Written answers

Tuesday, 23 July 2024

Department of Rural and Community Development

Departmental Funding

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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2675.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding provided to Galway County Council each year since 2020 for the town and village renewal scheme, broken down by municipal area and projects supported, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32014/24]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since its launch in 2016, over €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects supporting towns and villages across the country.

In April, I was delighted to announce that my Department is supporting 82 projects with funding of €20.4 million under the 2023 Scheme. I look forward to seeing all the successful projects coming to fruition over the coming years.

Since its inception of TVRS in 2017, Galway County Council has been allocated funding of more than €6.7 million for 73 projects. Since 2020, over €3.7 million has been allocated for 37 projects. Under the 2023 scheme, Galway County Council was allocated €750,000 for 3 projects. Details of the approved projects are available on my Department's website.

While the Department does not record project information at the level of municipal district, I have provided a link with a full list of projects and the funding provided to Galway County Council since 2020 under TVRS.

">TVRS Funding Provided to Galway Co. Co. since 2020

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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2676.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding provided to projects in County Galway under the Clár programme each year since 2020 broken down by municipal area and projects supported, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32015/24]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The CLáR programme provides targeted investment for small scale infrastructural projects in defined rural areas. Since 2020, over 70 projects have been approved in county Galway with almost €3 million in funding. The following table lists the projects approved in Galway since 2020. My Department does not capture municipal district details as part of the application process, although location details for projects are included in the table below.

">CLáR approved projects in Galway since 2020 with location details

To date, there have been no approvals under CLáR 2024.

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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2677.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding provided to projects in County Galway under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund each year since 2020 broken down by municipal area and projects supported, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32016/24]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather 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.

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

In May, I announced €163.7 million under the fifth call for Category 1 applications RRDF for 30 projects including funding of €13.7 million for three projects located in County Galway.

Since 2020, funding of €421 million has been provided for 135 projects located across the county. Nine projects located in County Galway have been awarded RRDF funding of €19.6 million since 2020.

While the Department does not record project information at the level of municipal district, I have provided a list of projects located in Galway allocated funding under the RRDF since 2020.

Location Year Funding Awarded Category Project Name Total RRDF Funding
Athenry 2022 2 Athenry Cross Street and Market Square €157,500
Athenry 2024 1 Athenry Public Realm Enhancement Scheme and Community and Enterprise Hub project €6,075,518
Glenamaddy 2024 1 Creation of Multi-Use Community Facility in Glenamaddy €4,003,125
Clifden 2020 2 Clifden Town Centre €792,030
Portumna 2020 2 Portumna Vision 2030 €1,192,855
Portumna 2021 1 Portumna Courthouse €2,950,748
Gort 2022 2 Gort Inse Guaire €798,584
Tuam 2024 1 Tuam Town Hall €3,679,200
Galway 2020 2 The Beara Breifne Way €33,333

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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2678.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding provided to projects in County Galway under the LEADER programme each year since 2020, broken down by municipal area and projects supported, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32017/24]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The LEADER Programme is a key intervention of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development, which aims to deliver a range of actions to rural communities over the lifetime of the policy. It supports a broad range of activities that aim to respond to the diversity of the local needs of our rural areas.

From 2020 to 31 December 2023, 275 projects with a value of over €8.1 million were approved for funding by the LAGs under the 2014-2022 LEADER programme in county Galway. This programme closed for approvals at the end of 2023.

The 2023-2027 LEADER programme has now commenced in county Galway. The LAGs are in the early stages of implementation which involves engaging with their respective communities and working with them to develop their project proposals. As such there have been no projects approved to date in 2024 under the new programme but I look forward to seeing progress in this area over the coming months.

LEADER funding is not allocated by municipal area rather it is linked to a sub-regional or the geographical area of the LAG within the sub-regional area. Details of all projects approved under the 2014-2022 LEADER programme by the two LAGs operating in the Galway sub-regional area and the funding allocated to them are available on my Department’s website at:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/b849be-local-action-groups-approved-projects-2014-2020/

The Local Action Groups delivering the programme are Forum Connemara in Galway West, Galway Rural Development in Galway East and Comhar na nOiléan on the Galway islands

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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2679.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding provided to projects in County Galway under the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme each year since 2020, broken down by municipal area and projects supported, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32018/24]

Photo of Joe O'BrienJoe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention. This is a national programme that is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies (LDCs) to help those in the greatest need. SICAP aims to address high and persistent levels of deprivation through targeted and innovative, locally-led approaches.

SICAP has two overall programme goals - Goal One provides supports to community groups and Goal Two involves support for individuals. Local Development Companies delivering SICAP can allocate grants to Local Community Groups, Networks, Social Enterprises, Enterprise start-ups and Individuals in line with programme requirements.

The table at the link outlines the grants paid to Local Community Groups, Social Enterprises and Individuals in County Galway Lots. Please note that data provided is in relation to the years 2020 – 2023 and is broken down by Electoral District only. No grants were paid to Social Enterprises in 2020. All names and addresses of individuals who received grants have been omitted but the Electoral District in which they reside has been provided. Data is not yet available for 2024.

">SICAP funding to projects in Co. Galway

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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2680.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the total funding provided to Galway County Council for the local improvement scheme, broken down per municipal area in each year since 2020 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32032/24]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Local Improvement Scheme supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. The Scheme was reintroduced by my Department in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding.

Since 2017 my Department has allocated almost €170 million to local authorities under the Scheme. I recently announced over €40 million in funding to cover works under the Scheme across 2024 and 2025. This demonstrates my commitment to ensuring improvement and upgrade works continue on eligible roads under the scheme's terms.

My Department provides funding to each local authority at a county level, who then distribute funds according to roads selected from their priority lists. My Department holds no information on funding allocated to each municipal district.

Since 2020, Galway County Council has received the following in LIS funding.

- 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024/2025 Total
Galway €856,959 €1,580,871 €1,682,841 €1,518,259 €3,088,444 €8,727,374

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