Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

772. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the details by county of each project approved under the CLÁR programme 2016, in tabular form; the amount allocated to and the location and nature of each project; the details of the way each project was selected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1034/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The CLÁR programme (Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais) is a targeted investment programme which provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in rural areas which have suffered the greatest levels of population decline. The 2016 CLÁR programme focused on three separate measures:

- Measure 1: Safety Measures for Schools and Community/Sports Facilities

- Measure 2: Playgrounds and Multi-Use Games Areas

- Measure 3: Local Access Roads.

In October 2016, all Local Authorities with designated CLÁR areas were invited to make submissions under the measures outlined above. The Local Authorities were advised that priority would be given to Measures 1, 2 and 3 in that order and were asked, as part of the application process, to outline their priorities in the context of their own county development planning. Following an assessment of the applications received, on 1st December 2016, I announced funding of €8.24 million to 651 successful projects under the programme.

Details of the successful projects will be made available on my Department’s website shortly.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

773. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the population of the CLÁR areas in each county when they were designated last; his plans to review these areas in view of population shifts in the past ten years; if census 2016 data has been examined to date in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1035/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The CLÁR programme (Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais) was originally launched in October 2001 to provide for targeted investment in disadvantaged rural areas.

The areas originally selected for inclusion in the CLÁR programme were those which suffered the greatest population decline from 1926 to 1996, with the exception of the Cooley Peninsula which was included on the basis of the serious difficulties caused in that area by Foot and Mouth disease. The average population loss in the original CLÁR regions over the period 1926 to 1996 was 50%.

In 2006, an analysis of the 2002 Census data was carried out by the National Institutefor Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA) at NUI Maynooth and the programme was extended to include areas with an average population loss of 35% per county between 1926 and 2002. Parts of five counties were added (Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wicklow), increasing the total number of counties covered by the programme at that stage from 18 to 23.

The 2016 CLÁR programme was based on the same data and areas that applied in 2006. Table 1 below details the 2002 population of the 23 counties included the 2016 CLÁR scheme.

It is my intention to review the CLÁR areas in 2017 based on the detailed 2016 Census data which is expected to be available in March/April of this year.

CLÁR Population Summary