Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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108. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding streams that are available within her Department for allotments and community gardens; the level of take-up of those funding streams; if there are plans to expand that funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45079/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the many cultural, environmental, social, and health benefits of community gardens and allotments. Accordingly, there are a number of possible funding options available for such initiatives.

The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. This year's programme was launched in February last with a total budget of €7 million. This represents an increase of €1.5 million on the budget for the 2021 CLÁR programme.

The measures being funded under CLÁR 2022 are:

- Measure 1: Developing Community Facilities and Amenities

- Measure 2: Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport

- Measure 3: ‘Our Islands’

Community gardens and allotments were eligible for funding under Measure 1 of CLÁR 2022, which is administered at a local level by local authorities. The 2022 Programme is now closed for applications and details of successful applications are published on my Department's website. Funding of over €10 million was approved under Measure 1 and included a number of community gardens.

The LEADER programme is another key intervention implemented by my Department which will help to underpin the Government's rural development goals as outlined in Our Rural Future. The LEADER programme is delivered through 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) across rural Ireland. A feature of the LEADER programme is that it is based on a community-led, bottom-up approach to rural development, and funding may also be available based on this approach.In order for a project to be eligible for LEADER funding, it must be compatible with the actions outlined in the approved Local Development Strategy for the relevant LEADER area and it must comply with the Operating Rules and EU Regulations in place for the programme.

Prospective applicants should, in the first instance, contact their relevant LAG, through its Implementing Partner, to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available. The list of all LAGs, their Implementing Partners and their contact details, is available on my Department’s website.