{"id":19184,"date":"2022-10-05T19:11:34","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T19:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legalblog.ie\/?p=19184"},"modified":"2024-02-05T14:25:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T14:25:48","slug":"western-development-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/western-development-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Development Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/western-development-agency\/#Establishment\" title=\"Establishment\">Establishment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/western-development-agency\/#Advice_Finance\" title=\"Advice &amp; Finance\">Advice &amp; Finance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/western-development-agency\/#Governance\" title=\"Governance\">Governance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/western-development-agency\/#Ministerial_Schemes_Support\" title=\"Ministerial Schemes &amp; Support\">Ministerial Schemes &amp; Support<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/western-development-agency\/#Travel_Subsidies\" title=\"Travel Subsidies\">Travel Subsidies<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Establishment\"><\/span>Establishment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Western Development Commission was established under the Western Development Act 1988 to promote economic and social development in the counties of Clare, Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. The Commission is a corporate body.<\/p>\n<p>Its functions are to assist, foster and encourage economic and social development in the Western region. This is to include, in particular, \u00a0fostering and encouraging the establishment, maintenance and expansion of enterprises and projects.<\/p>\n<p>It may act in cooperation with national, regional and local bodies, whether financed by public funds or otherwise. It may coordinate and make proposals for the coordination of the bodies in the Western region in relation to development. It may identify business, social enterprise and infrastructural projects in the western regions which should be established or developed. It may propose the priority that, in its opinion, should be given by the Commission to such enterprises and projects. It may identify the nature and extent of assistance which should be provided for such enterprises and projects.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Advice_Finance\"><\/span>Advice &amp; Finance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Commission may advise as to which bodies should best provide support. It may provide assistance, \u00a0participate in the provision of support or make proposals in relation to the bodies identified. It may promote, foster and encourage the provision of assistance for infrastructural projects in the region as it considers necessary or expedient for economic and social development in the western region.<\/p>\n<p>It may change, postpone or withdraw support. The Commission may not provide financial or other material aid for infrastructural projects unless they are subsidiary and ancillary to business and social enterprises or projects.<\/p>\n<p>The Commission shall not allow the Minister for Finance or Minister for the Gaeltacht to provide financial or other material aid to a business or enterprise unless it is satisfied that it is profitable and viable or will be so within a reasonable period of time. Such business or enterprise must be capable or be likely to be capable of paying dividends to the Commission or any shares held and capable of paying interest and repaying any loan made. Assistance must not be given in such form that the investee company becomes a subsidiary of the Commission.<\/p>\n<p>The Commission is to establish a fund known as the Western Investment Fund.\u00a0 It is managed and controlled by the Commission and consists of a current account and investment account.\u00a0 The Minister for the Gaeltacht, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, is to advance money to the Commission for monies approved by the Oireachtas.\u00a0 The Commission has powers to borrow, but they are relatively limited.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Governance\"><\/span>Governance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The commission consists of 11 members.\u00a0 The Chairman and ordinary members are appointed by the Minister for the Gaeltacht, \u00a0with the consent of the Minister for Finance.\u00a0 They hold office for 3 years.<\/p>\n<p>There is to be a chief executive who carries on and manages generally the administration and business of the Commission.\u00a0 Staff and officers are to be appointed.<\/p>\n<p>There is provision for staff, remuneration of staff and superannuation. The Commission may establish committees to advise it in relation to the performance of its functions.\u00a0\u00a0 It may determine the terms of reference and regulate their procedures.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ministerial_Schemes_Support\"><\/span>Ministerial Schemes &amp; Support<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2007 confirmed and put a range of functions of the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on a statutory basis.\u00a0 It amended the legislation relating to the Western Development Commission.\u00a0 It raised limits for financial and other material aid to enterprises, which the Western Development Commission can provide without ministerial consent.<\/p>\n<p>The 2007 Act It clarified the Minister&#8217;s remit in relation to transport services for islands, including functions in relation to aerodromes and auxiliary facilities connected with air services between islands and the mainland.\u00a0 It repealed the Arramara Teoranta Acquisition of Shares Acts, 1949-2002.<\/p>\n<p>The Act includes power for the Minister to develop, implement and maintain any scheme which, in his opinion, promotes and supports the functions of the Minister under the Act. The functions include community development, voluntary activity, philanthropy, rural development, national drugs strategy and the Irish language.\u00a0 This includes coordination of policy on the Irish language and the development of the Gaeltacht, North-South co-operation, including matters in relation to Ulster-Scott heritage, culture and language.<\/p>\n<p>The limit for financial assistance, which the Western Development Commission may provide without the consent of the Minister, is raised to \u20ac1 million.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Travel_Subsidies\"><\/span>Travel Subsidies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The legislation enables the Minister to pay subsidies in respect of travel by island students to second-level schools on the mainland within a radius of 120 kilometres of the terminus.\u00a0 The Minister may pay subsidies in respect of travel by island students to second-level schools beyond 120 kilometres, subject to certain conditions and consultations. The Minister\u2019s remit in respect of new and existing aerodrome and auxiliary facilities is confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>The \u00a0Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Powers and Functions) Act 2003 consolidated the Minister\u2019s existing powers in relation to the provision of transport to the islands, the provision of airstrips and connecting bus passenger services.<\/p>\n<p>The Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, pay ferries for the operation of ferry services as previously provided under the Aran Island Transport Acts and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in Islands (Powers and Functions) Act 1998.\u00a0 The Minister may acquire, by agreement or compulsorily, existing aerodromes or land for the construction, improvement, extension or development of the same.<\/p>\n<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-19184\" data-postid=\"19184\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-19184 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Establishment The Western Development Commission was established under the Western Development Act 1988 to promote economic and social development in the counties of Clare, Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. The Commission is a corporate body. Its functions are to assist, foster and encourage economic and social development in the Western region. This is to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[270],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19184"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31446,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19184\/revisions\/31446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}