Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to follow up on what the Minister has said before he moves on to Senator Hopkins. I acknowledge that the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is here too. I welcome the improvement in the standard of applications. That has to be noted by this committee because it is something we look at regularly when we hear from community groups. I want us to note that. I would like to ask the Minister about the scale of projects. He does not need to be too specific. If he could give us an idea of the minimum or maximum value of projects, that would help us to understand the level of ambition involved in this scheme. Are we talking about €1 million projects or €2 million projects? Does the Department have an open mind? Does it depend on the evaluation that is done by the panel which examines these matters? I am trying to get an idea of the scale of these projects to give communities an understanding of whether they are being too ambitious or reaching too high. We want game changers for rural Ireland. I am trying to get an idea of the scale of the projects being submitted. We must remember they are being submitted by stakeholders that are collaborating. I have mentioned an example in County Waterford. Communities are coming together with LEADER and the council. The entire west of the county - not just individual villages - is coming together to try to lift the region. I wonder whether this is an example of the type of ambition the Minister is looking for.