Question No. 6 is in the name of Deputy O'Connor but I do not see him here so we will move on to No. 7.
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Harbours and Piers
Catherine Connolly
Question:7. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Parliamentary Question No. 956 of 5 April 2022, the status of the development of Caladh Mór on Inis Meáin; the status of the bathymetric studies on the harbour; if they have been completed to date; the status of the development of the updated simulation by the National Maritime College of Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27786/22]
Táimid ar ais arís ar Inis Meáin agus an chéibh ansin, an Caladh Mór. Is í mo cheist arís agus i gcónaí ná cad é stádas na forbartha atá beartaithe? Tá a fhios agam go raibh an tAire ar an oileán ach cá bhfuilimid faoi láthair? What is the status of the promised development of an Caladh Mór? Where is that development in terms of the studies that were promised? I was looking forward to hearing that they are completed or to hearing a date for their completion.
I know this is something the Deputy has raised with me on a number of occasions. The development of the Caladh Mór pier on Inis Meáin is included in the NDP. As the Deputy will be aware, Galway County Council is responsible for the development of stage 3 of this project. As part of the preparatory works, the National Maritime College of Ireland was requested by Galway County Council to develop a model simulation for the harbour. The council has collated the technical specifications of the key vessels that use the harbour and this data will be fed into the simulation. It is hoped that the simulation will be completed and tested, with feedback given, by the end of August. To feed into this process, additional bathymetric studies are also to be carried out in the harbour to gather further data. This will be a multi-beam mapping survey, which will be highly detailed, but which requires suitable conditions to be carried out. Galway County Council advised my Department at a meeting between officials last week that, due to unsettled weather and marine conditions, the bathymetric survey has not yet been completed. It is hoped that conditions will settle in the next week or so, allowing for completion of the survey. Once this work has been completed, Galway County Council will incorporate the findings into a draft business case. Following on from this, my Department will be in a position to evaluate the next steps in the process.
I thank the Minister for the strength of her reply. We will put it into context. In 2008, phases 1 and 2 of this work started and 14 years later, my colleagues from Galway West and I are attempting to keep the pressure on and get dates. We know the work is complicated. The Minister has been out to the islands herself and she knows the impact that the state of this pier has on business. There is a fantastic business out there, Cniotáil Inis Meáin, that is directly affected with cargo coming in and out. She knows about this; I do not need to say it to her. Each time we ask there is a further delay and the bad weather is interfering with it now. Are we on target to have all the information and studies necessary by August? That will feed into the business case then. When will the business case be ready? Tá sé sin tuillte ag muintir na hoileán ag an bpointe seo, nach bhfuil?
We need the draft business case from Galway County Council and these different surveys have to feed into it. To be honest with the Deputy, I had to ask my officials what a bathymetric report is. Apparently it measures the depth of the waters, the underwater features and the marine species. It is a mapping of the sea floor. I am asking the same questions the Deputy is asking. She has raised this with me frequently and I have asked my officials the same questions such as how long it takes to do these reports. It is hard to give a timeline because they are technical matters that are time-consuming but I have told my officials to sit on Galway County Council and move this on and they are meeting officials from the council every two weeks. I am placing that sense of urgency on it. I understand the Deputy's frustration; I have been out on the island and I know the points she is making.
The county councillors say they have to wait for the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork. Whatever about our frustration the Minister can imagine the frustration on Inis Meáin. Deputy Kerrane has a question on the policy for the islands later, as do I. They have been waiting for a policy for the islands for a long time and an interdepartmental committee was set up in 1996. Then we had another interdepartmental committee set up three years ago and we are still waiting on that. This is a vital piece of infrastructure. The island is doing well with industry but it is being hampered by the inadequacy of the pier. Are there any indications to the Minister from the regular meetings? There are meetings every two weeks to keep the pressure on, which I appreciate. Is there any feedback from those meetings on what the issues are or is the bad weather the final issue with carrying out the bathymetric studies on depth?
