Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State mentioned urban regeneration funding of €6.5 million. Rural areas are crying out for an extension of regeneration and additional funding over the next number of years and money is earmarked for the plan for 2018 to 2022. How many rural areas will benefit from this regeneration? There is a need for additional funding and I am sure Deputy Durkan's constituency is like mine in this regard. I welcome the allocation of €38 million for drawdown. There is €46 million for community schemes and this is the way forward. The Minister, Deputy Ring, spoke about how these have been in place for a number of years and we see how many communities have benefitted from that funding.

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