Written Answers Nos. 424-438
424. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he is aware that the town of Dungarvan, County Waterford, has no community centre; his views on whether it is appropriate that a large town such as Dungarvan would be without important community infrastructure of this type; and if he will commit to working across party lines and across Government to address this deficit [4184/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department supports the development and refurbishment of community facilities across the country through a range of interventions, particularly the Community Centre Investment Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Community Recognition Fund and the LEADER programme.
Since the Community Centre Investment Fund was established in 2022, over €109 million has been approved for enhancement and refurbishment works on existing community facilities and for the construction of new builds where such a need was identified.
This includes €30 million for the construction of 12 new build community centres that was approved last year. I understand that an application was not received in respect of a new build community centre in Dungarvan.
I would encourage the Deputy and the local community to engage with their local authority with a view to exploring options to address identified needs within their locality and to consider which of the funding programmes available from my Department would be in a position to assist them in this regard. Details in respect of all of these funding programmes are available on my Department's website.
426. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of actual and attempted cyberattacks on his Department during each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, the countries of origin of those attacks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14697/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra427. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the total sum spent on cybersecurity measures within his Department during each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024. [14679/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 427 together.
My Department's ICT services are provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). The OICGO implements an extensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) comprising of security policies and controls aligned and certified to the industry security standard ISO 27001:2022 to address risks from cyber security attacks. This forms part of the overall service delivery to my Department by the OGCIO.
With regard to the number of actual and attempted cyberattacks I am informed by the OGCIO that they estimate that across OGCIO supported systems they would deal with attempted attacks on a regular basis. With regard to the countries of origin, I am informed that it is not possible to determine this with any degree of certainty.
428. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to waiver dog licence fees in respect of senior citizens, living on their own and over 70 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14798/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe most recent increase in the dog licence fee took effect over 13 years ago, on 1 January 2012. This was the first increase since 1998 and was in line with the increase in the consumer price index. Since January 2012, the dog licence fees have remained at €20 for the individual dog licence, €140 for the lifetime of dog licence and €400 for the general dog licence. The general dog licence covers an unspecified number of dogs in the one premises. The annual dog licence and general dog licence are valid for one year while the lifetime of dog licence is valid for the dog’s lifetime.
Dog licensing is an important dog control measure. Funds raised through dog licence fees are the primary source of funding for local authorities to enable them to undertake their responsibilities under the Control of Dogs Acts and associated regulations. I have no plans to adjust the cost of the dog licence fee at this time.
As part of the Programme for Government, the Government has set out how it intends to provide for an enhanced approach to dog control issues. In this regard, all legislation and policy in relation to the Control of Dogs, Dog Welfare and Dog Breeding Establishments will rest with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Discussions are currently ongoing between my Department and that Department to implement this Transfer of Functions in a timely manner.
In the meantime, I am fully committed to progressing the work in this area.
429. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to take into consideration the huge priority list for local improvement schemes (LIS) in County Kerry, where there are in excess of 600 applications on the waiting list and based on annual allocations in recent years, and it will take up to 40 years to complete the works; if he will substantially increase the LIS allocation to County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14804/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways that are not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, the government has provided almost €170 million to local authorities for LIS.
In April 2024, €40 million in funding was announced for LIS across all local authorities to cover 2024/2025. My officials have recently opened the 2025 Local Improvement Scheme and invited local authorities to submit their lists of priority roads for completion in 2025.
Since 2017, Kerry has been allocated a total of €10.37 million in LIS funding. This figure includes the 2024/2025 allocation of €2.57 million. In relation to LIS, individual local authorities are responsible for the management of waiting lists and for the selection of priority road projects to be completed within each county, each calendar year. In prioritising projects, local authorities have regard to factors such as the level of available funding and condition of roads.
In terms of funding allocations to LIS, a review of the scheme is carried out by Department officials ahead of any new funding announcements in order to ensure funding is allocated across our local authorities as fairly and efficiently as possible.
Finally, as has been the case in recent years, I will continue to monitor capital expenditure across my Department as the year progresses with a view to utilising any savings which may arise for schemes such as the LIS.
430. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to promote the expansion of the rural regeneration and development fund, the town and village, rural recreation schemes, and so on, across County Kerry to help address vibrancy of town and village centres, vacancy and dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14857/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAdministered by my Department, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects which can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. The focus of the RRDF is on rural towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000 people. To date, the RRDF has allocated €588 million for 243 projects across Ireland.
