Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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266. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development how much has been drawn down in respect of the town and village renewal funding announced for Killorglin in 2021; the current status of the plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55800/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Killorglin Town Centre Smart Rural Regeneration Project was approved for Category 2 funding of €961,800 from the third call for Category 2 applications under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) in 2022. The lead party for the project is Kerry County Council.

The project will develop plans to re-use a vacant building as a multifunction hub for tourism, education, training and co-working purposes, renovate a derelict former courthouse as a heritage and cultural centre, develop public realm works incorporating smart travel and public spaces and enhance connectivity to the amenities of the River Laune. The project aims to build on the town’s assets to ensure that economic development opportunities are optimised.

To date, RRDF funding of €123,122 has been drawn down for the project. My officials maintain ongoing contact with lead applicants in respect of progress with individual RRDF projects. In this instance, I am aware that the project is progressing and the most recent update from Kerry County Council indicates an expected completion timeline of Quarter 4 of 2024.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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267. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development when county allocations for LIS 2024 will be announced; if she will take into account that over 600 roads in Kerry, about one fifth of the national total, await improvement; if she will consider allocating funding relative to the number of roads awaiting improvement per local authority area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55801/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities.

As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is funded into the future. The LIS supports improving rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. The scheme makes an essential contribution to connectivity in rural Ireland.

Between 2017 and 2023, my Department has allocated almost €130 million towards improvement works on over 4,000 non-public roads and lanes. These works have benefitted over 20,000 landowners and residents in rural Ireland. Kerry County Council have received over €7 million in LIS funding between 2017 and 2023. In 2023 alone Kerry was allocated over €1.5 million.

The 2024 LIS Scheme will be launched in early 2024, in order to give each local authority as much time as possible to complete outstanding LIS road works.

While my department funds LIS, it is administered by local authorities who prioritise road projects and establish eligibility as per Section 81 of the Local Government Act 2001. My officials continue to engage with all local authorities in relation to the management of LIS waiting lists. In addition, I have been in ongoing communication with my colleague, the Minister for Transport regarding his Department contributing to a jointly funded LIS scheme so that we can further address the demand under the Scheme.