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

I thank the Deputies. They are both right. Plenty of money is available. It has been made available to local authorities to identify these buildings and to purchase them. Now of course my Department is providing €100,000 per annum to each local authority for a town regeneration officer. The Department is committed to providing this funding for a fixed three-year period. Some 24 town regeneration officers have been appointed. The remaining two positions in counties Kerry and Kildare will be filled shortly. This gives an opportunity for the town regeneration officer to liaise with local businesses and the local community to identify what needs to be done in the town. Through the Town Centre First plans, 26 towns throughout the country have been selected under the first phase with each receiving €100,000 to develop the plans. They includes Killala, County Mayo. Support is there for local authorities that want to deal with this issue.

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