Vol. 1039 No. 6
63. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her views on the submission to the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use by the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign, in particular on the role of community projects being funded to help deal with people with addiction, and the recognition of the need to address the link between drugs and poverty through a community development approach; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28427/23]
I ask the Minister of State’s views on the submissions to the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use by the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign, in particular on the role of community projects being funded to help deal with people with addiction, and the recognition of the need to address the link between drugs and poverty through a community development approach; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I understand the submission from Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign to the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use makes a number of suggestions for key areas of action, including further investment in community development responses and the need to enhance the voice of communities in tackling deprivation and its links with drug abuse.
The Deputy will appreciate that some of the actions called for in Citywide’s submission are cross-governmental and go beyond the sole remit of my Department. What is clear throughout Citywide’s submission is the call for greater engagement with local voices across all aspects of the approach to tackling drug use and its impacts, particularly in communities experiencing marginalisation and deprivation. It is well established at this stage that drug use and its consequences impact more heavily on communities experiencing poverty.
I acknowledge the spirit of the submission: that the voices of those who know the consequences, who experience the impacts and who see the problems in their communities every day must be brought to the forefront of any conversation on tackling challenges relating to drugs use. We have seen the effects on communities when people are deprived of a voice. No one knows better what the specific challenges facing a community are than the people who live in it.
There is always more to be done, but my Department is proactive in progressing the sort of community development approach being called for in Citywide’s submission to the citizens' assembly.
Work is ongoing across a number of programmes and initiatives in my Department to provide supports and empowerment to communities experiencing poverty and deprivation, including the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, the place-based leadership programme, the community development pilot programme and the empowering communities programme. In recognition of its community development approach, my Department also provides funding to the Citywide Drug Crisis Campaign.
My officials also have regular engagement with the Department of Health regarding the national drugs strategy. My Department is represented on strategic implementation group 4, which comprises sectoral, agency and departmental officials.
The national drugs strategy is relevant to my Department's work in the community and voluntary sectors as it is vital in ensuring the collective input of the statutory, community and voluntary sectors, in order to provide a co-ordinated response to drug and alcohol use in Irish society.
There is a broad welcome for funding to Citywide and it being brought into the Department of Rural and Community Development and away from the HSE and the national drugs strategy. I have been involved in community development-based drug projects for over 25 years in Dublin 15. I am very proud of the work we have done in supporting individuals, families and communities in tackling the scourge of problematic drug misuse. The unique strength of our community drug projects is that they deliver an integrated approach to service delivery based on the understanding that people’s drug-related problems cannot be addressed in isolation from the wider issues that are impacting on their lives. The Minister of State has acknowledged that. It is very important that there is strong cross-governmental response. I urge the Minister of State to continue to engage with other agencies, particularly the HSE and the national drug strategy team on supports for the community and ensuring that their voices are heard.
I will flesh out a little my Department’s responsibilities on the national drug strategy. My Department has two main goals within the strategy, both of which are implemented under SICAP. These are to provide supports, including homework clubs, additional tuition and career guidance counselling and to support community awareness of drugs programmes and youth work in collaboration with schools and other youth programmes and second, to use SICAP to improve the life chances and opportunities of those that are marginalised in society, living in poverty or unemployment through community-development approaches, targeted supports and inter agency collaboration.
In the spirit of cross-departmental collaboration, it is worth mentioning something under my remit in the Department of Social Protection, namely, the community employment, CE, drugs rehabilitation schemes. We have about 840 participants on these schemes across the country. I was in Kildare town and Athy a couple of weeks ago and visited two of the schemes there, with the DARA project in Kildare. I would recommend that all Deputies visit their CE drugs rehabilitation scheme. Amazing work is being done there at a community level to bring people back from not being in a good place in addiction.
I agree that it is important that every Deputy would visit his or her community drug team, particularly those which have a local management team or board. That is the essence of community development. It is the local community giving a local response and being able to effectively deal with the problem as it arises in its community. The lesson we have learned over the past 30 years since the local drugs forces were established is that each area is unique and that is why it is so important that communities are supported through a community development approach and that their voices are heard, and not only heard but acted on. There has been a very poor response from many Departments over the past ten years in particular when it comes to the voices of the communities being heard. Citywide has been very strong on this. I welcome that there has been funding for Citywide but we need to move on and get the communities back at the heart of dealing with problematic drug use.