If I knew how to do these reports, I would do them myself and I am sure the Deputy would do the same because it seems to be going on and on.
Work has been done on the pier. As we know, it is dangerous for the ferry operators to come in when the tide is at a certain level. There is an issue impacting the cargo ferry in that there are many occasions on which large differences in the sea levels, created by the swell, prevent their docking safely at Inis Meáin. I know about the factory there, which is creating much-needed jobs. The fact vessels were being forced to travel on to Inis Mór, instead of docking at Inis Meáin, prompted the need for the National Maritime College of Ireland to model simulations to inform the business case. There is also the other report to which I referred.
I can only say to the Deputy that I am committed to pushing this on as quickly as I can. We must wait until we get the reports because there is no point in taking action again and not getting it right the second time. It is a complex issue and I understand the Deputy's frustration.
As Deputy O'Connor is now in the Chamber, we will go back to Question No. 6.
Digital Hubs
James O'Connor
Question:6. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her plans to open further remote working hubs in County Cork, particularly in the Youghal area. [27657/22]
I apologise, Acting Chairman, for being absent. I was on a call and did not notice the time going by. I welcome the Minister and congratulate her on the wonderful work she has been doing in her Department. She has been a pleasure to work with on the issue I am raising, as my colleague, Deputy Stanton, will agree. My question relates to remote working infrastructure. This is hugely important in my constituency of Cork East and in other constituencies across the country. It is important to recognise that people saw new light and opportunity in rural Ireland in the context of changed work practices during the pandemic. One aspect of this is having remote working hubs in place. I am aware that many private operators also have an interest in potentially looking at this option. Will the Minister update the House in this regard?
I thank the Deputy for his words of encouragement. Our Rural Future, Ireland's Rural Development Policy 2021-25, recognises the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages. Accordingly, over recent years, my Department has invested some €100 million in the sector to build, improve and expand hubs.
In May 2021, I launched the national hub network. This currently comprises 236 remote and co-working facilities across the State. These facilities have been onboarded to connectedhubs.ie, which is the shared online booking and payments platform for member hubs and their users. The network includes a range of hubs catering for a wide variety of remote and co-working needs. It is expected that, in time, the network and the platform will include more than 400 facilities. Of the 236 hubs on the connectedhubs.ie platform, 23 are located in County Cork. A further 17 hubs throughout the county, including the Enterprise Youghal hub, have been invited to join the network.
Through the connected hubs 2021 scheme, I awarded almost €9 million in funding to more than 100 applicants, enabling them to add capacity to existing remote working hubs and broadband connection points, BCPs, across the country. More than €425,000 was allocated to County Cork, with funding going to, among others, Macroom E Enterprise Centre, the Benchspace hub and Republic of Work. In February this year, I launched the 2022 connected hubs call, allocating a further €5 million in funding for the development of our national hub network. The evaluation process has now concluded and I will be announcing the successful applicants shortly. I am committed to continuing my Department's support for the ongoing strategic development of a comprehensive and integrated network of remote working hubs in recognition of the vital role they can play in our post-Covid recovery.
I have supplementary questions from Deputies Stanton and Burke. I will take them after Deputy O'Connor, if the latter is agreeable.
They are very welcome to do so. I already acknowledged Deputy Stanton's work on this issue. I compliment the fantastic work that is being done by the Department.
I refer specifically to a project in Youghal. This very exciting development, which relates to Youghal Library, is being co-funded by the Department and Cork County Council. This would not be possible if not for the funding allocated by the Department. What I really want to see is the Department working with private partners and local authorities to get this infrastructure put in place for Youghal. It is important that it be done given the economic circumstances in the town, with a view to generating local employment. As a Deputy who was born and raised in the area, I know this is of the utmost importance to the business community in Youghal and also to the many workers who want to explore this particular opportunity. I ask the Minister to continue to recognise the importance of this project. It will be very welcome and is of great importance to Youghal Chamber and other organisations in the town, including Youghal Business Alliance.
