Mr. William Parnell:

I said that there is a lot of learning from today for all of us so I do not need to go back on that. Deputy Stanley asked about a calendar. Deputy Fitzmaurice had just raised that issue. A calendar was circulated by the Minister to the chief executive officers at the beginning of this year. We were talking about the need to ensure that this information gets down to local communities so it is something we will work on with the CCMA.

Deputy Stanley said that small amounts can sometimes have little impact. What we have done over the past two years since the Department was established is establish a range of different schemes. Schemes such as CLÁR or the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme that provide small amounts can have a significant impact on those areas. We have a range of schemes up to the rural regeneration and development fund, where the minimum amount we pay in a grant is €500,000, so we have provided a range of different services.

Senator Coffey asked about funding for each of the projects here today. It was outlined earlier that each project has been provided with up to €100,000 just to develop the ideas from here.