I also want to mention the role of drug task forces. Local and regional drug and alcohol task forces implement the national drug strategy in the context of the needs of their local areas. The strategy is implemented through action plans that have identified existing and emerging gaps in supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research. In my own area, I would mention the North Dublin Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force. I am doing a piece of work with it now that in some respects is pushing the community development approach out too. It is about creating opportunities for young people to protect them from the risks. Much of that is about getting them involved in the community and in mainstream community organisations. It is a protective measure. It came about following the Planet Youth research that has been conducted in several areas around the country. It came across very strongly that a really important protective measure for young people is to actually get them involved in the development of their community in the long term. That is an approach that can be copied around the country.
64. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of local authority requests to date under her Department's building acquisition measure to tackle vacancy and dereliction in rural Ireland. [28044/23]
How many local authority requests have been made to date under the Department's building acquisition measure to tackle vacancy and dereliction in rural Ireland?
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The town and village renewal scheme was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland.
In 2022, the scheme prioritised projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use and promote residential occupancy in town centres.
In recognition of the urgent need to transform and regenerate town centres, I introduced a new building acquisition measure under the 2022 scheme. The purpose of this measure was to support local authorities to immediately acquire derelict or vacant buildings with the intention of using these projects for town regeneration purposes in line with the aims of the overarching town and village renewal scheme and Town Centre First policy. I am happy to confirm that 29 properties were purchased by local authorities under the 2022 measure.
Building on the success of the 2022 measure, on 27 March 2023 I announced a new fund for the building acquisition measure, which is again designed to tackle vacancy and dereliction in rural Ireland. The original closing date for receipt of applications under the building acquisition measure was 28 April 2023 but this was extended to 5 May 2023 in response to requests from local authorities to extend the deadline. A total of 35 applications valued at just over €8 million were received from 22 local authorities. This week, I approved the first tranche of successful projects under this measure. I am happy to confirm that 23 applications have now been approved for €5.4 million in funding. In each case, these approved projects will now proceed through the standard process of agreeing the terms of purchase. In order not to prejudice this process in any way, full details of the individual projects involved will be announced as the relevant local authorities complete the purchase of the buildings in question. A further tranche of applications is still under consideration and as this process is progressed, further approvals will issue.
I thank the Minister for her answer. I note the fact that it seems to be increasing from 29 properties to a prospective number of 35. That is testament to the success of the scheme. The reason I pose this question is because in my own constituency and specifically my hometown of Mallow, we have a hotel which has lain derelict for many years now. It is called the Central Hotel. It was a hub of activity but has sadly gone to rack and ruin. The question that arises in my mind is whether there would be scope, if the conditions were right, for the local authority to purchase a property of that type as part of a town and village renewal effort under the scheme. Would there be such scope for a local authority to purchase a hotel to turn it around and perhaps provide community gain or local accommodation?
The building acquisition measure was a new idea that was introduced last year as part of Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, which is our five-year policy for rural Ireland. It has proven very popular. There has been great feedback from the local authorities and communities on its success.
The Deputy mentioned the Central Hotel in Mallow. This is the sort of thing we are targeting. We are trying to look at old buildings that have gone past their use and repurpose them for 21st century use. For example, we have had many banks and old primary schools, shops and Garda stations. The Deputy should talk to the local authority about the Central Hotel in Mallow, and it should look at that property. There is no reason why it cannot put in an application. I can tell the Deputy about an old hotel in Boyle in County Roscommon that lay vacant for years on end. The local authority acquired it, and we provided funding for a new library along with other community facilities. It is up to the local authority identify them. It is certainly the type of project we want to see funded.
The fact that the Minister quoted a precedent and an actual example in Boyle gives me some grounds for hope. The Minister of State will also be familiar with the Central Hotel. Buildings like that which become so derelict are in private ownership. There does not appear to be any clear intent by the owner or owners of the property as to what their intentions are for the property. The local authority and the taxpayers have spent a fortune on the upkeep of what is a derelict building in terms of safety measures and various fires that have broken out. It has cost the taxpayer quite a significant amount through the years. I take some solace from the Minister's response in that there is a precedent for the acquisition by a local authority of a hotel and that perhaps the same idea could be brought to bear. I certainly will approach the local authority on that basis.
