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

I thank the Deputy. I appreciate I am working from a very strong base. I inherited a great Department. Deputy Canney and Deputy Ring did a great deal of hard work and it is my honour to build on that work as I deliver more projects for rural Ireland.

To go back to Deputy Canney's original question, to date we have provided additional funding totalling €6.3 million for 20 projects, which are listed on the Department's website. When they find that projects are going to cost more than initially thought, applicants put in detailed submissions showing exactly why they need more money. I am happy to support that and my officials, in fairness to them, have worked extremely hard with a number of project promoters to try to ensure these projects are delivered if they need that bit of extra money. Deputies understand that this is taxpayers' money. We must ensure that it is spent properly and well and that there is good value for the taxpayer at the end of the day.

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