Vol. 504 No. 3
77 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his Department has received an application for funding from Wicklow County Council for a library in Baltinglass, County Wicklow; and, if so, the stage of these plans. [11825/99]
A proposal for a branch library at Baltinglass was received in my Department in November 1996. This proposal was not advanced due to the large number of proposals on hands in the Department, and the limited funding available at that time.
However, the capital allocation for library improvements has been increased from £2.76 million in 1998 to £7.2 million this year. Against this background, I wrote to all local authorities recently requesting them to update and, where appropriate, prioritise all their library proposals. The local authorities' responses, including that of Wicklow County Council, are currently being evaluated in my Department.
