Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 February 2022
182. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of a project (details supplied); if a final letter of findings issued; if a sensory garden has been completed at the location; if the sensory garden has not progressed, if a request was submitted to her Department for a change of use of the funding that had been allocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7105/22]
View answerThe CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period. The project referred to by the Deputy was approved funding of €20,000 under the 2019 CLÁR Programme.
A claim for payment in respect of this project was received by my Department last year and was subject to pre-payment inspection. Issues were identified with the delivery of the project as part of that inspection process and a preliminary letter of findings issued to the local authority. A response was received from the local authority but a number of outstanding issues remained.
A final letter of findings was issued to the local authority in January 2022 which included a determination of ineligible funding of over €18,000 for works completed that were not part of the approved application.
Prior to the inspection the Department was not notified of any changes to the project.
The local authority have appealed the decision on the ineligible funding and this will be subject to formal review as part of the CLÁR Programme appeals procedure.