I support my colleague, Deputy O'Connor, on this matter and I thank the Minister for the great work she is doing. Are Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment involved in supporting the work to provide remote working hubs and centres? We may need to think even bigger on this issue. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been announced recently in various cities. Some of those jobs could be relocated to towns like Youghal if the hubs were large enough to take them. This would mean people not having to travel long distances for work. Is that something the Minister might consider as part of policy in this regard, working in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment?
I thank the Minister and acknowledge the work she has done on this issue, including in my constituency of Cork North-Central. We have a hub in both Whitechurch and Courtbrack. As a result of her intervention in engaging with private enterprise, a hub has also been put into Inniscarra community centre, which serves a large population. Although my constituency is largely a city one, it also takes in a large part of rural County Cork, going as far as within 2 miles of Mallow. There are a lot of community groups that are looking for support.
I echo what Deputies O'Connor and Stanton said about the need to engage with private enterprise with a view to getting them involved in providing the connectivity that is needed. In Inniscarra, for instance, we engaged with Cork County Council and with a company called Imagine, which put the infrastructure in place free of charge for two years. Will the Minister encourage more private enterprises to become involved in providing the hubs? There are many areas in which there will not be a broadband connection until 2025 or 2026, even though those areas are less than 12 miles from Cork city.
Deputy O'Connor referred to Youghal. I had a great time there with him and Deputy Stanton. It is wonderful what is happening in the town. It certainly is being regenerated and if there is any support we can give to people there, we will, of course, do so. I visited the boardwalk, which is a great addition to the town. Well done to those involved. This is what I want to see happening. There are many different opportunities to apply for funding from my Department and I want to see a bottom-up approach in order to make a difference for communities, villages and towns. Only last week, I announced a specific strand of funding to acquire buildings in town and villages. Local authorities can avail of that money to buy buildings for community use or for the purpose of providing remote working hubs.
Deputy Stanton mentioned Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. We all work together on these issues. The regional enterprise development fund, which is under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, provides funding in this area. The Tánaiste is doing a lot of work around remote working and we must continue that work. We got a chance during the Covid crisis to change work practices. Continuing that requires new thinking and to look outside the box. In a survey this week, funded by my Department through the Western Development Commission and conducted by NUI Galway, 30% of respondents said they would change jobs and even take a pay cut if remote working were an option. People are looking at their options and taking into consideration such factors as quality of life and reduced commuting times. We want to support them. I feel very passionately about this and I know all the Deputies in the House want to see remote working facilitated. It is about securing top-quality jobs in one's own town or village.
Offshore Islands
Claire Kerrane
Question:8. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update the islands strategy; when it will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27707/22]
I ask the Minister to give an update on the islands strategy. Has she received the draft copy and will she indicate when it might be published?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As she knows, the Government is committed to publishing a ten-year policy on island development, with associated three-year action plans. My Department has completed the bilateral meetings with all relevant Departments.
These bilateral meetings have provided an opportunity for detailed discussion of the issues raised by island communities and for Departments to assess how they might help address the various issues raised.
The public consultation meetings have also been completed. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, it was not possible for officials to visit a number of islands and the public consultation meetings were moved to an online format. However, some island communities did not wish to engage with online meetings, preferring to wait for public consultation meetings to be held on their islands.
The final consultation meetings were held on Tory Island, County Donegal, and Clare Island, County Mayo, earlier this month. Senior officials from my Department were in attendance at these meetings and engaged with the island communities on the issues of concern to them.
The most recent meeting of the interdepartmental committee for the islands was held on 18 May, where participating Departments reviewed progress on the policy development and agreed the next steps to be taken. Work has begun on an initial draft of the policy document and I understand that, based on the development work to date, an initial draft is expected to be ready for my consideration by the end of summer.
