Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy. As he is aware, CLÁR is a very important funding stream for remote rural areas. In recent years it has funded a vast array of community amenities such as community centres, sporting facilities, playgrounds, sensory gardens and walking trails. As we already discussed, it is also a growing source of funding for vehicles to transport people with disabilities and to allow people to access vital health services, such as cancer services.

I have provided the Deputy with a table outlining the level of funding under CLÁR for each county between 2020 and 2024. The 2025 scheme is currently open for applications, and I will announce successful projects later this year. Between 2020 and 2024, more than €51 million was approved for almost 1,300 projects nationwide under the CLÁR programme. The level of funding has increased from just under €6 million in 2020 to almost €14 million, covering more than 320 projects, in 2024.

County Mayo has the highest level of CLÁR funding, with €4.1 million being provided. The level of funding must be considered in the context of the size of each county and also the size of the CLÁR area in each county. The scheme only applies in designated rural areas that were selected based on the level of depopulation across the country over a defined period. As such, the proportion of each county designated as being a CLÁR area and the number of people located in CLÁR areas differs across the country.

I look forward to receiving applications for innovative, community-focused projects from across the country, including Mayo, in the coming weeks. We are also beginning a review of CLÁR areas to ensure that we capture within the scheme areas that have experienced depopulation and to ensure that areas that qualify are not excluded.

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