Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is fair to say no funding model is perfect. Galway had €12.2 million in the last programme and it has €12.6 million for the 2023-27 programme, which is an increase of 3.5%. The same argument could be made for another big county like Mayo. All I can tell the Deputy is that last Thursday I announced 46 successful applicants will move to stage 2 and be asked to develop strategies for their relevant areas and make use of €2 million in funding from the Department to do so.

On the islands, an application by Comhar na nOileán to prepare a strategy for the islands off County Galway below the sub-regional level was successful. It will now be funded to develop this strategy along with the 46 other applications. Separately, Comhar na nOileán has been nominated as an implementing partner by the proposed local action groups in the sub-regional areas of Mayo, Donegal and west Cork. Ultimately, these strategies will be selected to deliver the programme across all sub-regional areas and will be determined following consideration of the submitted strategies by an independent selection committee.

I hear what he Deputy is saying about Galway but there is not an awful lot I can do about it. I will talk to the officials but I do not think so, to be very straight with the Deputy.