Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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603. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will approve a CLÁR application for groups (details supplied). [50675/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period.

Since the programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures with over €57 million being approved for almost 2,100 projects throughout rural Ireland.

I launched the 2023 programme in March and it is divided into three measures.

Under Measure 1, grants from €5,000 to €50,000 are being provided to support the development of community and sports facilities, youth clubs, playgrounds, sensory gardens and walking tracks.

Measure 2 of the programme will continue to provide funding of up to €100,000 to support local community and voluntary groups to purchase vehicles for the transport of cancer patients to treatment centres.

Measure 3 of the Programme is designed to support offshore island communities, with maximum grants of €120,000 available for community transport projects and up to €50,000 available to develop community amenity projects.

All the groups referenced by the Deputy refer to Measure 1 applications. Community groups submit applications under Measure 1 directly to their local authority, who can then prioritise up to 15 to forward to my Department for consideration for funding.

I can confirm that 15 applications seeking almost €637,000 have been submitted by Westmeath County Council under Measure 1. This includes applications from 3 of the groups referred to by the deputy. An application from the third group listed by the Deputy was not received from Westmeath County Council.

I was pleased to announce the approval of funding of over €2million for 37 projects under Measure 2 in August of this year. This included support for 2 applications from County Westmeath.

My officials are currently considering all applications submitted under Measures 1 and 3 of the CLÁR programme. I expect to make an announcement of the successful projects under Measures 1 and 3 of the CLÁR programme in the coming weeks.

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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604. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will provide an update on an application to POBAL under the CSP programme by an association (details supplied). [50760/23]