Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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25. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the communities and projects and the value of funding in Galway city and county allocated funding under the community facilities fund in 2018 and 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50641/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I launched the new Community Enhancement Programme in May 2018.  The Programme builds on and replaces the Communities Facilities Scheme and the recast RAPID programme which operated in 2017. Its development followed a review of those two schemes, and consultation with the 33 LCDCs across the country. 

Under the Programme, funding is allocated to each Local Authority area taking account of the deprivation level in each area.  The LCDC then administers the programme to ensure funding is allocated locally to the areas that need it most. 

I originally allocated €4.5 million to this programme in 2018, and, based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from communities around the country I then allocated an additional €8 million to the programme, bringing the total to €13 million. Galway City received €227,879 and Galway County received €398,937.

I ran the Community Enhancement Programme again in 2019 with funding of €4.5 million. Galway City received €132,455 and Galway County received €143,401.

These figures exclude €0.5 million provided each year under the Programme for a ring-fenced fund for Men’s and Women’s Sheds.

A list of the projects allocated funding in 2018 is available on my Department’s website and the list for 2019 is currently being compiled. I will provide copies to the Deputy separately.