Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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322. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress being made with the community hub in a premises (details supplied) in Monasterevin; the target date for its opening; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62594/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In June of this year, I launched the 2022 Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), again prioritising projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use and promote residential occupancy in town centres.

In recognition of the urgent need to transform and regenerate town centres I introduced a new Building Acquisition Measure (BAM) under the 2022 Scheme to support local authorities to immediately acquire derelict or vacant buildings, with the intention of using these projects for town regeneration purposes in line with the aims of TVRS.

Kildare County Council were approved funding under this measure to purchase the building referred to by the Deputy with the intention of further developing it into a co working and remote working hub. The properties funded under BAM must form the basis of an application under a future TVRS call or be developed for town regeneration purposes via the local authorities' own resources or another funding stream by the end of 2024.

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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323. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she has given consideration to re-establishing an offshore island specific local action group for the LEADER programme in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62622/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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LEADER is a key programme within Our Rural Future, and the Expression of Interest stage to select the Groups to deliver the next LEADER programme is now open.

As is the case with the current LEADER programme, the sub regional areas for the new LEADER programme will correspond with county boundaries. This alignment will help to ensure coherence of LEADER funding with other initiatives and policies delivered on a county basis, thus helping to deliver the best impact and value for money for LEADER.

The offshore islands will continue to be aligned with their relevant sub-regional area and a separate Island Local Action Group (LAG) will not form part of the LEADER delivery model.

However, a number of important new elements are included in the model for the new programme which address the specific needs and challenges of the Island communities. Any LAGs selected in an area that includes island communities will be required to identify in their LEADER strategy specific actions developed in consultation with the island communities themselves and include an indicative budget to implement such actions. In addition, a representative of the island grouping, in each sub-regional area, must be included in the decision-making body of the LAG.

It is important that the key public and private stakeholders in communities across Ireland come together in partnership to deliver the new LEADER programme, ensuring that LEADER can continue to deliver real benefits to rural communities across Ireland including our island communities.