Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Does the Deputy mean to tell me that this should now become annual? As she knows, it has not been annual before. It was not last year. This programme should become annual and those who apply this year and are not successful can obviously apply again.

We would very much like to give out the whole €155 million because I believe this is a great project. It is a matter of not having enough funds to go around to do so. We get real value for money for communities out of this. It was quite a fight to get it this year, it came late in the day but we got it. We are determined to keep it and to keep it going. I do not know what it will be next year or the year after, but I hope it is going to be multi-annual. That point is probably conceded but there are going to be disappointed people this year.