Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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196. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total amount of current and capital expenditure allocated to the town and village renewal scheme in 2015, 2016 and 2017, in tabular form; the total amount of funds expended to each year to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31370/16]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In September 2015, the then Government announced plans for a fund of €30 million over a six year period for a Town and Village Renewal scheme. While no expenditure was incurred on the scheme in 2015, the current Government has included a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to support the development of rural towns and villages as part of its drive to revitalise rural Ireland.

On 9^thAugust this year, I launched the Town and Village Renewal Scheme with an allocation of €10 million in capital funding for this year - a significant increase on the €4 million baseline in my Department’s Vote for 2016. A sum of €380,000 has been made available to each of the 26 counties under this initial phase of the scheme. Local Authorities, in conjunction with local communities and businesses, were each invited to submit up to 8 proposals to my Department by the end of September for approval.

A total of 172 applications were received under the scheme and my officials are currently assessing these applications. The assessments will be completed by the end of October and expenditure on the successful projects will commence shortly thereafter.

I have secured increased funding of €12 million for an enhanced Town and Village Renewal scheme as part of Budget 2017. This represents a trebling of the original 2016 baseline allocation of €4 million. Under the 2017 scheme, I intend to run a pilot to encourage increased residential occupancy in town and village centres. Details of this scheme are being prepared by my officials.