Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 March 2022
239. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development her plans to review the CLÁR areas in County Cavan to include an area (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11851/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. I recently launched this years programme with a total budget of €7 million, an increase of €1.5 million on the previous year.
The measures being funded under CLÁR 2022 are:
Measure 1: Developing Community Facilities & Amenities
Measure 2: Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport
Measure 3: Our Islands
There are designated CLÁR areas in all counties with the exception of Dublin, Kildare and Wexford. The areas originally designated for CLÁR were selected in 2001 based on the level of population decline in each area between 1926 and 1996. The Cooley Peninsula was also included on the basis of the serious difficulties caused in that area by Foot and Mouth disease at that time. The average population loss in the original CLÁR areas over the period 1926 to 1996 was 50%.
In 2006, an analysis of the 2002 Census data was carried out by the NIRSA Institute (National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis) at Maynooth University and the programme was extended to include areas with an average population loss of 35% between 1926 and 2002.
I understand that the area located in Co. Cavan which is the subject of the Deputy's question does not meet these criteria and is not a designated CLÁR area.
A review of CLÁR areas nationally was undertaken in 2021 using the 2016 Census of Population data. The review considered whether any other factors should be taken into account in designating areas for eligibility under CLÁR in the future, and the impact of population changes since the last review was undertaken. The details of the review will need to be considered in detail by my Department before any decisions are made on amending the areas which are designated as CLÁR.
