Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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97. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when he will announce successful projects under the CLÁR 2025 programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38270/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The CLÁR Programme is an important funding stream for some of our most rural areas and, in recent years, has funded a vast array of community amenities such as community centres, sporting facilities, playgrounds, sensory gardens and walking trails. It has also been a vital source of funding for vehicles used to transport people with disabilities and to allow people access vital cancer services.

Between 2020 and 2024, over €51 million was approved for almost 1300 projects nationwide under the CLÁR programme. The level of funding provided has increased each year from just under €6 million in 2020 to almost €14 million covering over 320 projects in 2024.

I launched the 2025 CLÁR programme on April 4th and applications were invited under three separate measures as follows:

Measure 1 of the programme supports the development of community facilities and amenities

Measure 2 provides support for the provision of vehicles to transport people with mobility issues or for cancer treatment, for community first responders and for meals on wheel.

Measure 3 aims to support communities on our offshore islands in line with the Departments policy for the development of our inhabited offshore islands, ‘Our Living Islands’

The closing date for all measures has now passed and my officials have begun the assessment process. I look forward to announcing the successful projects across all three measures in the coming months. I would expect to be announce allocations under Measure 2 first, with Measures 1 and 3 to follow later in the year.