That is welcome. This strategy has been delayed mainly due to the Covid pandemic, which was accepted and understood. Have the public consultations been held on every island in person? I know Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann has sought a draft copy of this strategy as soon as the Minister receives it. I have previously asked the Minister and her officials to consider sharing it with that body. This is a ten-year plan and we have not had a strategy for the islands since 1996, 26 years ago. When introducing a ten-year plan, it is important to have the stakeholders on board. If they are not on board with the plan, it is not worth the paper it is written on. I ask the Minister to consider sharing a draft copy of the plan with Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann to ensure it is on board with the Minister when she rolls this out. That will really make it a success.
Public consultation meetings have begun and have been held on a number of island communities before Covid-19 restrictions resulted in the suspension of the process. Online public consultation meetings were then arranged for the remaining island communities via videoconference call, although this was logistically more challenging due to various factors such as broadband quality. Thankfully, that has improved on some of the islands since then. Online meetings were not held with Clare Island or Tory due to lack of online engagement and other mitigating factors. I am glad to say Clare Island now has good broadband. Public meetings were held on those islands at the beginning of May.
There is a list of islands that were consulted: Sherkin, Whiddy, Dursey, Bere, Inisheer, Inishmore, Inishmaan, Heir Island, Long Island, Cléire in County Cork, Arranmore in County Donegal, Tory in County Donegal and Clare Island in County Mayo. Islands consulted by online meetings by focus group were Inishbofin, Inishturk and smaller Donegal islands represented by Comharchumann na nOileán Beag on 19 November. Most of them got the face-to-face consultation. If they wanted it, they got it. I think the rest of them are happy.
That is helpful. I am glad those seeking engagement in person were facilitated.
The Minister has spoken about engagement and collaboration on the draft plan. I reiterate the point that the possibility of success in developing a ten-year plan is reduced if the main stakeholder is not on board. Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann is a really good organisation, representative of all those islands which people call home. It does great work, and if it is on board, it will be a success.
I also want to mention island-proofing. I know the Minister is working on rural-proofing. Given it has been interdepartmental work to date, I hope island-proofing of policies will be included in the strategy.
There is a strong commitment across Government to support development of the islands. I could give a list of the different things that have happened on the islands recently. There has been much more investment in them. There has been a major focus on them since responsibility for them has come into the Department of Rural and Community Development. I think that is recognised.
Significant consultation has been undertaken with island communities. There has been a wide consultation process with Departments and Government agencies. The islands federation, Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, has had an opportunity to make a presentation to the interdepartmental committee and will be engaged with further as policy development progresses. I will be publishing the policy soon. I hope to have it for consideration by the end of the summer. If I keep consulting, I will never get this policy published. I will commit to having a review of it. It should be a living document. If things need to be changed as time goes by, we will do that.
Departmental Schemes
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
Question:9. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when the town and village renewal scheme will open for applications; the types of projects that will be eligible for funding in 2022; the number of applications received for Dún Laoghaire in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27395/22]
I ask for an update on the town and village renewal scheme for 2022 and the types of projects that will be eligible for funding. How many applications were received from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2021 and how they have progressed?
The town and village renewal scheme is part of a range of measures to support the revitalisation of rural areas. The programme is funded under Project Ireland 2040 as part of Our Rural Future. The scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the local authorities. Since the introduction of the scheme in 2016, more than €113 million has been approved for more than 1,400 projects throughout the country.
In February this year, I announced almost €18.5 million for projects under the 2021 scheme which will benefit towns and villages throughout the country. I can confirm that one application was submitted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for assessment under the 2021 scheme. However, it was not successful in receiving approval for funding.
I launched the 2022 town and village renewal scheme last Friday, 27 May. As was the case last year, there will be a strong emphasis on projects that tackle vacancy and dereliction by bringing landmark town centre buildings back to life for use as multipurpose community spaces or as remote working spaces. It will also support the development of parks, green spaces and recreational amenities in town centres and support marketing campaigns targeted at attracting remote workers and mobile talent to a particular county or region.
This year I have also introduced a new building acquisition measure that will fund the purchase of vacant or derelict buildings for use as community facilities. This will provide up to €400,000 to each local authority to purchase vacant and derelict buildings for future development as community assets. I know this will make another significant contribution to revitalising our towns.
