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

I thank the Deputy. As I stated, I met the Oireachtas Members to discuss the issue. The project in Newcastle seems to tick a lot of boxes but it has to go through a competitive assessment process. I am sure there will be plenty of demand for this fund of €21 million. As we all know, it costs a lot of money to build a community centre. It will be competitive. I knew there was an interest in community centres but €75 million in applications came in for the previous scheme. It was unbelievable. Helping communities is the right thing for us to do. There are volunteers out there who are trying to raise money by shaking buckets and holding all sorts of events. We want to help them. I wish Newcastle well. I will be launching the scheme in March. The most important thing is for the group in Newcastle and groups in other areas to get their applications in, but I want applications in respect of projects that are shovel-ready.

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