Cathal Crowe
Question:84. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the work of the Rural Youth Assembly. [19247/23]
View answerRural Schemes
Questions (84)
Written answers
Our Rural Future, is the whole-of-Government policy for the sustainable development of rural Ireland. Policy measure 73 of the plan commits to ‘Establish an annual Rural Youth Assembly to allow young people living in rural Ireland to make an on-going contribution to identifying and influencing policy issues that impact on them and their future.’
My Department holds lead responsibility for this commitment, and has established a Rural Youth Assembly under the umbrella of the National Youth Assembly of Ireland.
The inaugural national Rural Youth Assembly took place virtually on 16 November 2021, in partnership with the Department of Children, Equality, Diversity, Integration and Youth’s National Participation Office. Within the assembly, young people from rural areas aged between 12-18 years discussed issues of importance to them. These included the challenges and opportunities associated with living, studying and socialising in rural Ireland.
The Rural Youth Assembly continued as part of the National Youth Assembly series, with my Department hosting a second event on 14 July 2022. The event was held in person, with approximately 50 young people aged between 12-25 years participating in workshops on the day. At the closing session, a series of recommendations, developed by the young people, was presented for consideration.
Reports containing the details of these events and the outcomes are available on my Department's website.
One of the themes of the 2022 Assembly was ‘Leaders of the Future’. Subsequently, this theme and the emerging recommendations fed into a discussion of a Youth Panel at the 13th OECD Rural Development Conference in Cavan, (28-30 September 2022), the theme of which was ‘Young People as Future Leaders in Rural Communities’.
Arrangements are now being put in place for this year’s Rural Youth Assembly event, due to take place in October. The event will build upon the enthusiasm and momentum experienced across the assembly events to date.
Departmental Funding
Questions (85)
James O'Connor
Question:85. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of organisations and initiatives in Cork east that will be in receipt of the Community Support Fund. [19382/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Community Support Fund, launched on 18 November, is a Fund designed to assist thousands of community groups across the country. Support is available to, for example, Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s and Women’s Sheds. The fund will deliver small grants to help groups with running costs and rising energy bills. Groups can also use the funding to carry out small upgrade works and to purchase equipment to support their activities such as laptops and printers, lawnmowers, training equipment, etc.
The funding is administered on behalf of my Department locally by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority. The Community Support Fund is now closed to applicants and details of successful projects for Cork East will be published on my Department’s website www.gov.ie/drcd, in the coming weeks.
Broadband Infrastructure
Questions (86)
Seán Sherlock
Question:86. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she is satisfied, under Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, specifically in respect of digital, that every household that wishes to have an adequate internet connection, has one. [19389/23]
View answerWritten answers
Our Rural Future is the whole of Government policy for sustainable rural development in Ireland. It was published in March 2021 and is the most ambitious rural development policy for Ireland in decades. It contains more than 150 measures intended to support the post–covid recovery in the short-term, economic and social development in the longer terms as well as environmental and cultural well-being.
Optimising digital connectivity in rural areas is a key focus of the strategy. Fundamental to this is the commitment to deliver high-speed broadband to every part of the country, enabling rural people to have equality of access to remote working opportunities and to online information, resources and services such as education and personalised health care.
My colleague, the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, and National Broadband Ireland (NBI), are responsible for the delivery of the National Broadband Plan, which will deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.
The latest statistics from NBI confirms that more than 146,000 premises are now able to order or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection across 26 counties, with 131,000 premises passed across 26 counties which are available for immediate connection. NBI is committed to delivering a cumulative target of 185,000 premises passed by the end of January 2024.
The National Broadband Plan is the largest infrastructural project being undertaken by the State since rural electrification. It is, by its very nature, a long-term project that will extend beyond the conclusion of the Our Rural Future programme in 2025. I am confident that the project will continue to deliver very real benefits across rural Ireland as roll-out continues to progress.
Departmental Data
Questions (87)
Frankie Feighan
Question:87. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of funding provided by her Department to counties Sligo and Leitrim since January 2020; the list of projects supported under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, town and village renewal scheme, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Fund, Building Acquisition Fund and CLÁR Fund during this period in counties Leitrim and Sligo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19141/23]
View answerWritten answers
My Department delivers a wide range of strategic interventions, funding programmes, policies and initiatives to support urban and rural communities throughout the country. Since 2020 my Department has allocated funding of some €25m to Sligo and some €42m to Leitrim.
