Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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2622. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to promote and fund the expansion of the town centre first scheme to include Kenmare town in County Kerry, thereby addressing vibrancy, vacancy and dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20425/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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2623. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to promote and fund the expansion of the town centre first scheme to include Milltown, County Kerry, thereby addressing vibrancy, vacancy and dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20426/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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2624. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to promote and fund the expansion of the town centre first scheme to include Dingle, County Kerry, thereby addressing vibrancy, vacancy and dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20427/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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2625. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to promote and fund the expansion of the town centre first scheme to include Castleisland, County Kerry, thereby addressing vibrancy, vacancy and dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20428/25]

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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2626. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to promote and fund the expansion of the town centre first scheme to include Listowel town in County Kerry, thereby addressing vibrancy, vacancy and dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20429/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2622, 2623, 2624, 2625 and 2626 together.

The Town Centre First (TCF) Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. TCF supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland by setting out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable places to live, work, invest in, and visit. As set out in the answer to previous questions numbers 431 and 438 of 27 March 2025, significant progress has been delivered in the delivery of the Policy since its launch in 2022, (including the funding that has been provided for TCF projects in Milltown, Kenmare, Castleisland, Ballybunion, Dingle and Valentia Island).

Further details of all the towns and projects awarded funding under TCF funding measures can be found on Gov.ie at this link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/473d3-town-centre-first-policy/. The TCF website also provides material in relation to the work ongoing, led by the National TCF Office, available at the following link: .

A range of capital investment schemes across Government Departments can be accessed to support towns and villages nationally, irrespective of whether those towns and villages have TCF Plans or Town Teams in place. These schemes directly support the implementation of the Town Centre First approach as set out in the Policy. Examples of such supports include, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the THRIVE scheme to revitalise our heritage buildings and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.

In particluar, the Deputy may wish to note that my Department's Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2025 is now open for applications, and full details of the Scheme are available on my Department's website.

My Department will continue to work closely with colleagues in the National TCF Office, local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages, as committed to under the current Programme for Government.