Written Answers Nos. 2197-2206
2197. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on targeted funding via the rural regeneration and development fund to support the town centre first approach, as part of the wider objectives for the regeneration of cities, towns and rural areas under Housing for All. [43337/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. To date, 191 projects have been approved for funding of €279 million for projects costing €379 million.
The Fund seeks to support the delivery of a number of key Government strategies, including Our Rural Future, Housing for All, Town Centre First and the Climate Action Plan.
The fourth call for Category 1 applications to the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund closed on 29 April 2022. Category 1 relates to large scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place, and which are ready to proceed. My Department received 42 applications to this call, together seeking funding of over €149 million.
The focus of this Category 1 call for applications was to support ambitious capital projects which make the best case in terms of their contribution to:
- Assisting in revitalising our rural towns and villages, in line with the Town Centre First approach, through planned and sustainable regeneration and development projects which will drive greater economic activity and footfall, address vacancy and dereliction, and ensure the re-use of heritage and other existing buildings; and
- Providing the necessary appropriately-scaled facilities and infrastructure in rural areas in terms of remote working, town centre residency, economic and enterprise development etc., which will assist in attracting people back to live in rural areas and drive economic development within these areas.
I expect to be in a position to announce the successful projects arising from this call in the coming weeks.
In terms of future calls for applications to the fund, my Department will continue to review the fund in consultation with stakeholders to ensure that it remains responsive to the needs emerging in these key policy areas.
2198. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the engagement that she has had with the Minister for Education on the matter of school transport since June 2022; and if she will publish any correspondence shared with the Minister for Education on same. [43362/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Education funds transport services to and from primary and post-primary schools for children who live some distance from their nearest school. The scheme is operated by Bus Éireann, on behalf of the Department of Education. While I have not written formally to the Minister of Education in relation to this matter, I have engaged with her on the issues arising.
2199. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount that her Department has spent on advertising on social media in 2021 and to date in 2022; the amount spent per platform; and the campaigns per platform in tabular form. [43381/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe amount spent by my Department on advertising on social media in 2021 is detailed in the table below.
|
Platform |
Campaign |
Total Amount |
|
|
Promotion of Government's Rural Development Policy - Our Rural Future |
€4,798.52 |
No such expenditure has been incurred to date in 2022.
2200. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the details on the total amounts of monies awarded to Louth County Council by her Department in each of the years 2016 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; if she will seek details on the total monies drawn down and spent by Louth County Council over the same years in tabular form, and if not spent, the total monies that were returned to her Department respectively over the same years in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43526/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department was established in July 2017. Since establishment it has operated and developed an extensive range of programmes and schemes to support our rural and community development policies and objectives. These include the Walks Scheme, the Local Improvement Scheme, CLÁR, Town and Village Renewal, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the LEADER Programme, the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, Libraries Development and the Community Enhancement Programme.
Supports are also provided for areas such as Volunteering, Public Participation Networks and Local Community Development Committees. Funding under these schemes is mainly granted to local authorities, however, grants are also made to local development companies, local community groups and indeed community and voluntary groups at both national and local level.
With regard to funding drawn down by Louth County Council, the table below shows the total funding paid from 2017 to 2022 (to date).
|
Year |
Total payments from DRCD to Louth Co. Co. |
|
2017 |
€2.217m |
|
2018 |
€3.156m |
|
2019 |
€4.588m |
|
2020 |
€4.591m |
|
2021 |
€5.015m |
|
2022 |
€2.389m (to end August 2022) |
In a small amount of instances, for example where funding is not fully utilised, funding may be returned to the Department. In general, however, funding is on the basis of vouched expenditure. We have identified the following returns of funding to the Department from Louth County Council for the period 2017 to 2022 to date:
|
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
- |
€31,950 |
€7,436 |
- |
- |
€276,155 |
2201. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will confirm that serious consideration will be given to providing additional supports for community centres in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43615/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra2202. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will confirm that serious consideration will be given to providing additional supports for community centres in Budget 2023, particularly with energy costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43617/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 2201 and 2202 together.
