hugely positive contribution in communities across Ireland. Ahead of the competition launch each year, officials in my Department meet with SuperValu, the main sponsor of the competition, and with our highly skilled and competent panel of adjudicators. My Department's role is to facilitate the administration of the adjudication process, but my officials are not actively involved in the formal adjudication of competition entries. A…

I thank the Deputy for his comments. I recognise that this is a very busy time of the year for the Tidy Towns committees and everyone is putting their best foot forward. They want to make their town or village more attractive. For as long as I have been involved in politics, there has been a debate around posters. Personally, I would not lose any sleep if no posters were put up, but I recognise that first-time candidates want to get their face out there and I can see why they are needed. It is part of our democrati…

The Deputy is right. We all have teams who put up and take down the posters. There is a need to be careful because sometimes posters have been put up low on the pole first as it is easier, and then you have to go up and up until you are at the top of the pole. I am always very conscious of the possibility of somebody slipping and falling. Those putting up the posters need to be careful. The Deputy and I, and all Members, indeed, would give them that warning to be careful when putting up the posters and not to do an…

Community centres bring us together, whether for sporting, educational or social occasions. They provide a focal point for everyone in local communities and particularly for the most marginalised members of our society. In the past two years I have approved funding of over €75 million through the community centre investment fund. I am sure the Deputy will agree that this is a really substantial investment through what is a completely new scheme introduced by this Government. I should also point out that my Departme…

I have no doubt it is a good community. I will tell the Deputy a story. I was talking to a fellow one day and he asked me: “How come we got no money? How come we did not get any grant?” I asked if they had put in an application and he said “No.” I said that if you do not put in an application, it is not going to fall out of the sky. I appreciate there is work to be done in putting together applications but people need to work with their local authority. In this case, it is Cork City Council, which has a community s…

I often find it is good if communities talk to other communities that have been successful. I have seen over the years that some communities are better than others at completing application forms. There has to be capacity building, which I accept. Cork City Council submitted an application for a new-build community centre at Rylane Community Centre in Cork and that was successful. The community were able to come together and work with the local authority, and they got the application in. I would say to the communit…

As the Deputy said, I launched Our Living Islands - National Islands Policy 2023-2033 in June last year. Our Living Islands is a substantial document, a ten-year policy backed up by rolling three-year action plans. It has time-bound commitments so Departments and agencies across government can be held to account for its implementation. Following the publication of the policy, I established a monitoring committee, chaired by my Department, to engage with key Government Departments, agencies and local authorities wit…

To go back to Deputy Connolly's question, we have waited a long time for the islands policy. The purpose of the monitoring committee is to ensure that the specific measures in the Our Living Islands policy and its associated action plan are put in place and acted on by the relevant Government Departments and agencies. The committee has a role to play. If it is not being acted upon, that will obviously be highlighted. The reports were prepared by the officials, but the monitoring committee is there to oversee it and…

I understand people's frustration. I have pushed this on as much as I possibly can. I am absolutely committed to supporting our islands. I will get an update on Caladh Mór for the Deputy. There will be a question about the matter later. Progress is definitely being made on Inis Oírr and Inis Meáin. I have been out there and am aware of the need for investment in the piers. Roads were a big issue initially. I think I have managed to make good progress on the roads. Remote working has been a game-changer for some of …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5, 7, 9, 28 and 41 together. The LIS supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by the local authorities. I am acutely aware of the importance of the scheme to rural landowners and residents. That is why, as part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future. The scheme was reintroduced by my Department in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding. Between 2017 and 2024,…

I was reared in a lane that is nearly a mile long. I know all about these lanes, and I have to say that nobody has been more committed to providing LIS funding than me. At the end of each year, if I had any extra money I lorried it into the LIS because I know how important that scheme is to support people who live in rural Ireland. Since 2017, €170 million has been invested in the LIS. A few questions were raised. Basically, the new rules mean there must be one farm or one house. I do know where the issue of the he…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I will ask the officials to speak to Kerry County Council. There is a big difference in the average cost of the of the lanes. Are there longer lanes in Kerry? That is the only thing I do not know.

They seem to be doing fewer of them. We should look at the number of kilometres that are covered. That would probably be a good indication. I am happy to engage. I have reviewed the criteria. I will come back to Deputy Troy on the part about the second parcel of land needing to be a minimum of 1 ha. I am not sure; I am not across the finer details. We leave it up to the discretion of the local authorities. I take his point. Does it need everybody living on the lane? Does it still qualify without this person who wil…

I will tell the Deputy what happened last year. We sent a call out to local authorities to tell us what they could spend and to put in the amount. Some local authorities told us they could not spend any money. I am not saying that is the case with Clare. Some local authorities were very ambitious in their spend. They got it spent and got their lanes completed. Some local authorities did not think they would be able to do as much. Therefore, they did not get as much because they did not ask for as much. I gave them …

My Department has policy responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts and local authorities have responsibility for all operational matters, including enforcement. The Control of Dogs Acts set out a number of legal obligations that all dog owners must comply with. I am committed to improving outcomes in dog control in Ireland and in this context, I recently increased on-the-spot fines for offences under the Control of Dogs Act, including trebling the fines for most serious offences from €100 to €300. Multiple fines …