Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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337. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the town and village renewal scheme; when applications from County Kildare can be submitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29753/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The 2018 Town and Village Renewal Scheme was launched on 27th April 2018. The scheme is funded by my Department and administered through the Local Authorities.

For the 2018 scheme, Local Authorities were required to seek expressions of interest from communities for project proposals. The Local Authorities were invited to select up to 12 proposals for submission to my Department for consideration. The closing date for submission of applications to the Department was 30 June 2018.

My Department received 8 applications from Kildare County Council under the scheme and these applications are currently being assessed. It is anticipated that successful projects will be announced in early September. Projects will be expected to commence by the end of the year and will run for a period of up to 18 months.

Over €31.6 million in Town and Village Renewal funding has been approved for over 450 projects across the country since the scheme was introduced in the second half of 2016. It is anticipated that at a further €15 million in funding will be approved under the 2018 Scheme for up to 200 projects.

The Government’s commitment to supporting rural Ireland is underscored through the new €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund which I launched this week. This new Fund will provide an opportunity to deliver more integrated and ambitious projects which will further support the revitalisation of our rural towns and villages in the coming years.