Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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348. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the analysis her Department has undertaken regarding the north west, in particular County Donegal; if her Department is examining rural development opportunities for the north west; the details of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34378/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides funding through a range of programmes to support rural development across the country. These include the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, LEADER, CLAR and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. The schemes provide an opportunity for local communities and Local Authorities to source funding for opportunities which they identify locally.

Calls for proposals are announced on a regular basis under the different schemes. In many cases, applications are made by the Local Authorities, in consultation with their local communities. In other cases, such as the LEADER programme, project applications are developed at community level.

The Local Action Group responsible for the delivery of the 2014-2020 LEADER Programme in County Donegal has a budget of over €10 million for the duration of the programming period for project allocations and I understand that over €8.7 million of this has been allocated to date.

Under Project Ireland 2040, the Government committed €1 billion to the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) over a 10 year period to support rural economic development and to help build strong communities. During 2020 alone, Donegal received an allocation from the RRDF of over €372,000.

Under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, over €295,000 in funding has been provided to projects in Donegal so far this year, while €500,000 was provided through the Outdoor Infrastructure Recreation Scheme.

My Department has also provided funding through a number of community development programmes, including SICAP and the Community Enhancement Programme to the North West and to County Donegal. In addition, in recognition of the challenges posed by COVID-19, my Department has provided funding to support rural communities throughout the country through the COVID-19 Emergency Fund and the Community and Voluntary COVID-19 Stability Scheme.

Full lists of projects supported by my Department are available on my Department's pages on the Gov.ie website. These will provide a comprehensive picture of the supports provided to the North West under the various schemes.