I encourage the Deputy to speak to the local authority. As I said, there were many cases where prominent buildings in local towns and villages were identified. In the Deputy's own county, for example, the FCA hall in Mitchelstown was acquired and is being turned into a space for community use. Some people use it as maybe a home for the men's shed or women's shed. This is very much a bottom-up approach. It is about engaging with the community. The community identifies a building they can perhaps use and works with the local authority to get the application in to my Department. We are happy to support them. I travel around the country and it does one's heart good to see some of the buildings that have been transformed for 21st century use. Many of them were used as remote working hubs initially but there are other uses, perhaps for a youth cafe such as the one I visited in Ballaghaderreen. There are loads of opportunities and the good news is that there is a few bob there to help people do it.
65. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on how her Department intends to assist community groups with growing regulatory burden; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28428/23]
Very often for good reason, the regulations in a whole variety of areas mean it can be very challenging for community organisations to ensure their affairs are run correctly. It is not necessarily that we are rolling back any regulations but it is about how we can assist organisations to ensure they are compliant with a whole variety of issues on which I will expand in a minute.
In 2019, my Department published Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A Five-Year Strategy to Support the Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland 2019-2024. The strategy reaffirms the Government’s commitment to supporting the sector and addressing some of the burdens faced by service providers, while also recognising the reality of finite resources and the need to ensure that available resources are focused on providing effective services.
The strategy commits to developing appropriate compliance and monitoring arrangements and supporting capacity in the sector to meet them. Actions include reviewing the appropriateness of regulatory compliance requirements; developing and implementing a strategy to reduce, streamline and standardise all public-funded programme and regulatory monitoring, reporting and compliance requirements, where appropriate; and resourcing and supporting organisations to fulfil compliance requirements.
The implementation of the strategy is being overseen by the cross-sectoral group on local and community development, which supports my Department in the prioritisation of objectives and actions to be progressed within the framework of annual work plans.
It is also important to note that some community groups are also registered charities and as such are bound by the requirements of charity legislation. The amendments contained in the forthcoming charities (amendment) Bill aim to strengthen the charities sector, ensuring greater transparency, clarity and fairness, which will serve to enhance public confidence in charities.
I recognise the need for proportionate regulation and governance requirements for our charities. In many cases, the Bill will actually ease the administrative burden on smaller charities and it will also further enhance and empower both existing trustees and potential trustees by giving greater clarity in respect of roles and responsibilities. The charities Bill is a key step that needs to be implemented to allow for the appropriate regulation, particularly financial regulation, of the sector. I will give the Deputy a little bit more information about a needs assessment we are doing on different levels of charities in my follow-up.
We are lucky in this country that the community and voluntary sector is truly a community and voluntary sector. In many other countries, there is not the same proportion of genuine community and voluntary people who are not paid. The participation of people who are not paid is much more significant than it might be in other places.
I am and have been a member of a number of boards in my local community. If an organisation is looking for new trustees, on top of the significant responsibilities people have when they join a board, for various organisations now, there is everything from health and safety, employment law and charity regulation, which includes articles of association and constitution. Then, there is all the stuff that goes with tendering to do with the Charities Regulator and auditing. Everything that goes with it is very substantial now. These could be organisations that might have only two or three people. It will be a challenge to find trustees for organisations unless we can make the work a bit easier for them.
I thank the Deputy for raising that particular point. I will take the opportunity to acknowledge all the board members across the country who do all the unseen work behind the scenes, much of which is tough drudgery and administrative work that does not always get acknowledged and seen. We are doing a needs assessment. We are currently working on a research programme to establish the skills and training needs within the sector to provide opportunities where gaps exist and to help to signpost existing resources where that is required. The first report of the training needs of the local community development committees, LCDCs, is to hand and has been agreed by the cross-sectoral group, CSG. A decision was taken to hold and publish all three reports together once they are finalised. A second report relates to the training needs of the voluntary boards of middle-sized charities. That report is nearing completion and we hope to be in a position to present the draft report to the CSG group shortly. The third report around training relates to smaller and community voluntary groups. It is also nearing completion and a draft report is due to be submitted to the subgroup shortly. The plan is to publish all three reports together and to get an implementation plan rolling as quickly as we can so we can help people in the situations the Deputy has described to feel better able to handle their workload.
