Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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1710. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the up to date position with a project in south Kildare (details supplied); if an application has been received for additional funding from the council; when a decision will be made on such funding; and the expected finish date of the project. [15300/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns, villages and rural areas across Ireland. Funding is allocated to local authorities and other State-funded bodies.

Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 relates to large scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place, and which are ready to proceed. Category 2 provides smaller grant funding to enable the development of project proposals suitable for future calls for Category 1 applications.

To date, 215 projects have been approved for RRDF funding of €414 million.

The Barrow Blueway project was approved for funding from the second call for Category 1 applications to the RRDF. Since that initial approval, however, Kildare County Council has advised my Department of significant changes to the scope and costings of the project as originally approved. My officials have extensively with Kildare County Council in relation to this project. Our shared objective is to ensure the delivery of a high quality and value for money project for the local community. With this in mind, and given the fundamental and substantial changes to the scope and costing of this project, Kildare County Council has submitted a new application reflecting the changed scope of the project to the fifth call for Category 1 applications.

The fifth call for Category 1 projects closed on the 8th of February 2024. The competitive assessment process is underway and I expect to announce the successful projects in the coming weeks.