Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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34. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the details of the CLÁR Programme 2018; the way in which it will benefit rural communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19013/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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CLÁR is a targeted capital investment programme for rural areas which have experienced significant levels of depopulation. The programme was originally launched in October 2001 but was closed for applications in 2010. I re-opened the programme in 2016 and, since then, 900 projects have been approved for funding under CLÁR.

I launched the 2018 CLÁR programme on 15th March, with an indicative allocation of €5 million for qualifying projects under the following measures:

Measure 1: Support for Schools/Community Safety Measures

Measure 2: Play Areas/ MUGAs

Measure 3: First Response Support Measure

The closing date for receipt of applications was 30^thApril. My officials will now assess all applications received against the criteria for the programme, and I hope to be in a position to announce the successful 2018 CLÁR projects in the coming weeks.

The CLÁR programme is an important part of the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development. It makes a significant contribution to the rural communities it serves. A modest investment under the CLÁR programme, such as for the provision of a play area, can have a significant impact on a community, for example by providing a central location for children to play and for their parents to meet.

The CLÁR programme is also helping to make rural schools safer for our children by funding footpaths and traffic calming measures in their vicinity. These simple measures make a huge difference to the quality of life of parents and children in rural communities.

I was delighted to announce again, this year, that the CLÁR programme will support our voluntary first-response organisations who provide an excellent and vital service in many rural areas, often under very difficult circumstances.

A total of €20 million has now been invested in CLÁR areas since I re-launched the scheme in 2016.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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35. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to review the CLÁR areas based on the 2016 census returns; the timeline for the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18965/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The CLÁR (Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais) programme is an important part of the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development and makes a huge contribution to supporting some of the most depopulated areas in rural Ireland.  The programme provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in disadvantaged rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population.  

CLÁR was originally launched in October 2001 to provide for targeted investment in disadvantaged rural areas. The areas originally selected for inclusion in the 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 Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA) at Maynooth University and the programme was extended to include areas with an average population loss of 35% between 1926 and 2002. The areas included since the reopening of the CLÁR programme in 2016 are based on the work carried out by NIRSA in 2006.

I intend to carry out a full review of CLÁR areas later this year on the basis of the 2016 Census of Population data.  The level of depopulation will continue to be a primary factor in the designation of any area as a CLÁR area.  The review will involve a detailed examination of all areas of the country, as well as stakeholder consultation.  I plan to begin the review process in the coming months with the aim of having a full and comprehensive review completed before the end of this year. 

The findings of the review will inform the future operation of the scheme, post-2018.