It is not necessarily just about the time and effort, although those are considerations. There is also a cost implication to some of this stuff. People are trying to ensure boards or community associations are properly run. There may be three, four, five or six people employed. Some organisations would not even have that many and a lot of them might only have two or three employees. Those organisations are trying to ensure they have the correct policies and all that kind of stuff. Perhaps they have to have some sort of contractual arrangement with some of their tenants or some of the people who use a building and so on. That requires a consultation with a lawyer to get these things drafted. Laypeople do not have the skills to ensure such documents are watertight. The situation is similar in respect of the Charities Regulator. Someone who is seeking a constitution or articles of association will have to spend money to ensure the work is done properly. That issue needs to be addressed because it can draw on the limited incomes of community organisations when we would much rather see that money go to things that benefit people more directly. Obviously, these things benefit the community but we would prefer the money to go towards things that more directly and visibly benefit the community.
I take the Deputy's point about costs. We have different levels of funding for different types of organisations. The level the Deputy is talking about tends in many cases to get support via LCDCs and the community support fund we are in the process of rolling out across local authorities at the moment. We announced last year that €10 million would be available to grassroots groups, of which there are hundreds in every local authority area. That fund is particularly effective at reaching some of those costs but perhaps not all of them. I would also point to national organisations we fund with core funding whose job it is to support smaller organisations to develop. I am thinking of Boardmatch, The Wheel and the Carmichael Centre. To some extent, I am also thinking of the Irish Men's Sheds Association, which helps to support smaller organisations to grow and develop. We are certainly conscious of the cost of compliance and administration that many organisations, particularly small organisations, are facing and it is one of the reasons we are, through the Charities Bill, making it easier for those smaller organisations to submit reporting to the regulator.
66. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development further to Parliamentary Question No. 106 of 25 April 2023, the timeline for the publication of the new policy for the islands; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27833/23]
Events have overtaken us. My question relates to the publication of the policy document for the islands. Well done and congratulations to the Minister because that document has finally been published. However, it was not initially available in Irish, although it is at this stage. For some 64% of the population of the islands, Irish is their first language but the document was not initially available in Irish. I note that for the record. I have since got an Irish translation.
For the action plan, I will zone in on the implementation body. When is it going to be set up? Who will be on it?
I am delighted to confirm to the Deputy that I launched Our Living Islands, which is an ambitious ten-year policy designed to support vibrant and sustainable island communities. I launched the policy on Árainn Mhór off the coast of County Donegal on Wednesday, 7 June. I had the Irish version of the policy in my hand when I launched it. That was important. I fully understand that we should have the policy in Irish and I ensured we did.
The policy draws on the unique strengths and assets of the islands and sets out under its five strategic objectives a comprehensive way forward which will see island communities grow and prosper. Key to the development of the policy and action plan was the extensive public consultation which enabled island communities and other stakeholders to express their views as to the challenges and opportunities associated with living on an island.
As a result of delivering this policy, we will see more people living on the islands and more people working on our islands with good career prospects, regardless of where their employer is headquartered. Islands will be contributing to, and benefiting from, the transition to a low-carbon economy and a climate-neutral society. Island communities, and especially young people, will have an active role in shaping the future for Ireland’s islands.
Our Living Islands is the first whole-of-government policy for the islands to be published in 27 years and it will be backed up by rolling three-year action plans. I published the first of these action plans last week, with 80 commitments for the period from 2023 to 2026. The actions include improving housing and water infrastructure, better access to essential services in health and education, delivering high-speed broadband, supporting remote working and further developing outdoor amenities and sustainable tourism. These timebound actions will be implemented by various stakeholders led by a nominated Government Department. I will also be appointing representatives from the islands to an oversight committee, chaired by my Department, to ensure that the implementation of the policy is progressed. Toes will be kept to the fire.