A Call for Proposals was launched in October 2024, with a focus on revitalising our rural towns and villages through planned and sustainable regeneration. This is to drive greater economic activity and support the creation of employment, help revitalise our towns and villages, drive footfall and address vacancy and dereliction. The closing date for applications was 14 March 2025. I would anticipate that a further Call for Proposals will issue under RRDF in Quarter 4 of this year and am committed to ensuring that the scheme will continue to support high quality and transformational projects across rural Ireland in line with the objectives of Our Rural Future.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme, which was introduced in 2016, has to date allocated over €177 million to almost 1,800 projects nationally. The scheme, which sees our local authorities work with community actors, primarily targets funding at rural towns and villages with populations of less than 10,000.
I was delighted to open the 2025 scheme for applications last week. The 2025 scheme is intended to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland by focusing on stimulating town centre economic and social regeneration. This will be achieved through projects which support sustainable employment creation, town centre resilience and regeneration, enhancement of our streetscapes, and the bringing of vacant and derelict buildings or lands back into use as community multi-purpose spaces.
Under the 2025 scheme, there are three main funding streams available for project applications.
Under the 'Main Scheme' local authorities can submit applications for one project up to a value of €500,000 and up to thee further projects with maximum values of €300,00. In addition, counties with offshore islands and/or Gaeltacht areas are permitted to submitted one additional application up to a maximum value of €300,000.
The second stream is the Project Development Measure, and this provides up to €50,000 to undertake the required planning and development work to underpin the development of successful projects.
Finally, the Building and Land Acquisition Measure is available again this year following on from the success of the support provided in this area in recent years. This funding stream makes up to €500,000 available to each eligible local authority to purchase vacant or derelict buildings and sites for later development as community facilities.
The closing date for the submission of applications under the Building and Land Acquisition Measure is May 2nd, 2025 and for the Main Scheme and Project Development Measure is July 25th, 2025.
Full details of the 2025 scheme are available on my Department's website. I look forward to receiving high quality applications from across the country, and to announcing the successful applications later this year.
The Department’s funding streams are key to supporting the Town Centre First (TCF) Policy. This is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It does this by setting out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable places to live, work, invest in, and visit.
As well as providing a full time Town Regeneration Officer with Kerry County Council, in December 2021, funding of €2.6 million was announced to support the development of TCF Town Plans nationally in 26 pilot towns, including Milltown in Kerry. These community-based plans are produced by individual Town Teams, drawn from local community and business representatives, and are helping communities develop a vision for their town and identify viable projects to realise that vision. This first phase of TCF plans are complete, have moved onto the project delivery phase, which can be seen in towns such as in Milltown, which was awarded funding in 2024 to develop a project under the Project Development Measure.
In February 2024, a new dedicated TCF suite of supports was launched with €4.5 million allocated through three funding streams. This includes an allocation of €30,000 each for the development of a further 26 TCF plans for a new suite of towns, which includes Kenmare in County Kerry.
The funding also includes an allocation towards the establishment of a further 68 Town Teams nationwide, which includes Castleisland, Ballybunion and Dingle.
It also includes funding to assist towns in preparing for major projects via the ‘Project Development Measure’, and two projects in Milltown and Valentia Island were awarded funding under this measure. Further details of all the towns and projects awarded funding under Town Centre First, including these measures can be found on Gov.ie at this link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/473d3-town-centre-first-policy/.
As can be seen from the 33 actions contained within the TCF policy, rather than being a funded programme in and of itself, the significance of TCF is that it provides an integrated policy approach for the development of Irish towns.
It is important to stress that, subject to the standard eligibility criteria, DRCD and wider Government capital schemes can be accessed to support towns and villages nationally irrespective of whether those towns and villages have Town Centre First Plans or Town Teams in place.
The Town Centre First policy was developed in conjunction with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Falling within the parameters of this policy, I would refer to the publication ‘Bringing Back Homes’ which details over 20 incentives, funded measures and grants to support a reversal of housing vacancy and dereliction. Some of the main supports available include the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Conaithe initiative, the Repair and Leasing Scheme, the Buy and Renew Scheme, and the Living City Initiative.
The new Programme for Government commits to resourcing the Town Centre First model and to establish a Town Regeneration Team in every local authority. My Department will continue to work closely with colleagues in the National TCF Office, local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages.
Lastly, while my Department's outdoor recreation scheme is not designed to address issues of vacancy or dereliction, it does support outdoor recreation opportunities and increased footfall that also enhances the vibrancy of towns and villages nearby. The 2024/2025 scheme closes for applications tomorrow and I expect to announce the successful projects later in the year, including in respect of applications in county Kerry.
431. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to promote and fund the expansion of the town centres first scheme to include Kenmare, Milltown, Dingle, Castleisland and Listowel towns in County Kerry, thereby addressing vibrancy of these town centres, vacancy and dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14858/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra438. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he will promote and fund the current and ongoing regeneration schemes and town centre first schemes in Kerry. [14975/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 431 and 438 together.
Launched in 2022, the Town Centre First (TCF) Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. TCF supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland by setting out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable places to live, work, invest in, and visit.
Significant progress has been made since the launch of the policy towards achieving its objectives.
Important developments include the establishment of a dedicated National TCF Office within the Local Government Management Agency which drives the actions under the policy, the establishment of Town Teams nationally, and the appointment of 26 full time local authority Town Regeneration Officers (funded by my Department) who act as the central drivers of TCF at a local level.
In December 2021, funding of €2.6 million was announced to support the development of TCF Town Plans nationally in 26 pilot towns, including Milltown. These community-based plans are produced by individual Town Teams, drawn from local community and business representatives, and are helping communities develop a vision for their town and identify viable projects to realise that vision. This first phase of TCF plans are complete, have moved onto the project delivery phase, which can be seen in towns such as in Milltown, which was awarded funding in 2024 to develop a project under the Project Development Measure.
In February 2024, a new dedicated TCF suite of supports was launched with €4.5 million allocated through three funding streams. This includes an allocation of €30,000 each for the development of a further 26 TCF plans for a new suite of towns, which includes Kenmare in County Kerry.
The funding also includes an allocation towards the establishment of a further 68 Town Teams nationwide, which includes Castleisland, Ballybunion and Dingle.
It also includes funding to assist towns in preparing for major projects via the ‘Project Development Measure’, and two projects in Milltown and Valentia Island were awarded funding under this measure. Further details of all the towns and projects awarded funding under Town Centre First, including these measures can be found on Gov.ie at this link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/473d3-town-centre-first-policy/.
As can be seen from the 33 actions contained within the TCF policy, rather than being a funded programme in and of itself, the significance of TCF is that it provides an integrated policy approach for the development of Irish towns.
It is important to stress that, subject to the standard eligibility criteria, DRCD and wider Government capital schemes can be accessed to support towns and villages nationally irrespective of whether those towns and villages have Town Centre First Plans or Town Teams in place. Examples of such supports include, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (which is now open for applications), the THRIVE scheme to revitalise our heritage buildings and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.
The Town Centre First policy was developed in conjunction with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Falling within the parameters of this policy, I would refer to the publication ‘Bringing Back Homes’ which details over 20 incentives, funded measures and grants to support a reversal of housing vacancy and dereliction. Some of the main supports available include the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Conaithe initiative, the Repair and Leasing Scheme, the Buy and Renew Scheme, and the Living City Initiative.
The new Programme for Government commits to resourcing the Town Centre First model and to establish a Town Regeneration Team in every local authority. My Department will continue to work closely with colleagues in the National TCF Office, local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages.
432. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the reason a community centre (details supplied) was unsuccessful in the recent community centre investment fund allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14868/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Community Centre Investment Fund has provided in excess of €109 million since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres.
Over €33 million has now been approved for in excess of 770 projects nationwide under the 2024 fund. However, given the very significant level of demand, not all applications were successful.
The facility referenced by the Deputy submitted an application under category 2 of the 2024 fund seeking support of €37,550 for enhancement works on the facility. The application reached the minimum scoring threshold required to be eligible for consideration but did not score high enough to be successful on this occasion.
Correspondence has now issued to all unsuccessful applicants. The community centre referred to by the deputy is being offered an opportunity to avail of a feedback call which will clearly explain the basis for the decision and areas where the application can be strengthened.
There is also an opportunity to appeal the outcome of this application process and this will also be outlined during any feedback call.
I am committed to delivering further iterations of the scheme in the coming years in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government for this to become a permanent rolling fund.
In addition, unsuccessful groups may wish to explore other potential funding options supported by my Department, including the LEADER programme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the CLÁR programme. Details of these and other schemes are available on the Department’s website.
433. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he would outline what funding has been allocated to Cork county projects as part of the town and village renewal scheme from 2020 to 2024; the projects approved, in tabular form, and if the monies for same has been drawdown by Cork County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14869/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Town and Village Renewal Scheme, which was introduced in 2016, has to date allocated over €177 million to almost 1,800 projects nationally. The scheme, which sees our local authorities work with community actors, primarily targets funding at rural towns and villages with populations of less than 10,000. Since 2016, almost €8 million in funding has been allocated to Cork County Council for 79 projects.