I thank the Minister for that welcome update. I would love to get more information about the building acquisition measure she has announced and which is so constructive and positive. I know Dún Laoghaire seems like a Dublin town, but it is very much a community town with considerable vacancy and dereliction. Through Digital Dún Laoghaire and with the council, we are trying to develop the opportunity for remote working to try to keep the pressure off public transport and reduce the number of people going into the city centre so that they can have a better quality of life, but crucially to rejuvenate one of Ireland's oldest towns. We have 160 shopfronts all the way along the main street. Many of those are vacant either at ground level or above shop level. There are significant opportunities through the building acquisition measure for the council to acquire some of those and turn them into either remote working or community activity centres and to restore the badly needed footfall on the main street in Dún Laoghaire. I ask the Minister to give us more information about the building acquisition measure.
I agree with the Minister and fully support her in what she is doing about vacant properties. The policy mentions the judicious use of compulsory purchase orders, CPOs. Is it possible to acquire property in that manner if the owner does not want to sell it and if it is lying more or less derelict and out of use? Is the Department actively pursuing that?
In response to Deputy Stanton, CPOs are a matter for the local authorities. It will be up to them to decide to purchase a property compulsorily. We will give them the money and they will need to go through the procedure. They can acquire it.
The building acquisition measure is a new stream within the town and village renewal scheme.
It will provide up to €400,000 to each local authority to purchase vacant and derelict buildings in rural towns and villages for development as community assets. That is something to which we committed in Our Rural Future, our five-year strategy. That is there and available for local authorities.
The Town Centre First policy framework contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives, such as social and economic revival in our towns and the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges such as vacancy and derelict buildings.
The town and village renewal scheme is focused on the rejuvenation of rural towns and villages. Applications to the scheme each year far exceed the available budget but the scheme is subject to a competitive process with each application being assessed on its merits. I will come back in with respect to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown in particular.
I thank the Minister. One cannot but make one's spake, if you know what I mean. I am glad to hear that Dún Laoghaire made an application because, of course, if it were the case that other councils had not had the same proactivity and made applications, funding may well have been available. Who knows, that might even be the case now?
I was wondering about the supervision of the Department over the different local authorities if there are those who do not make applications. I cannot imagine that would be the case. Every local authority will be putting up its hand. However, I am making the case that in the event that all of the budget is not allocated this year, Dún Laoghaire could be considered. Glencullen, Kilternan and Stepaside have received funding under rural schemes before and as a representative of Dún Laoghaire, I can but make the case.
I wish to ask the Minister about a new fund she announced last week for turning dilapidated and run-down buildings, landmark buildings in some cases, into community assets. The Minister might give us an overview of that scheme.
Deputy Carroll MacNeill is dead right to make the case. I suggest the council continues to send in applications. Kilternan got €80,000 in 2017. Stepaside got €100,000 in 2018. I encourage the Deputy's local council to keep sending applications.
The urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage offers possibilities in tackling larger areas of population. There is also the connected hubs fund. Whether remote working facilities are private or run by a local authority or enterprise centre, funding can be applied for under that fund.
Under the town and village renewal scheme, the building acquisition measure is especially set up to acquire property. Up to €400,000 is available per local authority if an application to buy vacant properties is made. We all know of banks that are vacant properties in a number of towns. There is no reason we could not acquire some of those for community use.
Departmental Strategies
Claire Kerrane
Question:10. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the rural proofing strategy as set out in the Our Rural Future strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27704/22]
My question seeks an update from the Minister on the rural-proofing strategy as promised in Our Rural Future.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Our Rural Future is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades. The policy contains more than 150 measures for delivery across the whole of Government, with the underlying theme of economic, environmental and societal sustainability.
The policy has a vision of ensuring vibrant and thriving rural towns and villages, with a key objective to maximise opportunities for individuals, communities and businesses in rural areas. It recognises that rural areas play an integral role in the economic, social and cultural recovery and well-being of the country.