The table below sets out the total funding allocated by my Department to counties Sligo and Leitrim under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme including the Building Acquisition Measure, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme and the CLÁR Programme. Details of the particular projects funded are set out in the attached documents.
TVRS Projects Sligo and Leitrim
|
Year |
Scheme |
Sligo |
Leitrim |
Total |
|
2020 |
RRDF |
€457,333 |
€476,033 |
€933,366 |
|
TVRS |
€1,095,000 |
€922,103 |
€2,017,103 |
|
|
ORIS |
€750,650 |
€464,510 |
€1,215,160 |
|
|
BAM |
N/A |
N/A |
€0 |
|
|
CLÁR |
€220,620 |
€347,957 |
€568,577.00 |
|
|
Total |
€4,734,206 |
|||
|
2021 |
RRDF |
0 |
€4,926,263 |
€4,926,263 |
|
TVRS |
€1,570,000 |
€1,443,283 |
€3,013,283 |
|
|
ORIS |
€616,100 |
€1,075,034 |
€1,691,134 |
|
|
BAM |
N/A |
N/A |
€0 |
|
|
CLÁR |
€350,782 |
€386,328 |
€737,110 |
|
|
Total |
€10,367,790 |
|||
|
2022 |
RRDF |
€580,000 |
€10,606,381 |
€11,186,381 |
|
TVRS |
€920,101 |
€1,011,787 |
€1,931,888 |
|
|
ORIS |
€542,796 |
€703,679 |
€1,246,475 |
|
|
BAM |
€400,000 |
€400,000 |
€800,000 |
|
|
CLÁR |
€457,849 |
€524,105 |
€981,954 |
|
|
Total |
€16,146,698 |
Departmental Funding
Questions (88)
Colm Burke
Question:88. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when she will announce successful projects under the Community Support Fund in Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19400/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Community Support Fund, launched on 18 November, is a Fund designed to assist thousands of community groups across the country. Support is available to, for example, Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s and Women’s Sheds. The fund will deliver small grants to help groups with running costs and rising energy bills. Groups can also use the funding to carry out small upgrade works and to purchase equipment to support their activities such as laptops and printers, lawnmowers, training equipment, etc.
The funding is administered on behalf of my Department locally by Local Community Development Committees www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/f4022e-local-community-development-committees-lcdcs/ (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority. The Community Support Fund is now closed to applicants and details of successful projects for Cork will be published on my Department’s website www.gov.ie/drcd, in the coming weeks.
Question No. 89 answered with Question No. 63.
Departmental Funding
Questions (90)
David Stanton
Question:90. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she has considered the establishment of a fund which would be open to applications from schools to facilitate the use of buildings after hours for community purposes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19232/23]
View answerWritten answers
The 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. Since the CLÁR Programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures. Funding of over €57 million has been approved for almost 2,100 projects since its relaunch. I launched CLÁR 2023 on 29 March 2023 and the measures to be funded are:
• Developing Community Facilities and Amenities (Measure 1)
• Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport (Measure 2)
• ‘Our Islands’ (Measure 3)
Projects for the development of community facilities on school property are eligible under Measure 1 once the facility is open to the public outside of school hours.
The Department of Education's Guidelines on the Use of School Buildings Outside of School Hours provide information which schools should take into consideration where a third party is seeking to use school property or facilities. In such circumstances it is a matter for the owner of the school to decide whether a proposed use can be considered. A school, may, with the approval of the board of management, make arrangements to rent out their facilities for community purposes and reimburse the school at an acceptable rate to cover the costs involved.
Departmental Strategies
Questions (91)
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:91. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the public consultation on the development of a new strategy for the public library service. [19245/23]
View answerWritten answers
The National Public Library Strategy 2023-2027 has been developed jointly by my department, the Libraries Development Unit in the Local Government Management Agency, the County and City Management Association and local authorities. The strategy has been shaped by an extensive five week public consultation that opened on the 8th of June 2022. This consultation received an extremely high number of responses, with 2,792 online submissions, and 201 paper copies submitted.
The consultation responses showed strong satisfaction with the public library service, highlighting an appreciation of library services generally, the range of resources available and the commitment and enthusiasm of staff. Some areas identified for improvement included the scope of the mobile library service and the marketing of library services.
In addition to the public consultation process, focus group consultations were carried out with a number of relevant stakeholders, along with extensive consultation with local authority and library staff.
I will be presenting the strategy to Government shortly for approval to publish. I am confident that the new strategy will support the continuing development of public libraries as a relevant, modern and high quality community service, available to all.