Firstly, I want to acknowledge the importance of community centres, they are the cornerstone of community life in many places around the country. While community centres and facilities are funded under a number of national and local Government funding streams – there was no dedicated stand-alone funding stream until I launched the new Community Centres Investment Fund earlier this year. This is a capital fund of €15 million which will provide funding for the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres in both urban and rural areas.
Separately, my Department has a number of schemes that are relevant to community centres such as the Community Enhancement Programme. The programme in 2021 provided €4.5m funding for small capital grants for the improvement of facilities.
The Community Activities Fund supported community and voluntary groups impacted by Covid-19. This fund helped community groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with their running costs such as utility or insurance bills, as well as with improvements to their facilities.
In addition, depending on the project being completed, funding may be available through the Leader Transitional programme. The programme is delivered through Local Action Groups (LAGs) in each of the 28 LEADER sub-regional areas around the country. Interested applicants should make contact with the relevant LAG to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available.
While the exact allocations for programmes will be decided as part of the annual budgetary process, I hope to secure continued funding for all of the Department's schemes which support communities, building on the strong performance of these schemes in recent years.
2203. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will review an application for funding (details supplied); and if she will provide an update on same. [43620/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Community Centres Investment Fund application closing date was Thursday, 14 July 2022, and I can confirm my Department received an application from the group the Deputy refers to.
The appraisal process is currently ongoing. All applications will be subject to a competitive assessment process based on the assessment criteria as set out in the fund guidelines.
Due to the high level of applications to the fund, it is expected to be quarter 4 of 2022 when applicants are notified of the outcome of the application and appraisal process.
2204. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the €22 million grant scheme made available for upgrading rural laneways under the local improvement scheme will be made available to upgrade a laneway in rural Dublin (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43926/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) is funded into the future. The LIS supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. The scheme makes an important contribution to connectivity in rural Ireland.
The scheme was reintroduced in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding. Between 2017 and 2021, my Department allocated €80 million towards improvement works on over 3,000 non-public roads and lanes. These works have benefited over 13,300 landowners and residents in these rural areas.
I was pleased, as part of Budget 2022, to announce an increase in the base funding for LIS from €10.5 million to €11 million this year. Following a review of savings within the Department, I have recently announced an additional €11 million for the scheme, so doubling the 2022 allocation to €22 million, this brings the allocation since 2017 to over €100 million.
Under the scheme, eligible road projects are those that involve the construction or improvement of non-public roads as follows:
- Road projects which provide access to parcels of land of which two or more are owned or occupied by different persons engaged in separate agricultural activities; or
- Road projects which provide access for harvesting purposes (including turf or seaweed) for two or more persons; o
- Road projects which provide access to at least one parcel of land owned or occupied by a person engaged in agricultural activities and which separately provides access for harvesting purposes (including turf or seaweed) for at least one other person.
In addition, works can also be carried out on amenity roads. Amenity roads are non- public roads leading to important community amenities such as graveyards, beaches, piers, mountain access points or other tourist/heritage sites. Such roads may not account for more than 25% of the allocation provided to each local authority.
The Scheme is demand-led, is typically over subscribed at local authority level and the available budget is fully utilised each year. The Scheme does not currently apply to towns within the city and suburb boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, as defined by the CSO Census mapping. That said, each year all aspects of the Scheme, including eligibility are reviewed prior to launch.
2205. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the total funding by county that has gone towards playgrounds and play facilities in the past three years by funding stream including the CLÁR, town and village renewal, outdoor recreation infrastructure and leader schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43951/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department, in keeping with the objectives of Our Rural Future, continues to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. In this regard, funding for playgrounds, public green space and public parks is available under a number of the Department's programmes.