The action plan was in Irish but the policy document was not in Irish on the day of the launch. The Irish version came much later. We got access to the action plan on the day.
In respect of implementation, will the Minister confirm when the monitoring body will be set up? She has confirmed there will be island representatives on that body.
I have already said, "Well done". The Minister kept her word in relation to the publication of the document. However, she will forgive me for my scepticism. I tabled a motion in 2019 on the basis of an absence of a policy for the islands despite a 1996 interdepartmental working committee recommendation that a policy was required urgently. Here we are getting a policy 27 years later. Forgive me but in a lot of it, tá athchúrsáil i gceist. There is a lot of recycling of existing policies, which I understand because it is an overall Government strategy. However, I am still extremely concerned about the failure to recognise the difficult situation in which islanders find themselves.
I know the Deputy has an interest in this issue because she has raised it with me on many occasions. I am pleased to say the policy has now been published. It is a good policy. I met the islanders' representative groups from across the different islands and I must say that on the day, they welcomed the policy, which contains a number of initiatives. I want to see quality remote working hubs developed on every island and new e-health pods. I want high-speed broadband to deliver new opportunities for education through blended learning. HSE representatives were on Árainn Mhór on the day of the launch and they were positive about what they can do to support islanders. The vacant homes refurbishment grant, which has been very successful, will include a 20% top-up for islanders. That is a specific commitment I have achieved. This is a whole-of-government policy. There was a lot of consultation around it. The policy was held up because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is really and truly a ground-up approach. The islanders have had a considerable amount of input into the policy and I am glad of that because they are the people who need to benefit from it.
I thank the Minister. It is difficult to reply to questions within one minute. I will ask again about the monitoring committee. When will it be set up? Who will be on it? I also ask about the Irish language. There is only one page on the Irish language in an 80-page document and that page refers to implementing the Official Languages Act. There is nothing else about the Irish language. Some 79% of the Gaeltacht islands, which form the vast majority of the islands, are Irish speaking. There is absolutely no strategy or action for the Irish language.
A health strategy was published in 2017. It referred to what was needed for health services on the islands. In 2023, we are struggling, despite the Minister's assistance, to provide, for example, a health centre on Inishbofin. That project has not progressed at all because two authorities have not got their acts together. Does the Minister have any intention of basing this policy on legislation? That has been done in Scotland and it has reversed its population decline.
I will go back to the issue of the Irish language copy of the document.
We had hard copies as Gaeilge on the island on the day. They were translated. I had them in my hand, both copies of the action plan and the policy document. It went up later online, but they were definitely there on the day - in fact, that morning.
We have a monitoring committee here. I only launched the strategy last week and I have officials working on the next steps in terms of the monitoring committee. There will be representatives from Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann and Comhar na nOileán and we are engaging with them regarding representations on the committee.
I will be on the committee as well. I assure the Deputy that, between me and the islanders, we will hold all the various Departments to account.
There are real actions there. I know that it took longer but I wanted to make sure that we had real tangible actions in this policy.
Legislation.
Let this policy settle now and see how it goes. I am happy that we will make progress.
67. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development how increased funding for the local improvement scheme in County Kerry can be secured as there are 650 applications still waiting on the list. [28561/23]
I am glad to get the opportunity in the Chamber to respectfully ask the Minister to provide more funding for the local improvement scheme, LIS, in Kerry. At present, we have 659 LIS applications and 14 community applications, that is, 673 applications, waiting for funding. Of course, I thank her for the €799,000 she gave earlier in the year which will do only 15 roads, but that leaves a deficit of 673 roads. At the current rate we are going, that will take up to 30 years.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue - an issue that is close to my heart too.
The LIS supports the improvement of rural roads and lane-ways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future.
The scheme was reintroduced by my Department in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding. I am committed to improving connectivity for rural residents, whether it be access to homes, farms or outdoor amenities. Since 2017, my Department has allocated almost €114 million to the scheme. This has upgraded some 3,700 non-public roads and lanes benefiting over 16,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.