Tidy Towns
Questions (92)
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:92. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of towns that applied to the 2023 Tidy Towns competition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19246/23]
View answerWritten answers
The SuperValu TidyTowns competition is a unique community movement which has a huge impact on our communities throughout Ireland. It is an effective and important sustainability initiative in Ireland, both from an environmental and community perspective. It encourages communities to improve their local environment and make their area a better place to live, work and visit in line with the objectives of Our Rural Future, the national rural development policy. The competition has evolved in recent years, widening its focus to supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
At the national awards ceremony in the RDS in October last, I was delighted to announce Trim, Co Meath as Ireland's Tidiest Town for 2022. At the event I also announced a funding package of €1.4 million to support TidyTowns groups in their initiatives for the 2023 competition. This funding brings the total allocation by my Department since 2017 to €8.1 million in direct funding to over 1,000 TidyTowns groups.
I launched the 2023 SuperValu TidyTowns competition in Trim on March 24th. Towns and villages across the country have until May 10th to submit their entry. A small number of entries have been received to date but a full list of all entries will be placed on the SuperValu TidyTowns website once all applications have been received.
Question No. 93 answered with Question No. 63.
Departmental Strategies
Questions (94)
Seán Sherlock
Question:94. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the development of the National Philanthropy Strategy. [19392/23]
View answerWritten answers
My Department is currently drafting a National Policy on Philanthropy with the assistance of a National Advisory Group drawn from the wider philanthropy sector. The aim of the policy, which will be the first national policy on philanthropy in Ireland, is to support and facilitate philanthropy in Ireland and to further develop its potential.
Laying the groundwork for this policy began with a competitive procurement process instigated by my Department which commissioned Indecon Consultants to undertake independent research and to produce a report, in August 2021, entitled ‘The Landscape of Philanthropic Giving in Ireland'.
In December 2021 my Department hosted a consultative workshop: ‘Where will the Philanthropy of Today lead us tomorrow? Charting a course for the development of an Irish National Policy on Philanthropy’ which was attended by 60 cross sector stakeholders including a number of European experts. In January 2022, the Rapporteur's Report on the workshop, including some immediate recommendations, was submitted to my Department.
Following on from these recommendations and those from Indecon's research, a National Advisory Group on the Development of a Government Policy on Philanthropy in Ireland was convened in April, 2022. Membership of the Group includes philanthropists, grant makers, government and civil society. The Group, chaired by Minister of State Joe O'Brien, has met on five occasions.
It is intended that a draft of the policy will be made available for public consultation within the next few weeks. Following the public consultation, a final draft will be presented to Government for approval later this year.
Departmental Strategies
Questions (95)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:95. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update for the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027; and the plans for County Meath. [19318/23]
View answerWritten answers
Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027, was launched last November. The Strategy was developed in collaboration with Comhairle na Tuaithe and is a collaborative cross-Government, stakeholder-led strategy. It reflects the views of stakeholders, the public and the whole of Government and it sets the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland for years to come.
Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors will ensure that there is a joined up and coordinated approach to deliver maximum impact from the significant investment in the sector and to build on the natural advantages in place. The Strategy also aims to increase the number of people active in the outdoors, especially young people and under-represented groups, and to foster a greater understanding of how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly.
Better planning and development of outdoor recreation infrastructure will be embedded through the Strategy implementation. This will lead to enhanced protection of the environment and will be in keeping with best practice management of landscape and habitats.
The implementation of Embracing Ireland's Outdoors is being led by my Department and Sport Ireland and progress will be overseen by Comhairle na Tuaithe. A Strategy Implementation and Oversight Group has been established. The Group is meeting later this month to review the progress to date under the Strategy.
Guidance on the development of county outdoor recreation plans is currently being developed and will be issued to all stakeholders in the coming months.
Departmental Schemes
Questions (96)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:96. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the position regarding the timing of the next allocations under the town and village renewal scheme; the allocations per local authority for each of the years 2018 to 2022; if any review of the scheme is envisaged given the difference in size and population between local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19328/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Over €149 million has been allocated to more than 1,600 projects across Ireland to date. The Scheme is primarily targeted at towns and villages with a population of 10,000 or less.
In line with the commitment in Our Rural Future, TVRS priorities are reviewed at the end of each scheme year to ensure that funding is targeted effectively to support vibrant and attractive communities. The 2023 review process is at an advanced stage and I expect to be in a position to launch the 2023 scheme in June of this year.
