Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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79. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of progress in meeting the objective set out in the Action Plan for Rural Development to support improvements to 600 towns and villages by 2019 under the town and village renewal scheme. [38572/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Government's three-year Action Plan for Rural Development was published in January 2017. The Plan includes a suite of measures to support our rural towns and villages, with a view to revitalising over 600 towns and villages over its lifetime.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is a key part of the Action Plan for Rural Development. Since the launch of the Action Plan, I have allocated €21.6 million to 281 projects throughout the country under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. This follows on from €10 million which was allocated to 170 projects under the scheme in 2016, prior to the publication of the Action Plan. The Town and Village Renewal Scheme has therefore provided in excess of €31 million to over 450 projects since 2016.

I launched the 2018 Town and Village Renewal Scheme on 27 April last, which will see up to 200 further towns and villages benefit from an indicative allocation of €15 million over the next 15 to 18 months.

A further call for proposals in 2019 would see the target of supporting the revitalisation of 600 towns and villages over the period 2017 to 2019 being reached, or even exceeded.

In addition, the new €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development 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. The first call for proposals under this Fund is now open and applications will be accepted up to 12 noon on 27th September.