The policy commits to developing an effective rural-proofing model. This will aim to ensure that all Departments fully consider the effects of new proposals on rural communities and the need to better target the particular challenges and opportunities facing rural areas.
Following a competitive tender process, my Department engaged independent consultants to fully examine the issue of rural-proofing in Ireland in order to provide a strong evidence basis for further action. Their work included consideration of rural-proofing initiatives internationally so as to inform our approach based on the experiences of others. The consultants have now provided my Department with their final report which will be given full and detailed consideration to determine the next steps. My objective is to deliver an effective, efficient and implementable rural-proofing model that will support rural policy development and ensure that we capitalise on the opportunities for rural areas to the greatest extent possible.
It is welcome that the Minister has received that final report. Will it be published? The Minister said she will now consider it. How long does she think that will take? This is an important mechanism for rural communities and it is going to be particularly important as we face into measures that are going to have to be taken with regard to climate action because it is important that we bring rural communities with us. It is also important that the policies brought forward in respect of climate measures or otherwise across Departments consider rural communities and any impacts that may not necessarily be foreseen. It is important that all measures are examined through the lens of rural-proofing. That is why it is so important to get the mechanism right.
The Minister will be aware that rural-proofing is in place in the North of Ireland and works quite well. I presume that was one of the areas examined. Will the Minister give us a bit more information about the final report and if and when it will be published?
The Minister said that each local authority gets €400,000 to acquire old buildings. Cork is approximately four or five times the size of some other local authorities and yet each local authority gets the same amount. How is that decision made? A local authority with a fifth of the population gets the same amount. Is there not something unfair about that?
There is a proposal to locate State agencies in rural towns and villages. Has there been any movement or is there any news to report in that regard?
I thank Deputy Kerrane for her question on this interesting topic of which I was unaware. I am pleased to hear there is a policy brewing in this regard. It would be of great benefit to a great number of rural companies in the northern part of Fingal which have benefited from a great deal of investment in recent years. I am not sure how much joined-up thinking there has been with regard to those benefits. I would welcome the publication of the report the Minister has mentioned.
In response to Deputy Stanton, decentralisation is now by choice and is called remote working. That is the best decentralisation and it is working. That is the good news.
Deputy Kerrane raised the matter of the report on rural-proofing. I have only just received the report. I will fully consider the options presented in consultation with my officials and I will weigh up the merits and challenges of each option. As I have said, my objective is to ensure we have an effective, efficient and implementable rural-proofing model that will support rural policy development and will consider and capitalise on the opportunities for rural areas. It is important to remember that rural-proofing, as the Deputy said, is about making all Government policies more effective by ensuring the specific needs and opportunities in rural areas are taken into consideration as early as possible in the policy development process. That will ultimately lead to better outcomes for rural communities, which is what we all want, as Deputy Farrell said.
Vacant Properties
Alan Farrell
Question:11. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will detail progression of the town centre first policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27393/22]
My question relates to the progression of the Town Centre First policy, which I know the Minister announced recently. I understand she has significantly increased the funding.
I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. The Town Centre First policy is a major cross-Government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. Key to this is the establishment of the national implementation office to assist in the delivery and implementation of the policy, and to co-ordinate stakeholder engagement at a national level. This office will be responsible for supporting town regeneration officers, TROs, in driving implementation of the policy. My Department has agreed the structure and funding for the national office and the TROs with local authorities. The first step is the appointment of the head of the national implementation office. The recruitment process for this key post is currently ongoing.
Similarly, local authorities have now also been authorised to commence the recruitment of TROs who will drive the development of town centre first plans at local level across the country.
Key to the town centre first approach is the range of support funding in place, including the town and village renewal scheme. This year, I have included under that scheme a new building acquisition measure that will provide up to €400,000 to each local authority to purchase vacant and derelict buildings in rural towns and villages for development as community assets. This new measure will be a key support for towns in implementing the town centre first approach locally.
