Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2026
611. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the total amount of funding allocated to respective local authorities in 2023 and in 2024 for all rural schemes provided by his Department (details supplied), including the town and village renewal scheme, CLÁR, LEADER, LIS, outdoor recreation and rural regeneration, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18223/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe details requested by the Deputy regarding funding allocated by my Department to local authorities under rural schemes in 2024 are outlined in the attached table, noting that details regarding funding allocated in 2023 are included in the response issued on 17 January 2024 (ref. Dáil PQ 1876 / 1946/24).
The table attached sets out a breakdown of funding allocated to respective local authorities in 2024 in respect of the following rural schemes:
• Town & Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS)
• LEADER
• CLÁR
• Local Improvement Scheme (LIS)
• Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS)
• Community Recognition Fund
• Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF)
Information has also been provided in respect of LEADER, but it is important to clarify that LEADER funding is allocated to Local Action Groups on a programme basis and not to local authorities. In addition, it is allocated on a multi-annual basis for the entirety of the 2023-2027 programme, and therefore the 2024 figures provided relate to approval of projects at local level by Local Action groups, rather than allocations made by the Department. The level of such approvals will naturally vary between areas and years given the structure of the LEADER programme. Funding is drawn down by LAGs as these approved projects progress to completion across the programming period.
Given the structure and timing of the schemes in question, allocations made in 2024 and reported in the table may not include all the allocations from a single iteration of a scheme. Further detail in this regard is set out in the explanatory notes to the attached table.
Details in relation to all projects allocated funding across schemes are available on my department’s website.
*TVRS - The funding allocated in 2024 and set out in the table relates to the ‘Main Scheme’ projects approved for funding under the 2023 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The scheme was launched on 21 July 2023 and applications had to be submitted to the Department by 10 November 2023. A competitive assessment of all applications followed and the successful projects were announced on 29 April 2024 therefore the allocations in respect of the 2023 Main Scheme were made in 2024.
**RRDF - It should be noted that projects which emerge as successful from calls for applications to the Fund are initially approved for funding in principle. In line with the Infrastructure Guidelines for capital projects, they then progress through a further comprehensive approval process before the final confirmation of funding is provided by my Department post the ‘main tender for works’. At each stage of this approval process, the project is reviewed by my Department to ensure it continues to meet its stated objectives, including financial sustainability.
***CLÁR - The funding to local authorities in 2024 under the CLÁR Programme related to the second tranche of allocations under Measure 1 of the 2023 Programme and all of measure 1 from the 2024 programme.
****ORIS - Funding of €18.35 million was provided to local authorities in 2024 under measures 1, 2 and 3 of the 2023 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.
*****CRF – Funding of €50m was allocated to local authorities in 2024 under the second iteration of the Community Recognition Fund based on the number of new arrivals hosted in each local authority area.
******LEADER - It is important to clarify that LEADER funding is not allocated to the local authorities, and is not allocated on an annual basis. For the 2023-2027 LEADER programme, funding was allocated in advance to the Local Action Group (LAG) in each sub-regional areas across the country, and each LAG is then responsible for selecting and awarding LEADER funding to projects within their geographical area. In general, these sub-regional areas are aligned to the administrative county boundaries, except in the case of Dublin and Cork. When viewing these figures, it should be noted that the timing of when LAGs approve projects from within their overall 2023-2027 allocation can vary significantly depending on factors such as the timing of when LAGs were set up, the timing of their engagement with potential applicants to develop applications, etc.
/ie/oireachtas/debates/questions/supportingDocumentation/2026-03-05_pq-611-05-03-2026_en.xlsx
