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

As I said, I very much want this to be a bottom-up approach. I am quite happy to consider the different initiatives local authorities bring to me. Some local authorities have established town teams and they will establish their priorities. Under the REDZ pilot scheme that was introduced last year, Limerick received €192,000. I am familiar with a project in my county, where funding of €75,000 was made available. The local authority was able to add €125,000 from its resources, which meant a total investment in the town of €200,000. One could call this seed funding, and it can often leverage funding from other sources. Any suggestions that come forward in regard to how we can improve our towns and villages are something to which I am willing to listen.

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