Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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28. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of funding Louth has received through programmes such as the Community Enhancement Programme, LEADER, or the town and village renewal scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22540/26]

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the way in which his Department is ensuring that smaller communities in Louth, such as Carlingford, Dunleer and Collon are not left behind in strategies and programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22539/26]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 31 together.

My Department is committed to supporting sustainable, inclusive and resilient communities in both urban and rural areas. This is supported through strategic policies such as Our Rural Future, and the related funding programmes that support such policy. Through the programmes operated by my Department, €43 million in funding has been approved for County Louth since 2022. This includes over €6 million to date in 2026.

With regard to the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP), which replaced the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) in 2024, this provides small scale capital grants for many small community groups and organisations, and helps support thousands of groups nationwide. The most recent announcement of overall funding, in December 2025, provided €239,000 for County Louth. The grants to individual organisations under previous iterations are available on my Departments website at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/collections/local-enhancement-programme-2025-funding-allocations/

The LEADER programme, which is co-funded by the EU, delivers tangible benefits to rural communities in areas such as economic development and job creation, rural infrastructure, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. A total of €4.9 million has been allocated to Louth Local Action Group (LAG) area for the LEADER 2023-2027 Programme. Details of projects approved by the LAG are available here.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016 and has to date allocated over €210 million to more than 1,900 projects nationally. This scheme primarily targets funding at smaller rural towns and villages with populations of less than 10,000. Most recently, in December 2025, I was pleased to allocate over €1.1 million for the delivery of four projects in County Louth under TVRS, including €300,000 for the construction of a playground in Collon featuring accessible play equipment and safety surfacing. Details of all approved TVRS projects are also available on my Department’s website.

With regarding to ensuring all communities can benefit from funding, the schemes operated by my Department are designed to ensure that projects of all scales, and in communities of all sizes, can obtain funding. We work closely with local authorities to ensure schemes are flexible and that communities are aware of funding options. I would also note that the recent review of CLÁR areas resulted in Castlebellingham ED being added to the list of eligible areas.