Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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281. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the timeline for the roll out of the recently announced action plan for rural development; the criteria to be used in choosing towns and villages for the pilot scheme for residency and occupation in towns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9272/17]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Action Plan for Rural Development was launched on 23rd January this year and contains over 276 actions for implementation across a range of Government Departments, State agencies and other organisations over the next three years. Delivery of many of these actions is already underway.

Supporting town and villages is just one element of a much more comprehensive Plan aimed at addressing both the economic and social needs of rural Ireland through a whole-of-Government approach.

I have secured funding of €12 million for an enhanced Town and Village Renewal scheme this year. The first phase of the scheme will be launched shortly, with a focus on improving the economic development of our towns and villages.

As a second phase of the Town and Village Renewal scheme this year, I intend to launch a pilot project to encourage residential occupancy in rural towns and villages. This pilot will be launched separately in the second half of the year, when details of the scheme have been finalised in consultation with relevant Departments. Full details of the criteria to apply will be announced when the pilot is launched.