Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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1407. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will include County Kerry in the €2 million funded rural economic development zone pilot scheme, in order to encourage and promote local enterprise and development, and provide sustainable jobs, due to the lack of industrial development agency-led investment in the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30915/15]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA) identified, in its Report, the need to take a more tailored approach to planning at both a regional and local level and recognised that this approach should not be restricted by current administrative boundaries. In May 2015, I launched a pilot scheme, in line with the recommendations in the CEDRA report, with a budget of €2million to support 18 REDZ projects on a regional basis throughout Ireland. The overall aim of the pilot initiative is to learn from the projects and determine best practice with regard to how such projects should be initiated, designed, implemented and evaluated.

The scheme requires projects to outline how they propose to access matched funding in order to implement the pilot in specific REDZ areas. This will not only foster a local sense of ownership of the project but also ensure that local authorities and other interested stakeholders work together to develop and implement their project proposals.

Three applications have been received from County Kerry and are currently being assessed. I hope to be in a position to announce the successful REDZ pilots in the coming days.