The table below outlines the allocations per local authority for each of the years 2018 to 2022.
|
Local Authority |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
Total |
|
Carlow |
€786,118 |
€399,692 |
€815,998 |
€1,258,401 |
€1,482,769 |
€4,742,978 |
|
Cavan |
€530,000 |
€604,914 |
€1,166,268 |
€1,351,985 |
€1,597,440 |
€5,250,607 |
|
Clare |
€581,000 |
€721,109 |
€1,215,110 |
€1,118,860 |
€1,001,073 |
€4,637,152 |
|
Cork City |
€0 |
€264,800 |
€240,000 |
€932,853 |
€75,000 |
€1,512,653 |
|
Cork Co |
€1,001,800 |
€737,500 |
€1,170,540 |
€832,077 |
€895,870 |
€4,637,787 |
|
Donegal |
€1,100,000 |
€764,400 |
€810,318 |
€748,664 |
€1,023,234 |
€4,446,616 |
|
Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown |
€100,000 |
€0 |
€0 |
€0 |
€225,000 |
€325,000 |
|
Fingal |
€597,960 |
€120,000 |
€422,429 |
€141,174 |
€186,000 |
€1,467,563 |
|
South Dublin |
€0 |
€200,000 |
€9,450 |
€0 |
€0 |
€209,450 |
|
Galway |
€900,000 |
€752,000 |
€1,105,323 |
€850,772 |
€1,012,075 |
€4,620,170 |
|
Kerry |
€476,000 |
€810,486 |
€1,111,545 |
€918,531 |
€983,768 |
€4,300,330 |
|
Kildare |
€520,000 |
€312,164 |
€854,533 |
€252,993 |
€942,950 |
€2,882,640 |
|
Kilkenny |
€652,280 |
€391,600 |
€1,036,026 |
€1,335,340 |
€450,230 |
€3,865,476 |
|
Laois |
€872,094 |
€437,761 |
€775,275 |
€1,056,352 |
€1,017,500 |
€4,158,982 |
|
Leitrim |
€737,520 |
€324,511 |
€922,103 |
€1,443,283 |
€1,281,787 |
€4,709,204 |
|
Limerick |
€963,918 |
€585,101 |
€1,030,861 |
€1,341,784 |
€1,636,229 |
€5,557,893 |
|
Longford |
€593,856 |
€454,104 |
€711,061 |
€913,893 |
€664,263 |
€3,337,177 |
|
Louth |
€892,157 |
€338,000 |
€745,490 |
€1,075,505 |
€420,885 |
€3,472,037 |
|
Mayo |
€1,183,615 |
€838,533 |
€1,241,821 |
€118,946 |
€1,196,843 |
€4,579,758 |
|
Meath |
€670,834 |
€585,792 |
€905,563 |
€930,503 |
€1,015,700 |
€4,108,392 |
|
Monaghan |
€868,500 |
€569,536 |
€1,228,863 |
€1,093,458 |
€1,366,395 |
€5,126,752 |
|
Offaly |
€1,300,000 |
€700,000 |
€1,250,000 |
€590,500 |
€1,475,000 |
€5,315,500 |
|
Roscommon |
€880,000 |
€688,000 |
€1,228,885 |
€1,220,015 |
€1,352,420 |
€5,369,320 |
|
Sligo |
€1,138,400 |
€564,000 |
€1,095,000 |
€1,570,000 |
€1,320,101 |
€5,687,501 |
|
Tipperary |
€913,266 |
€684,615 |
€1,180,659 |
€1,475,587 |
€1,383,571 |
€5,637,698 |
|
Waterford |
€756,000 |
€500,000 |
€805,127 |
€825,578 |
€1,118,623 |
€4,005,328 |
|
Westmeath |
€452,000 |
€700,000 |
€575,600 |
€398,531 |
€554,701 |
€2,680,832 |
|
Wexford |
€1,334,798 |
€691,206 |
€1,177,981 |
€1,254,358 |
€1,524,901 |
€5,983,244 |
|
Wicklow |
€518,005 |
€250,173 |
€961,538 |
€692,925 |
€1,048,299 |
€3,470,940 |
|
Total Funding Allocated |
€21,320,121 |
€14,989,996 |
€25,793,367 |
€25,742,868 |
€28,252,627 |
€116,098,979 |
Departmental Data
Questions (97)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:97. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the counties which benefited from the CLÁR small scale rural projects in the past year; and the amount of funding allocated to each county. [19223/23]
View answerWritten answers
The 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.
Since the CLÁR Programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures. Funding of over €57 million has been approved for almost 2,100 projects since its relaunch.
