Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have increased the maximum grant under the town and village renewal scheme to €500,000. Last year, there was €27 million under the scheme. As I said, it is a ground-up approach. We put a focus on improving streetscape. There have been grants for businesses to do up their premises, put on the traditional shopfront, paint the building and put in some outdoor dining spaces. That is making a real difference. We have a larger project where local groups can use town and village renewal scheme funding to buy an old building and convert it for community use. If they want to use that as a community hall, that is fine. There are examples of old schools, bank buildings, courthouses and even old railway stations that are being converted into community centres and remote working hubs. In answer to the Deputy's question, yes, they can do that. It is about local need. In some places, parts of the building could be turned into a home for the men's shed, which is very popular, because for some men's sheds, it is hard to get the right properties.

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