Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is right. As recommended by the Comptroller and Auditor General, my Department completed a review in 2017. The 15 recommendations seek to improve information gathering, simplify the operation of the fund and ensure that funding is used by the Departments or returned to the fund for use in other projects. Some good progress has been made, with comprehensive information on the measures being funded being brought together and maintained by my Department. My focus is on ensuring that these recommendations are implemented and that the best use is made of the funds available. I will check about the minutes of the meetings for the Deputy. I presume they will become public, as they should. I will confirm that for the Deputy. The fund allocation in 2017 was €30.192 million across all Departments. It is important that we are confident that the funding is going where it should.

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