Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In Ennis, County Clare, one of the first tranches of the urban regeneration fund was handed down to Parnell Street. It involved an investment of €5 million in an upgrade of that main thoroughfare. All the bow ways were going to be done up. It was about retaining the character of Ennis and that architectural feature and trying to bolster commercial activity on the street, which had many vacant properties. It was a very good project.

In fairness to Clare County Council, it has a rural directorate and Mr. Foley and Ms Leyden made reference to that. They co-ordinate all the different voluntary groups in Clare and help them out in making applications for rural regeneration, town and village renewal, outdoor recreational grant applications or CLÁR grants. The directorate does a huge amount of work, as does the Clare local development company. It works hand in hand with the various different organisations on the ground. We are bearing fruit in the county. The banner county is leading the way, as it always tends to do, in trying to draw down funding.

I want to bring in Mr. Foley on the question of volunteerism and continue on that particular topic.