Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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494. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the launching of the public area enhancement scheme which indicated that works undertaken with funding from the scheme should be additional to work already planned; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the largest allocation of funding in County Sligo, a sum of €10,000, was allocated to remove timber hoarding at a county council site at Connaughton Road, County Sligo; if his Department has received any information from the council as to the reason the cost of removing timber hoarding is so high; if funding from the scheme was intended to be used for such work; if the hoarding was removed and the funding expended in accordance with the scheme by the end of September 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43774/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Public Area Enhancement Scheme was a scheme to support community efforts by providing grant funding to local authorities for the purpose of enhancing public areas before and during the summer tourist season. The scheme provided funding, additional to that provided for in the 2014 local authority budget, for works related to public area enhancement.

While the scheme was not absolutely prescriptive, suggestions to local authorities as to what might constitute suitable projects included providing additional support for initiatives such as local area Tidy Towns committees, improvement works to public parks and recreational walking areas, cleaning and tidying of older graveyards or the cleaning and making safe of derelict buildings. Local Authorities were also asked that wherever possible works should be undertaken in co-operation with local community efforts.

The provisional grant to Sligo County in respect of this scheme was for €70,000 and was conditional upon 25% matching funding being provided by the local authority. While funds were provided to the County Councils only, it was expected that County Councils would ensure that Town and Borough Councils were also assisted in their efforts. All expenditure under this scheme was to be completed by the end of September 2014.

Sligo County Council were approved a grant allocation of €70,000. Their application included projects relating to: village and town enhancement projects in association with Tidy Towns Committees and community associations; development of public walks; and area enhancement works in advance of festivals and events for the benefit of local communities to promote tourism. Sligo County Council certified that the grant allocation claimed was spent on the general enhancement of the public areas.

I understand from Sligo County Council that the specific works referred to in the Question were not carried out under this scheme. The works were intended to contribute to a scheme to replace the current hoarding with decorative railing. It was not possible to advance the design and procurement and have these works completed within the time frame required under the Public Area Enhancement Scheme.