Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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496. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of applications made by each local authority to the digital innovation programme since established on an annual basis, in tabular form; the number of applications made by each local authority to the programme that were approved and not approved, respectively; the amount of funding allocated to approved applications in each local authority annually; and the amount of approved funding that has been expended in each year. [14785/19]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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The Digital Innovation Programme was launched in the second half of 2018. All Local Authorities were invited by my Department to apply for funding under two calls for proposals last year. This resulted in 36 valid applications progressing to evaluation stage, and 21 projects being approved for funding. In addition, a number of Local Authorities submitted applications that were not deemed valid in the context of the scheme criteria and, as a consequence, did not progress to the evaluation stage.

Details of the valid applications received from each of the Local Authorities who submitted proposals, along with the number of applications approved and the funding awarded, are provided in Table 1.

Since its inception in 2018, €700,094 has been awarded under the Digital Innovation Programme. All of the allocated funding was drawn down by the Local Authorities in 2018.

Further details of the projects funded by my Department through the Digital Innovation Programme can be found on the Department’s website: www.drcd.gov.ie.

Table 1 - Digital Innovation Programme: Applications by Local Authority