Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 February 2022
992. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the way her Department ensures that the buildings her Department has responsibility for are built using blocks that are free from MICA and deleterious materials in construction projects in County Donegal; if her Department has checked existing buildings for the presence of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7654/22]
View answerMy Department has a capital budget of €192 million in 2022, with the National Development Plan providing for total funding of €962 million for the period 2021 to 2025. This funding supports a wide range of schemes including, for example, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, Town and Village Renewal, the Local Improvement Scheme, public libraries and the CLÁR Programme.
The vast majority of projects funded under these schemes are delivered by the relevant local authority, or other implementing body, with the terms and conditions of schemes placing responsibility for appropriate delivery and compliance with required standards on the organisation which received the grant funding.
In terms of monitoring and audit compliance in relation to grant funding, my Department maintains oversight of approved projects through comprehensive monitoring and approval processes as the projects progress. Follow up audits also take place in a percentage of cases, involving a review of the project on the ground and examination of all financial documentation associated with the delivery of the project.
