Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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194. To ask the Minister for Finance to include Sligo in the living city initiative scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9654/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Living City Initiative was enacted in the Finance Act 2013 and commenced on 5th May 2015. This Initiative has been extended beyond the original planned pilot cities of Limerick and Waterford, to include the cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kilkenny as well. In line with my Department's commitment to evidence based policy-making, the inclusion of these additional four cities followed the completion of a comprehensive, independent ex-ante cost benefit analysis.

The Initiative targets particular areas of the cities which are most in need of regeneration, especially inner city areas, which are largely comprised of dwellings built before 1915, where there is above average unemployment and which demonstrate clear evidence of neglect, dereliction and under-use.

The Government has committed, in the recently published Programme for Partnership Government, to examine the introduction of a similar scheme to the "Living City Initiative" to regenerate town centres and villages throughout Ireland. Any announcements in relation to the Initiative will be made in the context of the Budget and Finance Bill.