Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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421. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when she plans to introduce the renovation grants to restore properties in small towns and villages as was announced as part of the action plan for rural development; when details of the grants and application process will be made available to members of the public; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4232/17]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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427. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the action plan for rural development involves a commitment to provide grant assistance to persons that wish to refurbish old residential and non-residential buildings in rural communities; if so, the details; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4517/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 421 and 427 together.

The Action Plan for Rural Development contains a number of measures which have the objective of rejuvenating Ireland’s rural towns and villages to make them more attractive places in which to live and work and to increase their tourism potential.

As part of Budget 2017, I have secured funding of €12 million for an enhanced Town and Village Renewal scheme this year. This represents a trebling of the original 2016 baseline allocation of €4 million for the scheme. The Town and Village Renewal Scheme for 2017 will be launched shortly and towns and villages to be included in the scheme will be selected through an application and assessment process.  The scheme will be funded by my Department and administered by Local Authorities.

As part of the scheme, I intend to launch a pilot project to encourage residential occupancy in rural towns and villages. This pilot will be launched in the second half of the year, when details of the scheme have been finalised in consultation with relevant Departments. The pilot will examine ways in which properties that are currently not in use in town centres can be renovated to allow them to be used for residential purposes.

The Government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which comes under the remit of the Minster for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, also includes a number of schemes which support the repair or refurbishment of properties.