Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2022
13. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the range of schemes and value of same for regional development throughout Ireland in the past two years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8686/22]
View answerMy question relates to the range of schemes that will be available for people who want to advance a lot of different regional developments across the country, and the euro value of those schemes to them. There are many options, but people need to be able to access those and know where they can access them.
I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this matter. The programme for Government places a strong emphasis on balanced regional development through a range of measures. My Department supports this commitment through targeted investment that supports rural regeneration, facilitates new working opportunities, and fosters regional enterprise growth.
Our Rural Future is a whole-of-government rural development policy which sets out a range of measures to strengthen the resilience of our rural communities and economies, including addressing the impacts of the challenges experienced by people living and working in rural Ireland and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The NDP will support the achievement of the ambitious objectives set out in that document. Over the life of the NDP, my Department will continue to invest in and support rural Ireland and communities across the country, supported through the various scheme such as the rural regeneration and development fund, the LEADER programme, the town and village renewal scheme, the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme, the local improvement scheme, the CLÁR programme, the islands capital programme, the community enhancement programme, the libraries investment capital funding, the PEACE IV programme and the PEACEPLUS programme. Details of funding allocations under specific schemes provided by my Department are available online at www.gov.ie. All of the different funding we have allocated in the past is outlined there. People can make the necessary applications to the various schemes available to help them in their regions.
I thank the Minister. I want to acknowledge the wide variety of schemes available, which is good because it allows specific needs to be targeted. However, there are many options available to different groups, which means that they end up making a range of different applications, often carrying a lot of overheads and effort in order to access that funding.
I deal with a large number of people in my constituency office. The LEADER group IRD does similar. A range of others also do this work, including the council. There is no one-stop shop because there are so many different channels. It is difficult for groups to know where to access the various different streams. Can the Minister identify whether there could be a one-stop shop approach?
Due to myriad applications, many groups are putting a lot of effort into making the same, or very similar, application for a number of different programmes. There are overheads involved for individual groups at the expense of communities if funding is being directed towards applications. Has the Minister considered whether there are opportunities to change that?
I thank the Deputy. He is correct. Sometimes there are many different funding streams and organisations are not sure which one to apply for. I will engage with local authorities and various other groups to give them briefings on the different funding streams and what they are targeted towards.
The first port of call for any community group applying for funding through my Department is the local authority. I have encouraged local authorities, through community officers and LEADER companies, to try to build capacity within communities to help them submit applications. The one place any organisation needs to go for funding is the local authority. We need a joined up approach. I will meet local authorities very soon and we will go through all of the different funding streams and explain in detail what they relate to so that there is no duplication in applications. Many of the applications we receive are for sports capital grants. Other funding is available for tourism projects, through Fáilte Ireland or the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Local authorities should provide that joined up approach.
I thank the Minister. There are a range of different streams. While many of them will be dealt with through local authorities, there is still a need for groups to go to the likes of IRD or access other local groups such SECAD and so on in order to access some funds. A very good example is the scheme being operated by Cork County Council, where one application covers amenity, community and recreation grants. That reduces the burden on community groups and ensures they are focused on a particular need.
I am trying to establish whether the Minister wants to have a one-stop shop in local authorities or anywhere else. Has the Minister considered various options? What kind of timeframe does she have in mind to support community groups?
Any community group looking for funding from my Department needs to go to the local authority. Local authorities engage with communities. They send applications to my Department and put proposals together. In terms of LEADER funding, organisations go to a local LEADER company which funds different initiatives, such as enterprises or community halls. There are a number of different funding opportunities. I advise communities to engage with their local authorities. I will make it very clear to local authorities what is available when I meet them in the next few weeks. There is a community section in every local authority and I want organisations to engage with their local communities.
