Written answers
Thursday, 21 September 2017
Department of Rural and Community Development
Departmental Budgets
Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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199. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of capital allocated to his Department for 2017 at its creation; the amount of this spent to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40019/17]
Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The 2017 capital allocations and corresponding spend to the end of August 2017 for my Department are displayed in the following table.
| Subhead Title | 2017 REV Allocation€’000s | Spend to end of August 2017€’000s |
|---|---|---|
| Dormant Accounts Fund | 2,006 | 1,602 |
| Western Development Commission | 1,000 | 0 |
| National Rural Development Schemes (incl CLAR & Rural Recreation) | 11,853 | 238 |
| LEADER | 40,000 | 7,985 |
| Town & Village Renewal | 12,000 | 0 |
| Rural Broadband, Regional Development | 1,000 | 14 |
| RAPID | 5,000 | 8 |
| Programme for Peace and Reconciliation | 700 | 0 |
| Libraries Development and Archive Service | 2,750 | 579 |
| Community Facilities Scheme | 2,000 | 2,000 |
Typically, the bulk of expenditure on capital programmes occurs in the latter half of the year. In 2017, the majority of expenditure on these programmes was profiled to occur in the latter half of the year. For example, successful projects under the CLÁR and Rural Recreation programmes were announced between May and June of this year, and payments will be drawn-down as these projects are delivered.
Since June, the number of project approvals under LEADER has increased significantly, with well over 200 projects fully approved for grant aid of over €6 million. This compares to approvals with a grant aid of less than €1 million in the previous 6 months. This funding will be drawn down as projects start to incur expenditure and submit payment claims.
It is expected that the allocations in relation to the Rapid and Libraries Development Programmes will be fully expended by year end, while successful projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme will be announced shortly.
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