Written Answers Nos. 463-470
463. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide an update on the locations, including any new Clár areas, in Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30599/24]
View answer464. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide an update on the locations, including any new Clár areas, in Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30600/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 463 and 464 together.
The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas.
Maps showing the areas of Meath and Westmeath which are designated for CLÁR are available on my Department’s website, along with a document listing all the CLÁR DEDs per county. This information is available at www.gov.ie/en/collection/ab7580-clar-funding-area-maps/
465. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide the actual spend per county of the local improvement scheme between 2018 and 2023, in tabular form. [30753/24]
View answer466. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide the budget for the local improvement scheme from 2018 to 2023, and where there was a discrepancy between budgeted spend versus actual spend, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30754/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 465 and 466 together.
The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that LIS is funded into the future.
I have attached, as requested a breakdown of allocations versus actual spend per county from 2018 - 2023. At the end of each Scheme year, local authorities submit a final report of all works completed and the value of those works. Funds are only distributed to local authorities for completed works up to the value of their total annual allocation.
In recent years, when savings have been identified elsewhere in the Department, a second round of funding has been allocated to local authorities mid-year for additional repair works to be carried out under the Scheme. Local authorities have responded very well to this additional funding, given the shorter time-frame for completion of these additional works. Consideration of any differences between allocations and expenditure should take cognisance of this context, and of factors such as changing weather conditions and the availability of contractors which can serve to limit the possibility to compete further works.
467. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of roads per county or local authority which applied for works to be carried out under the local improvement scheme, in tabular form. [30755/24]
View answer469. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of roads per county or local authority which were approved for funding from the local improvement scheme, in tabular form. [30757/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 467 and 469 together.
The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future.
While my department provides funding for the scheme, it is administered by each local authority, who are responsible for the selection and prioritisation of roads. Local authorities receive applications directly and then make a determination about the eligibility and prioritisation of roads for inclusion under the scheme based on criteria in any given year. Local authorities also decide whether or not to open the scheme to new applicants or to focus on existing lists.
As such, the Department has no information regarding the actual numbers of applications received by local authorities. The Department's role is to approve priority lists submitted to it by local authorities. As each year progresses, the Department maintains ongoing engagement with local authorities to accommodate any changes that might be required to priority lists due to local circumstances.
Below is a table outlining the final number of roads approved by the Department each year and completed per county since 2017.
|
County |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
Total |
|
Carlow |
20 |
28 |
14 |
15 |
25 |
37 |
21 |
160 |
|
Cavan |
10 |
12 |
4 |
4 |
22 |
25 |
23 |
100 |
|
Clare |
28 |
30 |
12 |
12 |
20 |
25 |
22 |
149 |
|
Cork |
34 |
62 |
20 |
19 |
29 |
22 |
47 |
233 |
|
Donegal |
164 |
107 |
35 |
35 |
67 |
68 |
64 |
540 |
|
Galway |
57 |
69 |
36 |
30 |
49 |
50 |
39 |
330 |
|
Kerry |
41 |
61 |
21 |
9 |
18 |
23 |
23 |
196 |
|
Kildare |
0 |
12 |
8 |
4 |
8 |
11 |
6 |
49 |
|
Kilkenny |
16 |
16 |
9 |
7 |
19 |
11 |
11 |
89 |
|
Laois |
21 |
15 |
7 |
7 |
13 |
23 |
23 |
109 |
|
Leitrim |
20 |
24 |
11 |
9 |
17 |
31 |
24 |
136 |
|
Limerick |
18 |
22 |
13 |
8 |
42 |
27 |
17 |
147 |
|
Longford |
18 |
25 |
15 |
8 |
14 |
18 |
15 |
113 |
|
Louth |
8 |
6 |
6 |
10 |
10 |
12 |
10 |
62 |
|
Mayo |
89 |
144 |
74 |
53 |
91 |
31 |
67 |
549 |
|
Meath |
22 |
21 |
12 |
5 |
17 |
9 |
14 |
100 |
|
Monaghan |
21 |
28 |
14 |
12 |
26 |
14 |
30 |
145 |
|
Offaly |
23 |
31 |
16 |
14 |
29 |
32 |
26 |
