Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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15. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to give a detailed report in regard to the CLÁR funding approval process (details supplied); if further funding will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68477/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The CLÁR programme exists to support less well-off areas and remote areas. I thank the Minister for the funding he announced recently. He may have seen a recent report on RTÉ News, fronted by Marty Morrissey, outlining the effects of depopulation on local GAA clubs in remote rural areas, particularly in south Kerry where up to five clubs have to amalgamate at under age level in order to field a team. Will the Minister accommodate the immediate and timely set-up of a depopulation task force in south Kerry? I appreciate that.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Cahill as an gceist agus as an deis caint faoi CLÁR. The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. Measure 1 provides funding for community facilities and amenities and accounts for the vast majority of funding. Measure 2 provides funding for vehicles to support the transport of people with reduced mobility, community first responders and Meals on Wheels. Measure 3 is targeted at our island communities. As the Deputy said, I was able to announce funding of almost €12 million for 198 projects under measure 1, which included funding of almost €700,000 for ten measure 1 projects in Kerry. Across all measures, this brought the total CLÁR funding in Kerry this year to over €911,000.

Under measure 1, local authorities seek applications from local community groups in designated CLÁR areas in their county. They then assess the applications received in order to prioritise those applications which they submit to my Department as a request for CLÁR funding. This year saw the highest level of funding allocated under CLÁR since it was relaunched. Notwithstanding that, I understand that some groups will be disappointed. I would advise such groups that we will be relaunching the scheme in the new year. As part of our consultation regarding Our Rural Future, which is the scaffolding documents for all these rural policies, the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I met the demographics committee of the GAA in September. We asked it for input into Our Rural Future. I understand it is launching its report today and I look forward to engaging with it about that report. I have heard the reports from Marty Morrissey this week. They have been interesting and challenging. I will certainly engage with Deputy Cahill about the specific challenges in south Kerry, but given that Kerry has just won another all-Ireland, I think that is not a challenge facing it.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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We want to continue to win all-Irelands. The problem with depopulation is that it will filter its way upwards in the coming years, through the more senior age groups, and wipe out many locally organised volunteer sports clubs and force parents and players to travel long journeys to take part, if indeed they continue. I sincerely thank the Minister. The Minister has already helped Dingle GAA, An Ghaeltacht GAA, Listry GAA, Rathmore GAA and many more. As stated by the Kerry GAA county board demographics officer, GAA clubs are a reflection of the communities they serve. It is vital that young people are encouraged and supported to live and work in rural areas, in our towns and villages and in our vibrant economic and social hubs. Population change is having an effect across our wider rural communities, with fewer people in the area to support local businesses, shops, post offices, restaurants, pubs and so on. When fewer children are attending local schools, teaching and SNA posts are in danger, if not entire schools.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Deputy. We are concerned about rural depopulation and the inconsistency in population growth around the country. That will be a focus of the new version of Our Rural Future, which, as I said, is our scaffolding document for rural policies and programmes in Ireland.

We have a draft document that is available for consultation at the moment. The deadline for consultation is 12 December and I encourage each Deputy to give a formal submission ahead of 12 December, which is tomorrow week. We want to address the areas that are causing depopulation. We want to ensure that we continue the level of capital investment that we have made in counties such as Kerry in the CLÁR areas. Equally we have to engage and ensure that rural services are provided. This is not just a matter for Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht; it is an all-of-government approach. The document within Our Rural Future will seek to capture an all-of-government approach to address challenges Deputy Cahill has just outlined.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I urge the immediate initiation of a task force and I again call on the Government today to set that up with strong guidelines and short timelines to put the expertise of the hand-picked members to work as efficiently and quickly as possible to identify the many causes of depopulation and find solutions to it. In that news segment, south Kerry was highlighted not only by the Kerry county board demographics officer, Michael Murphy, but also by the south Kerry GAA board chairperson, Joe McCrohan, and of course one of the all-time great Kerry footballers from the region, Bryan Sheehan. South Kerry Iveragh is the perfect location for this task force on depopulation where the problem is most acute. Last November, I brought a delegation to Kerry County Council with the name "Three" to make a presentation. The causes are many and include housing and employment, but locally many more are at play. We need to have them identified, targeted and solved in as short a timespan as possible. I plead with the Government to set up this depopulation task force for south Kerry.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I accept there is a challenge and I want to deal with. We will deal with it through Our Rural Future. I will certainly consider the Deputy's proposal in the context of the scaffolding that Our Rural Future will provide. I encourage him to engage with Kerry County Council in relation to a specific focused task force. I would be happy to engage with its proposals. I ask all local authorities in rural areas to engage with the Our Rural Future process by providing detailed submissions. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I had a very useful meeting with the GAA demographics committee in September. It was a very stark meeting in relation to the challenges by its clubs and most importantly by the people living in rural areas. I want to address those challenges in a comprehensive and structured manner. The best way we can do that is through Our Rural Future and through the new document. I again remind people that Friday, 12 December is the last day for submissions.