Written answers

Thursday, 5 December 2019

Department of Rural and Community Development

Rural Regeneration and Development Fund Administration

Photo of Martin HeydonMartin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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17. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the rural regeneration fund; when the next phase will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50647/19]

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund seeks to support ambitious and strategic projects which have the potential to transform rural economies and communities. The Government has committed €1 billion over 10 years to the Fund and €315 million is allocated to the Fund for the period 2019-2022.  

The first call for applications to the Fund closed in September 2018.  There was a large response to the first call, with 280 applications received under Categories 1 and 2.  

Category 1 related to projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place and which were ready to proceed, while Category 2 projects were those which required further development to become ready for Category 1 status. 

On foot of the first call, 38 successful Category 1 projects and 46 Category 2 projects were announced, with funding of €86m provided from the Fund to support projects worth €117m.  

The second call for Category 1 applications for the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund closed on 6th August 2019.  There was an excellent response from across the country and my Department received 69 applications for funding. I announced the successful projects from the second call on the 6thNovember 2019.  26 projects were approved for funding of €62 million to support projects costing €95 million.

I will be announcing a second call for Category 2 applications - projects which require development support to become ready for Category 1 status - before the end of this year. 

The next call for Category 1 applications to the Fund will be announced in early 2020.

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