I was delighted to announce the launch of the 2025 Town and Village Renewal Scheme last week. This 2025 scheme is intended to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland by focusing on stimulating town centre economic and social regeneration. This will be achieved through projects which support sustainable employment creation, town centre resilience and regeneration, enhancing our streetscapes, and bringing vacant and derelict buildings and lands back into use as community multi-purpose spaces through refurbishment and renovation.
There are three main funding streams available for project applications, the Main Scheme, Project Development Measures and the Building or Land Acquisition Measure. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 2nd May 2025 for the Building or Land Acquisition Measure and Friday 25th July 2025 for the Main Scheme and Project Development Measure.
Applications are now invited from Local Authorities for projects in their areas. Further information is available on my Department’s website.
Since 2020, over €4.5 million in funding has been allocated to Cork County Council for 39 projects. Details of funding allocated to projects in Cork County Council from 2020 to 2024 under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme are set out in the table below.
435. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of applications to date for the town and village renewal scheme for 2025; the amount of funding allocated to the scheme for 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14937/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Town and Village Renewal Scheme, which was introduced in 2016, has to date allocated over €177 million to almost 1,800 projects nationally. The scheme, which sees our local authorities work with community actors, primarily targets funding at rural towns and villages with populations of less than 10,000.
I was delighted to open the 2025 scheme for applications last week. The 2025 scheme is intended to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland by focusing on stimulating town centre economic and social regeneration. This will be achieved through projects which support sustainable employment creation, town centre resilience and regeneration, enhancement of our streetscapes, and the bringing of vacant and derelict buildings or lands back into use as community multi-purpose spaces.
Under the 2025 scheme, there are three main funding streams available for project applications.
Under the 'Main Scheme' local authorities can submit applications for one project up to a value of €500,000 and up to thee further projects with maximum values of €300,00. In addition, counties with offshore islands and/or Gaeltacht areas are permitted to submitted one additional application up to a maximum value of €300,000.
The second stream is the Project Development Measure, and this provides up to €50,000 to undertake the required planning and development work to underpin the development of successful projects.
Finally, the Building and Land Acquisition Measure is available again this year following on from the success of the support provided in this area in recent years. This funding stream makes up to €500,000 available to each eligible local authority to purchase vacant or derelict buildings and sites for later development as community facilities.
The closing date for the submission of applications under the Building and Land Acquisition Measure is May 2nd, 2025 and for the Main Scheme and Project Development Measure is July 25th, 2025.
All applications received in the Department will be assessed as part of a competitive process. Funding under the Scheme will be awarded following the assessment of applications for suitability against scheme criteria and objectives.
Full details of the 2025 scheme are available on my Department's website. I look forward to receiving high quality applications from across the country, and to announcing the successful applications later this year.
436. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the plans Government has to follow up on the Our Rural Future policy 2021-2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14938/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraOur Rural Future was published in 2021 and, over its five-year lifespan, has provided significant investment and supports, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people in rural communities across Ireland.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026.
The process of developing this successor policy has already begun. The new policy will be informed by an ongoing, independent review of rural policy in Ireland. My Department contracted the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to carry this out and their findings, together with an extensive public and stakeholder consultation process, will form an evidence-based foundation for the new policy.
The consultation process commenced on 10 March with an online survey, which is open until Wednesday April 2nd. Details can be found on my Department’s website. The survey findings will inform a series of consultation events, scheduled to take place in various locations across the country commencing in May.
The framework of the new policy, outlining the emerging themes and priorities for rural Ireland, will be published for a period of written public consultation later in the year. I look forward to engaging with colleagues on the new policy in due course.
Rural development will remain integrally linked to policies across many Government Departments and we will continue our whole-of-Government approach as we develop this next phase of Ireland’s rural development policy.
Government is committed to building on the success of Our Rural Future and securing a more sustainable and resilient future for our rural communities.
437. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there will be a further round of funding under the community centres investment fund grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14939/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Community Centre Investment Fund has provided in excess of €109 million since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres.
Earlier this month under the 2024 fund, I was delighted to announce over €26 million for 369 community centres under Category 2, which provides funding of up to €100,00. This brings the total amount approved under the 2024 iteration of the fund to over €33 million for in excess of 770 projects nationwide.
The immediate priority is to facilitate the delivery of these 770 projects that have been announced in recent months. I am committed to delivering further iterations of the scheme in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government for this to become a permanent rolling fund.
