Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of Carlow town library. I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys.

While the provision of library services, including the provision of buildings, is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001, the Department of Rural and Community Development has overall policy responsibility for the provision of public library services in Ireland and is responsible for the development of public library strategies. Additionally, that Department provides grant funding to library authorities on an annual basis including funding towards the costs of new and refurbished libraries, under the libraries capital programme.

Carlow County Council submitted an application to the Department in August 2020 for funding for the redevelopment of the Presentation buildings to include a new public library, culture, civic and learning space. The Department's libraries capital programme was fully allocated at that time and Carlow County Council was advised to consider making an application for funding under the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, which is administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Carlow County Council was also requested to simultaneously progress the project through the Department of Rural and Community Development's four-stage capital management process. This is standard practice for all new library projects, irrespective of their source funding and including URDF-funded library projects, to ensure that they are technically assessed and comply with the public spending code and the capital works management framework as well as meeting the current benchmarks and standards for public libraries.

The Department of Rural and Community Development has been liaising with Carlow County Council in progressing the Presentation building regeneration project through the four-stage capital management process. The Department issued a stage 3 approval letter on 17 August 2022 that authorises the council to proceed to tender. The letter also advised the council to ensure that funding had been confirmed for the project in advance of proceeding to tender.

The Department has been engaging with the council, but it is a matter for the council to source the funding. Unfortunately, it is not possible at this stage to make any commitment on the next library capital programme. We do not have confirmation of the direction of travel on that programme quite yet, but we hope to have it soon.

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