Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development when applications to the rural regeneration and development fund will be assessed and approvals notified to the successful applicants. [46129/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The first call for applications for the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund closed at the end of September.  €1 billion is committed to this fund over a 10 year period to support rural economic development and help build strong communities.

There was a great response with 290 applications received. Of these 125 were for category 1 "shovel ready" projects and the other 165 were for category 2 projects - those which need development funding to become potential category 1 applications in future calls for applications.

Assessment criteria are published and the applications are now being assessed by a project advisory board. The board includes representatives from key Government Departments and external experts. 

By the end of this month I am expecting to receive recommendations from the project advisory board on the first group of category 1 projects for funding and I will announce the first tranche of successful category 1 projects.

Further announcements on successful category 1 and category 2 projects will follow.