Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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269. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total allocation under the Clár scheme in 2016 for local access roads; the county allocation if already decided; if this measure applies only to non-county roads; when local authorities were advised as to their allocation under the scheme; the latest date for work to be completed for drawdown of funds in 2016; the detail of the operation of this measure in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32863/16]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I announced the reopening of the CLÁR Programme on 6 October 2016, with funding of €3 million available for this year. The programme will provide funding for small scale infrastructural projects in disadvantaged rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population.

The reopening of CLÁR is part of the Government’s programme to support rural development, which has also recently seen the launch of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, a new phase of the REDZ (Rural Economic Development Zones) initiative, and funding for rural recreation infrastructure under the Rural Recreation Scheme.

CLÁR 2016 will see funding provided for three measures: Safety Measures for Schools and Community/Sports Facilities, Playgrounds and Multi-Use Games Areas, and Local Access Roads. In early October, Local Authorities were invited to submit proposals for funding, with a closing date of 4 November for applications.

All funding will be dependent on Local Authorities having the capacity to implement the proposed projects immediately. Specific amounts of funding have not been assigned to either individual counties or individual measures, and Local Authorities are not limited in the number of project proposals they can submit for consideration.

Local Authorities have been notified that priority will be given to safety measures for schools and community/sports facilities, outdoor play facilities enhancements and local access roads measures in that order. In this context, Local Authorities have been asked to prioritise their proposals based on outlined need and on how the proposed project fits in with broader planning at a local level.

I have secured an allocation of €5 million for CLÁR for next year as part of Budget 2017. This funding will build on the 2016 scheme and further support the development of areas of particular disadvantage in rural Ireland.