Seán Sherlock
Question:862. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding her Department has granted across rural development for projects on Arranmore Island including all roads. [4285/22]
View answerTuesday, 1 February 2022
Questions (862)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware my Department provides co-funding, with the relevant Local Authorities, for minor capital works on our inhabited offshore islands. Applications from the Local Authorities for 2022 are still incoming and therefore it is too early to give any figure as regards funding for this year. However, I can confirm that in the 5 year period from 2016-2021 my Department provided €673,463 in funding for projects on Arranmore under the Islands Minor Capital Works Programme.
Under the 2017 Town and Village Renewal Scheme funding of €100,000 was approved for the creation of a digital hub on the island.
Arranmore Welfare Committee was approved funding of €4,108 under the Meals on Wheels and Linked Services Measure of CLÁR 2020 for the purchase of equipment.
Comhair na nÓileain was approved funding of €16,941.33 under the 2021 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme for the installation of Blueway signage for water and land based trails on Arranmore Island and Burtonport.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of ambitious capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. In 2019, Donegal County Council was awarded funding of €3,089,199 for the Ailt and Chorain (Burtonport)/Oileán Árainn Mhór (Arranmore Island) – Harbour to Island Regeneration project, with €1,087,065 of this amount allocated to the Arranmore Island element of the project. This project will deliver improved infrastructure at the harbour in Burtonport and provide shorefront amenity infrastructure on Arranmore. This will assist in enhancing the relationship between the island and the mainland and provide opportunities for growth in the tourism and marine leisure sectors.
Under the Community Enhancement Programme Donegal County Council received funding of €8,225 between 2020 and 2021 for projects on Arranmore Island.
The Community Services Programme, or CSP, supports community organisations to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model. During 2021, Comharchumann Forbartha & Fostaíocht Árainn Mhór Teoranta received CSP funding of €117,071, inclusive of the CSP Support Fund, to provide and manage a broad range of facilities and activities for the local community and tourists to the island. The organisation has been granted an extension under the CSP up to 31 December 2022, with funding of €108,132 supporting one manager and four full time equivalent positions.
Through the COVID-19 Stability Fund for Community and Voluntary Organisations, Charities and Social Enterprises, my Department also supported Comharchumann Forbartha & Fostaíocht Árainn Mhór Teoranta with funding of €19,586. That fund is now closed and there are no plans at present for further rounds of the Stability Fund.
In 2019 Comharchumann Oileán Árainn Mhór CTR received €14,410 in Dormant Accounts funding under the Social Enterprise Capital grants Scheme. This was used to provide suitable wheelchair access and ramp/handrails to a building used by the organisation.
The LEADER programme is a key component of Irelands rural development programme which is co-funded by the EU and the Exchequer. LEADER is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The programme is delivered by Local Action Groups (LAGs) across the country who are responsible for selecting and awarding LEADER funding, at a local level, to projects within their own geographical area. A feature of the LEADER programme is that it is based on a community-led local development, bottom-up approach to rural development.
The current programme is delivered on Arranmore Island by the Donegal Local Action Group (LAG) through its Implementing Partner, Comhar na nOileán CTR.
The Donegal LAG is responsible for the delivery of the programme including approving project applications for funding and processing claims for payment once approved works are completed.
To date, the Donegal LAG has approved 15 projects on Arranmore Island which has a corresponding value in excess of €250,000.