I launched CLÁR 2023 on 29 March 2023 and the measures to be funded are:
• Developing Community Facilities and Amenities (Measure 1)
• Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport (Measure 2)
• ‘Our Islands’ (Measure 3)
Under the CLÁR 2022 programme, funding of over €12 million was approved for almost 300 projects. Please find the breakdown per county below;
|
County |
Total No of Projects Approved |
Total Amount |
|
Carlow |
3 |
€86,983.20 |
|
Cavan |
14 |
€616,057.78 |
|
Clare |
14 |
€679,222.46 |
|
Cork |
19 |
€895,982.00 |
|
Donegal |
23 |
€943,046.47 |
|
Galway |
23 |
€1,063,583.18 |
|
Kerry |
18 |
€812,863.55 |
|
Kilkenny |
12 |
€420,207.04 |
|
Laois |
11 |
€444,105.00 |
|
Leitrim |
14 |
€524,105.70 |
|
Limerick |
12 |
€408,289.00 |
|
Longford |
16 |
€580,140.16 |
|
Louth |
3 |
€109,427.40 |
|
Mayo |
19 |
€822,631.01 |
|
Meath |
10 |
€378,088.00 |
|
Monaghan |
18 |
€784,362.20 |
|
Offaly |
4 |
€188,693.00 |
|
Roscommon |
13 |
€542,554.04 |
|
Sligo |
11 |
€457,849.00 |
|
Tipperary |
15 |
€635,276.00 |
|
Waterford |
7 |
€279,500.00 |
|
Westmeath |
8 |
€336,200.00 |
|
Wicklow |
5 |
€169,200.00 |
|
Total |
292 |
€12,178,366 |
Question No. 98 answered with Question No. 63.
Question No. 99 answered with Question No. 61.
Flexible Work Practices
Questions (100)
Claire Kerrane
Question:100. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the recent engagement her Department has had with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment regarding remote working to support rural workers and communities, in view of the recent passing of legislation that will provide the legal right to request remote working; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19349/23]
View answerWritten answers
On the 9th of November 2022, the Government agreed to rescind the original Right to Request Remote Working Bill and integrate the right to request remote work into the Work Life Balance Bill, which was led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth (DCEDIY).
On the 29th March 2023, the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 successfully completed its passage through the Dáil and was enacted on the 4th of April 2023. The right to request remote working will be available to all employees under the Act.
This important legislation is one of a number of steps taken by this Government to support and empower remote workers.
Remote workers support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable rural communities. Accordingly, under Our Rural Future, my Department has invested in co-working hubs across the country and is leading the development of the National Hub Network and its online platform connectedhubs.ie.
The National Hub Network interdepartmental group, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, was established in 2020 and arose from intensive engagement between my department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the subject of remote working at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Made up of a number of government departments and public bodies, this group is focussed on ensuring the critical infrastructure needed to support remote workers, professional and accessible distributed work places, are available across the country.
On foot of that group’s co-operation, a nationwide network of 315 hubs is now established, with at least 400 expected by 2025. In addition, officials at my department and at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are currently leading on the development of a National Hub Strategy that will examine the potential of Ireland’s hubs to do more to support enterprise, employment and community activities.
I and my colleagues in Government remain committed to ensuring that remote working will continue to deliver real benefits for people all across the country, as envisaged in Our Rural Future.
Departmental Schemes
Questions (101)
Brendan Griffin
Question:101. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the anticipated budget per county for the CLÁR Programme in 2023; when the scheme will close for applications; if car parking at sports clubs will be eligible; if stands, terraces and access paths will be covered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19136/23]
View answerWritten answers
The 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.
Since the CLÁR Programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures. Funding of over €57 million has been approved for almost 2,100 projects since its relaunch.
I launched CLÁR 2023 on 29 March 2023 and the measures to be funded are:
• Developing Community Facilities and Amenities (Measure 1)
• Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport (Measure 2)
• ‘Our Islands’ (Measure 3)
Measure 1 of the CLÁR programme includes funding for car parks at community facilities and improvements to spectator stands at local sports grounds. However, footpaths are not eligible under this year's Programme. The Measure is being administered at a local level by the local authorities. Up to 15 project applications may be selected by the local authority for consideration by my Department. All local authorities are due to submit their applications to my Department by 6th June 2023.
I am pleased to say that I secured an increased CLÁR allocation under Budget 2023 of €7.85 million. There is no budget per county at this time. The amount allocated to each county will depend on a number of factors including, the allocation model chosen following assessment of all the applications received, the number of applications received and the quality of applications.