Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With only 21 months until the expiry of the programme, the approvals in place amount to €62 million out of a total budget of approximately €160 million. We are not even halfway there in terms of approvals. Even if €160 million of approvals for projects was granted it would be impossible to achieve that level of spend, meaning that approvals should be in the region of €170 million. Would the Minister consider going to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and asking it to raise the thresholds for e-tenders in order that smaller projects could go a three-estimate basis, as was the case in the past? This is one of the main reasons community groups are reluctant to come forward with smaller projects. Would the Minister consider taking such action?

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