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

My Department works very closely with the local authorities. We need them to work with us to deliver these projects locally because they are consulting with local communities and they know what they need on the ground. Only last week, my senior officials met with the director of services with responsibility for the implementation of some of the funds from my Department. It is in constant contact to see where there might be issues that we can address. It is a two-way process, let me put it that way, and we will continue to work with them.

Under the buildings acquisition measure that I introduced last year, we gave funding to local authorities to purchase two buildings which they identified with local groups could be converted into community use. Much of what I am dealing with is community and remote working and enterprise hubs. We are working with them. Many of them have bought former bank buildings and they are converted into remote working hubs or enterprise spaces. In other cases, it might have been an old primary school or a Garda station which will become a home to the local men's shed or another local community group. That is where we are keeping the focus on it.

Then there is the standard town and village renewal scheme. It provides grants of up to half a million euro. For the larger scale or over €500,000, there is the rural regeneration fund. Indeed, last week I visited Abbeyshrule in County Longford where there is an 18th century stone building that was basically a ruin.

It was being used as a farmyard. It has been completely restored and is now a remote working hub. When I was there, they said to me that they should have invited Deputy Ring because he gave them the money. It goes to show that it takes a while for some of these projects to be finished. Deputy Ring allocated them that money. They have not forgotten about it. They said to pass on their best wishes to Deputy Ring. We had a great day. We opened this lovely centre that runs right along the Royal Canal. That is the type of focus that my Department has on the community, enterprise and remote working side.

The Government announced a full of measures for over-the-shop property on top of what we are already doing. We approved a major expansion of the Croí Cónaithe scheme, with grants of up to €50,000 now available to bring a vacant property back into use and of up to €70,000 if it is a derelict property. I believe this is a really good initiative. I know from the inquiries coming into my constituency office that there is huge interest in it. I believe this fund can be used to renovate centre-of-town properties. It can be well spent. Some €70,000 is not to be sneezed at. It is a lot of money and it will go a long way to help people to look at renovating existing vacant houses. It will prove to be successful. I think I can leave it at that.

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