Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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205. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the projects approved to date in counties Cavan and Monaghan under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund; when the next tranche of projects will be approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49994/18]

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 the Fund over a 10 year period to support rural economic development and help build strong communities.

There was an excellent response to the first call, with nearly 300 applications received. Applications for the Fund are currently being examined by the Project Advisory Board, made up of representatives from key Government Departments and external experts, which was established to oversee the assessment process. Category 1 "shovel ready" projects have been prioritised in the assessment process and Category 2 projects - those which need development funding to become potential Category 1 applications in future calls for applications - will be considered at a later date.

I announced the first set of successful Category 1 projects for funding on the 23rd November 2018 and I can confirm that Cavan County Council received funding of €867,174 for a project to enhance Cootehill Industrial Estate, an important business site located close to the Cavan and Monaghan border.

The announcement on the 23rd November was just the beginning of the process and further announcements of successful Category 1 and Category 2 projects will take place early in 2019 with a further call for the Fund taking place in mid-2019.