Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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2082. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department has received an application from Kerry County Council under the rural regeneration scheme since its inception in respect of Boolteens and Castlemaine, County Kerry; if so, the details of the application; the dates and project proposals of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15066/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The first and second calls for Category 1 and Category 2 applications under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund are fully complete.  To date, 63 Category 1 projects have been approved for funding of €131 million and 76 Category 2 projects have been approved for funding of €35 million.  Category 1 relates to major projects that can drive sustainable rural regeneration and development, while Category 2 supports projects that require development funding to bring projects to a stage where they are ready to apply under Category 1 calls.

The third call for Category 1 applications closed on the 1 December 2020.   Applications received under this call are currently being assessed by my Department under the oversight of the Project Advisory Board, comprised of representatives from key Government Departments and independent experts. 

I have been informed by my officials that no application to the Fund has been received to date from Kerry County Council specifically for Boolteens and Castlemaine.  However, the Council has been very active in engaging with my Department in respect of the Fund and has submitted a number of applications across the calls to date. 

The third call for Category 2 applications under the Fund will be announced shortly.