I am committed to ensuring that the continued roll-out of the town centre first policy will work to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages as set out in Our Rural Future. Under the town and village renewal scheme, we still have the other stream of funding whereby up to a maximum of €500,000 can be applied for to acquire a property and carry out refurbishment. That funding can also be used to repurpose properties that are already in the ownership of local authorities.
I really appreciate the Minister's response. Looking at every rural town and village across the State, particularly against the backdrop of the recovery from the economic crisis, there is a great deal of dereliction and vacancy. It is clear that this particular policy, as originally envisaged and now as an improved scheme, is really the foundation for co-ordinating the various funding streams that are available through various Departments, including the Minister's Department. It is really important to highlight the work of our colleague, the Minister of State at the Department, Deputy Joe O'Brien. One of the towns in our constituency, Lusk, was successful in its town centre first application. This is an essential part of the Lusk vision for 2030, which is a great opportunity to evaluate the community using the various officers that are going to be appointed. When does the Minister expect the rural regeneration officers to be appointed?
I wish to follow on from what was said earlier in response to another question from Deputy Stanton about the use of the compulsory purchase mechanism. In cases where property owners have defective title, I have seen that mechanism used by Cork City Council. The property owner engages with the council, the council serves a derelict sites order and rectifies the title problems through the derelict sites procedure and then conveys the property back to the property owner again, at a charge to the owner, obviously. This rectifies the title and allows the property to be developed and put to use. Has there been further engagement with local authorities about using this mechanism where property owners cannot develop because they have defective title and need to rectify that?
I want to come back to a question I asked earlier and to the fact that largest county in the country, Cork, quite often gets the same funding under various local authority schemes as the smallest county. I ask the Minister to have a look at that and determine why that is the case. It is clear why the people of Cork feel hard done by. We are very humble and do not like giving out but the Minister might have a look at this and let us know why she feels this should be the case and whether it can be rectified. It does not apply to all schemes. Under the sports capital scheme, funding is awarded on a per capita basis.
I am also interested in the timeline for the national implementation office and, in particular, when regeneration officers will be appointed at local authority level. We have spoken previously about necessary works at the Creative Spark Downtown Hub in Dundalk, the remote working hub that is up and running now and is a real success in what was a vacant site. We have a lot more to do and it is important that a town the size of Dundalk has sufficient resources to enable it to increase footfall in the town by enabling people to live in the town centre. Compulsory purchase orders and some of the other issues raised by Deputies tonight must be tackled.
That was a bit like a rapid-fire buzzer round.
I will go back very quickly, starting with Deputy Stanton. A sum of €400,000 is being provided to every local authority. We have just kicked off this new scheme and naturally we will look at and keep it under review. To be fair, if a line is drawn from Dublin across to Galway, the greatest increase in jobs recently has been south of that line. A lot of employment is being created. Thank goodness we are almost at full employment, which is good news.
I take on board what Deputy Farrell said.
In response to Deputy Ó Murchú, the local authorities have been given the go-ahead to start the process of appointing town centre first officers. We will get the national implementation office up and running first and that recruitment process is under way. The recruitment of the TROs will follow on from that in the coming weeks. Local authorities have been cleared to start the process. They can get the ball rolling. We do not want to hold this up. We want to get them appointed because I want them liasing with the town first teams, the chambers of commerce and local communities. What we want here is joined-up thinking.
Deputy Burke spoke about the local authorities and the use of compulsory purchase orders-----
I referred to the use of the derelict sites orders.
Yes. That is something I will leave with the local authorities. They acquire the sites and we just provide the funding. That said, I am happy to raise it with them. I am meeting all of the CEOs of the local authorities in the next few weeks and I will mention that to them.
Island Communities
Seán Sherlock
Question:12. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the Dursey Island ferry is operational while repairs works are carried out on the cable car. [27816/22]
As the Deputy may be aware, I have agreed that once-off emergency funding would be made available by my Department to Cork County Council to support the provision of a temporary ferry service for Dursey Island while the county council repairs the existing cable car infrastructure, which is owned and operated by the local authority.