171 |
|
Roscommon |
41 |
91 |
21 |
27 |
30 |
24 |
17 |
251 |
|
Sligo |
16 |
22 |
7 |
6 |
15 |
18 |
23 |
107 |
|
Tipperary |
10 |
32 |
21 |
20 |
25 |
35 |
40 |
183 |
|
Waterford |
17 |
20 |
3 |
5 |
14 |
11 |
12 |
82 |
|
Westmeath |
23 |
22 |
12 |
12 |
24 |
20 |
13 |
126 |
|
Wexford |
18 |
17 |
11 |
13 |
22 |
23 |
21 |
125 |
|
Wicklow |
7 |
15 |
10 |
6 |
14 |
8 |
11 |
71 |
|
Total |
742 |
932 |
412 |
350 |
660 |
608 |
619 |
4323 |
468. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of roads per county or local authority which were not approved for funding from the local improvement scheme, in tabular form. [30756/24]
View answerThe Local Improvement Scheme (LIS), funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development, helps local authorities improve small roads and laneways in rural areas not normally maintained by local authorities.
Eligible road projects are those that involve the construction or improvement of non-public roads as follows:
• to parcels of land, of which two or more are owned or occupied by different persons, one of which must be engaged in agricultural activities or
• for harvesting purposes (including turf or seaweed) for two or more persons or
• 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, work can be carried out on amenity roads, which are non-public roads leading to essential community amenities such as graveyards, beaches, piers, mountain access points, or other tourist/heritage sites.
The responsibility for determining the eligibility and selection of road projects to be completed within each county is a matter exclusively for each local authority. Local authorities submit their priority lists to my Department and each local authority retains the waiting lists of roads awaiting repair under the Scheme.
As such, the Department does not hold information regarding the number of roads per county or local authority area which were not approved for funding under LIS.
470. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the way her Department supports local authorities to purchase derelict buildings in order that they can be brought back into use for the benefit of the community; the funding, if any, that has been made available to purchase such properties in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30768/24]
View answerIn 2022, I launched the Town Centre First Policy which is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland. Central to the Town Centre First approach is the range of capital support funding in place, including my Department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS). Both schemes have already delivered landmark projects across rural Ireland which tackle issues of vacancy and dereliction.
Earlier this year under RRDF I announced funding of €164 million for 30 projects under the 5th Call for Category 1 projects located right across the country. These projects will be transformative as they focus on revitalising our rural towns and villages by supporting sustainable regeneration projects and addressing dereliction.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme was launched in 2016 and since then over €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects. The 2022 and 2023 TVRS prioritised projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use and promotes social vibrancy in town centres. In April of this year I announced €20.4 million in funding to support 82 successful projects under the 2023 Scheme. A full list of the approved projects under both these schemes can be viewed on my Department’s website.
In recognition of the urgent need to regenerate town centres I introduced a Building Acquisition Measure under TVRS in 2022. This funded local authorities to acquire derelict or vacant buildings in rural towns and villages to be subsequently be developed as community facilities.In the first year of the new measure, total funding of €400,000 was made available to each eligible local authority to purchase up to two properties. Having seen the success of this approach, in 2023 I made funding available again, allowing each local authority up to €500,000 to purchase up to 3 properties. In 2022, 29 properties were purchased by local authorities using this funding, with a further 24 properties purchased in 2023.
The 2023 TVRS also supported projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multipurpose spaces which could include both the purchase and renovation of vacant and derelict buildings. Under the 2023 Scheme one project was approved for the purchase of a building to be developed into a community hub.
Each year, the priorities of the scheme are reviewed to ensure that funding is targeted effectively to support vibrant and attractive communities. This will continue for the 2024 Scheme and the core aims of Town Centre First and the needs of communities around Ireland will be at the heart of any changes made.
