Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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275. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the projects in County Meath that received funding under the CLAR Programme; and the amount of funding received for the years 2023, 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form. [21328/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The CLÁR programme is a targeted investment programme that provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. Since 2017, almost €1.6 million has been awarded in County Meath for some 43 CLÁR projects .

The attached table outlines the projects approved and the amount of CLÁR funding awarded to those projects in Co Meath from 2023 to date.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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276. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of funding allocated to the LIS scheme each year over the past ten years. [21098/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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278. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will increase funding to the LIS scheme substantially; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21100/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 278 together.

The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities for LIS.

While the Department provides funding for LIS, the scheme is administered by local authorities responsible for selecting and prioritising roads. Applications are received directly by local authorities, who engage with scheme beneficiaries.

Regarding annual funding allocations to LIS, department officials review the scheme ahead of any new funding announcements to ensure our local authorities make allocations as fairly and efficiently as possible. My Department officials also work closely with local authorities to ensure funding is fully utilised. As has been the case in recent years, I will continue to monitor capital expenditure across my Department as the year progresses, with the potential to utilise any savings that may arise elsewhere for schemes such as the LIS. I will also be engaging with the upcoming review of the National Development Plan to seek increased capital expenditure allocations across the investment schemes operated by my Department.

The attached tabular statement provides details of the funding amount allocated to each local authority for the years 2017 - 2025

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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277. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of funding allocated to each Local Authority each year over the past ten years, in tabular form. [21099/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG) with the amounts paid to each local authority in each year, for inclusion in their Report on the Accounts of the Public Services. As my Department was established in 2017, I have provided the information for 2017 to 2024 inclusive. I would note that the 2024 figures remain provisional until the OCAG report referred to is published. My Department also publishes funding allocations made for all schemes, with allocations announced in one year often being paid out across a number of years. This information is available here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development/collections/funding-allocated-by-the-department/

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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279. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of LEADER funding that has been allocated to rural tourism in 2024. [21459/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The current LEADER Programme runs to 2027 and is now up and running across the country. It supports a broad range of enterprises and community groups to develop projects which improve the quality of life and economic activity in rural areas. It is delivered through Local Action Groups across rural Ireland. A feature of the LEADER programme is that it is based on a community-led, bottom-up approach to rural development.

Funding under the current LEADER programme is focused on a thematic approach to rural development, with Local Action Groups selecting and awarding LEADER funding to projects in accordance with their local development strategies, and under the themes and sub-themes of the programme.

The LEADER themes are a) Economic Development and Job Creation, b) Rural Infrastructure and Social Inclusion, and c) Sustainable Development of the Rural Environment, and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. Within the Economic Development theme, there is a specific sub theme related to Rural Tourism and Recreation. Funding for rural tourism activities would generally align with this sub-theme. To date under the current programme, 77 projects valued at approx. €4.2 million have been allocated LEADER funding by the Local Action Groups under this sub-theme. This level of projects is reflective of the time spent by Local Action Groups with applicants to generate high quality project proposals at this early stage of the programming period. I look forward to seeing the level of approvals grow in the coming months as applications are progressed.