Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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559. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps taken to review the eligibility criteria for the town and village renewal scheme, in line with the Programme for Government commitment to allow towns with populations over 10,000 to apply; whether revised criteria will be in place for the next call for applications; the expected timeline for any changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48817/26]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Town and Village Renewal Scheme was introduced in 2016 and is designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme, more than €210 million has been allocated to over 1,900 projects. Delivered in partnership with local authorities, the scheme primarily targets funding at rural areas with populations of less than 10,000 people, though towns with populations of up to 15,000 are eligible where the application is of high quality, cost-effective and would provide significant local benefits.

It is my intention to ensure that schemes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme are using available funding in the most efficient and effective manner. With this in mind, and in line with the commitments in the Programme for Government, the terms and conditions of each scheme are reviewed before the launch of each call for proposals.

It is my intention to launch the next iteration of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme later this year and in advance of the launch I will examine the approach to eligible towns, including towns with populations over 10,000 as referenced by the Deputy.

It is also of note that under the umbrella of the Town Centre First policy, a range of funding supports are available to local authorities to support larger and more urban settlements. This includes the Thrive scheme and the Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund which is funded by the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.