From 2017 to 2022, a total of €6.2 million was allocated to County Kerry, which resulted in improvement works carried out on 173 roads. This is the fifth highest allocation nationally. Within each county's allocation, the prioritisation of roads for submission to my Department is a matter for local authorities in line with the scheme outline.
I launched the 2023 scheme in February with an increase in funding to €12 million. I also announced an additional €550,000 for improvement works on our offshore islands. Within this funding, I allocated almost €800,000 to County Kerry bringing its allocation since 2017 to more than €7 million.
I will continue to monitor expenditure within my Department and should savings emerge, I will give consideration to allocating additional funding to the scheme. Indeed, I have recently asked all local authorities to inform my Department as to how many more projects they could deliver this year, should any such funding become available.
I am committed to ensuring that a well-funded LIS remains in place to deliver on the commitments contained in Our Rural Future.
I thank the Minister for her reply. Deputy Humphreys is a Minister from a rural county and she understands the problem that we have.
I appreciate the funding that we have received but we must go forward. We have 673 roads on the list.
The Department of Finance may be telling the Minister that these are private roads; they are not. They are public roads that were not taken in charge by the local authority. To qualify, you must have at least two landholders. Many of these roads have up to 20 landholders and maybe the same amount of houses. I reiterate these are not private roads or laneways; they are public rights of way that were not taken in charge by the local authority. They are used by households, farmers and service providers, including doctors and public health nurses. These people pay their motor tax, income tax, VAT and excise the same as the people in Dublin. The people on these roads deserve a good road to their door the same as the people in Dublin 4.
I thank the Deputy.
All I can say to him is - and I think he will acknowledge this - I have been pumping the money into the LIS. Over the past five years, my Department has allocated €114 million. In fairness to the former Minister, Deputy Ring, he started the ball rolling.
I know what it is like if the milk lorry cannot get in to get the milk or the meal lorry cannot get in to deliver the meal. I fully understand that. I grew up on a farm and I lived on a lane that was a mile long. There were potholes on it sometimes and you would nearly get lost - bicycle and all.
I explain to the officials in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, as the Deputy does, what these local improvement schemes are. They are not private lanes. The Deputy is dead right; many people use them.
We are talking about once-off funding. Once-off funding could go into these lanes because if they are fixed, they will last 15 years. They are a good investment in rural Ireland. I absolutely support it.
I will be knocking on the door to get more funding for the lanes. The Deputy can be sure of that now and he will help me.
The Minister asked the question: what capacity have the local authorities? In 2005 and 2006, we did exactly 111 roads each year in County Kerry because a certain Deputy was up here at the time and he was able to cajole the then Ministers into providing extra funding later in the year when it was not spent in other places. They have the capacity to do the roads all right if we get the funding.
Some of these people are waiting since 2007. Their applications went in in 2007. There was nothing happening. The Minister is dead right. I held on to the former Minister, Deputy Ring, in the committee. Every day, I was at him to reintroduce the LIS. I thank the Deputy for doing that. I will always thank him because the Department of Finance had stopped the funding going to these roads completely, which was absolutely unfair.
I appeal strongly to the Minister. In light of the fact that we have 673 roads remaining to be done, I ask her for extra funding. I will appreciate her and I will not deny her the credit that is due to her if she can make a case for us to get more funding at this time. With 30 years of a wait, many of us would be long dead, gone and buried and there would be no account of us if we have to wait that long.
I appreciate that Kerry is a large county but so, too, are the resources we have allocated to it. As I have said, since 2017, at more than €7 million, it is the fifth highest allocation in the country.
I have put a call out now and Kerry needs to put in what it is capable of doing.
I know that the Minister has.
It should be noted that Kerry had an LIS underspend in 2022, which represented almost 10% of the total allocation. The local authority did not spend €145,000. That is not the Deputy's fault. That is not my fault.
I did not know that. I will have to have a word with them about that.
The Deputy might have a word with them because I would be doing the same in my county - have a word with them - if they did not spend it.
It is like this. I will do what I can.
In addition, as the Deputy will be aware, I am not the Department of roads but, as I said, we try to support this work. If there is any money that is unspent in any other Department, I am happy to take it and put it in the roads. There is no doubt about that. I am happy for any underspend in roads to go to the LIS schemes. We will spend it.