It is important to note that council is responsible for all aspects of the temporary ferry service to Dursey Island, including its procurement, operation, timetabling and the frequency of the sailings.
My Department stepped in to provide once-off emergency funding for a temporary service to ensure that Dursey Island residents and the local farming community would continue to have reliable mainland connectivity while Cork County Council repairs the existing cable car infrastructure. I engaged extensively with Deputy O'Sullivan on this and thank him for raising the matter with me initially.
I understand that the local authority has now procured and signed contracts for an initial temporary service for a period of nine weeks, which commenced on Monday, 23 May. This service will operate for one hour each side of high tide for three days a week, currently Friday, Saturday and Monday, for people who are full-time residents and farmers on the island. Cork County Council has indicated that it will run another tender competition for a medium-term service that will provide a ferry service until the end of the year. I understand that competition will take two months to complete.
I will only ask one supplementary question. I also want to acknowledge that Deputy Sherlock allowed me to put this question on his behalf. He loves west Cork and mentioned the fact that he brought his young child on the Dursey Island cable car many years ago.
When it was announced that the Dursey cable car would close back in February with no warning, the Minister and her Department intervened in March. She was asked to solve a problem that was not of her making or of her Department's making. She came forward with funding for an alternative form of transport to the island, namely a ferry service. Cork County Council was tasked with procuring that ferry service but it is not working and is not fit for purpose. It is only running three times a week for one hour on either side of high tide. This is not the Minister's fault. This is an issue for the council. The Minister intervened once and I am asking her to intervene once again. I ask her to meet the CEO of Cork County Council, the Oireachtas Members for the area, the council members, if possible, the marine safety officer and some islanders so that we can find a solution that works.
I know that the Deputy is absolutely committed to finding a solution. My Department has tried to do everything it could but the tender response received by Cork County Council in April 2022 was limited.
We thought we would be able to assist in providing a seven-day service but, as it transpired after the tenders came out, all there is now is a much smaller service, in the short term anyway. The Deputy is right that at this stage we need to sit down and figure out a few things. I am happy to agree to the Deputy's request to meet the CEO of Cork County Council and to meet a delegation from the council with Oireachtas Members. The council in Cork is a big council and I would not fit them all in the one room.
Rural Schemes
Joe Carey
Question:13. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when successful projects in County Clare will be announced under the rural regeneration and development fund; the total value of applications received under the latest round; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27843/22]
When will successful projects in County Clare under the rural regeneration and development fund be announced? What is the total value of applications received under the latest round?
The rural regeneration and development fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns, villages and rural areas across Ireland. To date, 191 projects have been approved for funding of €278 million for projects costing €377 million.
Calls for applications to the fund are sought under two categories – category 1 and category 2. Category 1 relates to large-scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place, and which are ready to proceed. Category 2 provides smaller grant funding to enable the development of project proposals suitable for future calls for category 1 applications.
The fourth call for category 1 applications to the rural regeneration and development fund closed on 29 April 2022. My Department received 42 applications to this call, together seeking funding of more than €149 million. I understand that three applications were received for projects located in County Clare.
The application process for the fund is competitive in nature. Applications are currently being processed by my Department under the oversight of the project advisory board, comprising representatives from key Government Departments and independent experts. Once the assessment process is complete, my Department will prepare a report setting out recommended projects. My role as Minister will be to consider that report and make final decisions in relation to the allocation of funding. I expect to be in a position to announce the successful projects later this year.
I have visited the Deputy's county twice when I had the pleasure of coming down and visiting many group projects. Clare has a good record when it comes to putting in applications, but I must be impartial in these matters. They are being assessed. Some really good projects have come out of Clare. I had a great trip that day to Clare. The Vandeleur Walled Garden is one project I went to see. That was just one and there are many others. I believe I will be going down again shortly. There is a big SeaWorld project that will be coming on stream that is being funded through this Department. I am looking forward to seeing them. We should celebrate success and there has been a lot of success in County Clare.
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