Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2018
78. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation if she had an input into the criteria for qualification for the rural regeneration and the urban regeneration funds; if so, the extent to which job creation is a priority in the allocation of funds; if the successful projects will be monitored to ensure that objectives relevant to her Department will be achieved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50418/18]
View answerThe Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund form part of Project Ireland 2040, and will help in delivering the Government's ambition to transform communities of all sizes through imaginative regeneration bringing life back into cities, towns and villages. It should be noted that the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has responsibility for the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund while the Minister for Rural and Community Development has responsibility for the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
The Rural and Urban Funds complement well the €60m Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), which I, as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, am leading in my Department. I announced the second round of successful applicants for the REDF yesterday, 3rd December, which are in addition to the 21 successful projects I announced in December 2017 under the first REDF call for proposals.
I understand that the qualification criteria and programme monitoring arrangements for each of the Rural and Urban funds have been developed by the respective Departments, in order to align with the National Strategic Objectives as set out in Project Ireland 2040. Details of the qualification criteria for the two funds are set out on the relevant websites (https://drcd.gov.ie/about/rural/rural-regeneration-development-fund and http://npf.ie/urdf ). The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Department of Rural and Community Development have oversight of the funds and have established the financial governance and project reporting requirements for applicants.
My Department is represented on the Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board, which oversees the implementation of Project Ireland 2040. The Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board has a high-level oversight role and is not responsible for individual funding decisions. Furthermore, my Department was represented on a 'Project Advisory Board' for both funds, which were established to assist the relevant Departments in assessing proposals received against the criteria outlined in the funds' supporting information documents.
I welcome both of these initiatives and am encouraged by the quality of the projects announced so far. From my Department's perspective, Enterprise 2025 Renewed - Ireland's National Enterprise Policy highlights the strong interdependence between the development of attractive urban and rural environments and where companies choose to establish, invest and create jobs. Such 'place-making' is a key element to ensuring communities across Ireland are attractive for Irish and foreign-owned businesses to invest in, and for people to live in. Both the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund will provide valuable contributions towards achieving this goal.
