Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for coming.

Since the local improvement scheme, LIS, was resumed in 2016, a lot of good work has been done in different places. The guy who has been waiting for ten years would probably need to submit a new application. Last year the Minister allocated two tranches of funds, one early and one later in the year. Is there a possibility that the same will happen this year? The LIS has solved many problems where people live on roads not within the remit of the local authority, which is good.

Under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and the town and village renewal scheme, great success has been achieved in places throughout the country. Every one of us has probably been involved with Tidy Towns. Last year the Minister announced that some Tidy Towns committees would receive €1,000 and others, €2,000. Will such funding be provided again this year? Perhaps the money was to be used for a celebration after so many years work.

The following is directed at the Minister of State, Deputy Canney. In the programme for Government reference is made to the Atlantic economic corridor. The Minister of State has spokem about it and I am aware that he is involved in its development. Has an application for TEN-T funding yet been made by the Department? The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport was making it, but the Minister of State was liaising with it on the inclusion of the Atlantic economic corridor.

On the LEADER programme, there were problems early on. Will the Minister, please, provide an overview of the programme? Have the problems been teased out and how is the programme progressing in the expenditure of funds?