Funding under my Department's Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) provides small grants to community groups to enhance facilities, including playgrounds, in disadvantaged areas. Funding is allocated by my Department to each local authority area, and the local community development committee, with support from their local authority, administers the funding in that area. My Department does not have specific details of the number of playgrounds funded under the CEP.
Over the last number of years, unprecedented investment has been made in our outdoor amenities, under the Outdoor Infrastructure Recreation Scheme. Traditional playgrounds are not generally funded under the Scheme which is more focused on developing amenities including open water amenities, trails, walkways, cycleways, greenways, blueways, and mountain access routes.
Funding under the LEADER programme is not targeted at any particular group or sector in rural communities. It is, rather, focused on a thematic approach to rural development under the headings of Economic Development, Enterprise Development and Job Creation; Social Inclusion; and the Rural Environment. The Department does not, therefore, capture details of the amount of funding approved specifically for playgrounds and similar facilities. The LEADER programme is delivered through local action groups, LAGs, in each of the 28 LEADER sub-regional areas around the country.
The CLÁR Programme funds small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. The programme is investing significant amounts in playgrounds and play facilities. Over the past three years, CLÁR has invested some €4 million to develop 89 playgrounds and play facilities.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) supports small to medium capital projects which enhance the environment of town or village centres. Traditional playgrounds are not generally funded specifically under the Scheme, but may be part of a larger overall project. Some 17 playgrounds have been supported under TVRS, in the majority instances the playgrounds constitute an element of an overall project. The aggregate cost of projects concerned amount to over €2.2 million.
I have set out a county by county breakdown of investment by CLÁR and TVRS in the tables below.
|
County |
CLÁR Funded Playgrounds Total Approved 2020-2022 |
No. Projects |
|
Carlow |
€ 134,961 |
3 |
|
Cavan |
€ 509,769 |
11 |
|
Clare |
€ 240,549 |
5 |
|
Cork |
€ 243,200 |
5 |
|
Donegal |
€ 300,000 |
6 |
|
Galway |
€ 213,005 |
5 |
|
Kerry |
€ 233,423 |
5 |
|
Kilkenny |
€ 92,000 |
2 |
|
Laois |
€ 276,225 |
6 |
|
Leitrim |
€ 267,109 |
6 |
|
Limerick |
€ 86,792 |
2 |
|
Longford |
€ 183,039 |
5 |
|
Louth |
€ - |
- |
|
Mayo |
€ 200,000 |
4 |
|
Meath |
€ 50,000 |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
€ 198,454 |
4 |
|
Offaly |
€ - |
- |
|
Roscommon |
€ 186,813 |
4 |
|
Sligo |
€ 144,500 |
3 |
|
Tipperary |
€ 242,141 |
6 |
|
Waterford |
€ 50,000 |
1 |
|
Westmeath |
€ 150,000 |
3 |
|
Wicklow |
€ 72,510 |
2 |
|
€ 4,001,980 |
89 |
|
County |
TVRS Funded Playgrounds Total Approved 2020-2022 * |
No Projects |
|
Carlow |
€671,057 |
4 |
|
Clare |
€61,895 |
2 |
|
Cork City |
€125,000 |
1 |
|
Dublin (Fingal) |
€100,000 |
1 |
|
Galway |
€100,000 |
1 |
|
Longford |
€97,451 |
1 |
|
Louth |
€387,000 |
1 |
|
Meath |
€100,000 |
1 |
|
Monaghan |
€73,594 |
1 |
|
Waterford |
€200,000 |
2 |
|
Wexford |
€100,000 |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
€199,800 |
1 |
|
Total |
€2,215,797 |
17 |
* Playground typically an element of a larger project.
2206. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the total amount of funding allocated to respective local authorities and local action groups for all rural schemes in her Department, including the town and village renewal, Clár, Leader, local improvement, outdoor recreation and rural regeneration schemes since the formation of the Government on a county-by-county basis in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44087/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is provided in the attached excel document on a county-by-county basis in tabular form for 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022.
