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

I propose to take Question Nos. 8, 18, 43 and 44 together.

Our Rural Future sets out this Government’s vision for the future of rural Ireland. Central to this vision is the importance of supporting the regeneration and development of rural towns and villages as vibrant and thriving rural places. This theme is further supported by the town centre first policy which includes a central focus on helping local communities to address challenges such as vacancy and dereliction in their own towns and villages. In support of these aims, my Department implements a range of schemes and supports which have seen record levels of investment in recent years. For example, the town and village renewal scheme was launched in 2016, and since then more than €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects. The 2023 scheme placed particular emphasis on projects that bring economic and social vibrancy to town centres and which will encourage more people into town and village centres to live, work, shop and socialise. At the end of April, I was delighted to confirm details of the 82 projects that were successful in being awarded funding under the 2023 scheme. In total, €20.4 million has now been allocated to these projects, and I look forward to seeing all the successful projects coming to fruition over the coming years. As with previous years, the challenge of vacancy in town centres featured heavily in the applications under the 2023 scheme.

The county of Cork is fortunate to have two local authorities, and I am delighted to confirm that the county has again fared well under the recent announcement of town and village renewal scheme funding. Since the inception of the scheme, Cork County Council has been allocated funding of more than €7.9 million. The most recent announcement saw Cork County Council allocated €590,000 for four projects. Cork City Council has been allocated funding of more than €1.5 million since it became eligible for the scheme in 2019. It was awarded €566,000 in the most recent announcement for four projects. This means that at the end of April I was able to allocate in excess of €1.15 million to projects in County Cork under the town and village renewal scheme.

Turning now to Carlow, under the 2023 scheme, it has been allocated more than €832,000 in funding for four projects in the county. This funding will see important projects funded in Carrigduff, Clonegal, St. Mullins and Tullow.

I wish all the successful projects under this year’s town and village renewal scheme the very best of luck as they move to the implementation stage. I have been fortunate to have seen at first hand many brilliant examples of completed town and village renewal projects over recent years and I can say with confidence that the funding is making a real impact on the ground. Of course, there are other schemes and supports my Department administers that also work to support rural communities in tackling challenges related to vacancy and dereliction.

Implementation of the Government’s town centre first policy is progressing well and we are now seeing very real momentum in this regard at local level. I am happy my Department continues to fund the 26 town regeneration officers who are now working with local communities all across rural Ireland. In addition, last February I launched a new €4.5 million suite of town centre first supports which will help local town teams develop and put in place plans for their own towns. These plans are vital in supporting communities to avail of the range of funding available from my Department and, indeed, from across Government.

The building acquisition measure is another funding source which has proved very beneficial to towns in addressing the challenges of vacancy and dereliction in recent years. In both 2022 and 2023, I made funding available under this measure to local authorities to facilitate the purchase of vacant or derelict buildings for use as multipurpose community spaces. To date, €10.7 million has been provided to support local authorities to purchase 53 vacant and derelict buildings, and I am very happy with how this new funding approach has worked so far. This initiative will see vacant properties such as old bank buildings, courthouses, cinemas and Garda stations redeveloped as community facilities throughout rural Ireland.

Similarly, the rural regeneration and development fund provides very significant levels of funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages across rural Ireland. The focus of this fund is also very much aligned with the goals of Our Rural Future and the town centre first policy, with town regeneration and vacancy and dereliction issues very much to the forefront. To date, €414 million has been invested under the rural regeneration and development fund to support 215 projects. The fifth call for category 1 projects under the fund closed earlier this year, and the assessment process is now well under way. I am very encouraged by the fact the applications received in the most recent call have drawn heavily on the work of the town centre regeneration officers and the town centre first plans which my Department has funded. Indeed, it is this type of integration and joined-up thinking between the various supports offered by my Department which will deliver the best results for our rural towns and villages. I expect to be in a position to announce the successful projects under the fund in the coming weeks.

I and my Department remain committed to seeing a real impact for our rural towns and villages through the implementation of both the Our Rural Future and town centre first policies. I will continue to ensure the many funding schemes within my Department help to empower communities to develop and implement fantastic and innovative projects which will make their towns better places in which to live, work, visit and invest.

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