Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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27. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the allocation of €132,385 for County Longford and €136,571 for County Westmeath under the community enhancement fund is set to increase in 2019; the way in which the allocation to each county was spent in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2828/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I launched the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) in 2018. The Programme provides grants to community groups to enhance facilities in order to address disadvantage as identified in each local authority's Local Economic and Community Plan.

Last year I allocated CEP funding to local authorities taking into account the level of disadvantage and population in each area with an initial provision of €132,385 to Longford and €136,571 to Westmeath. Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from communities across the country, I subsequently allocated an additional €8 million to the Programme. Longford and Westmeath received additional funding bringing their total allocations to €226,909 and €148,104 respectively. In addition, Longford and Westmeath received €7,246 and €18,841, respectively, under a ring-fenced Men's Shed fund.

I am currently considering the approach for the 2019 Programme.

Detail on approved projects for 2018 in each county are available on my Department's website on the following two links:

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