442. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht when town centres first applications will reopen; the amount of funding provided, by town under the scheme; and his views on whether the scheme is having the desired impact. [54083/26]

The Town Centre First (TCF) Policy, published in February 2022, is a cross-Government initiative that sets out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure that they are vibrant, viable and attractive places to live, work, invest in and visit.

The details and locations of all Town Teams Town Teams, including those which have now published a Town Centre First Plan, can be found on the Town Centre First Website.  A community or town interested in establishing a Town Team can do so and should contact their local authority for advice and support.

Town Regeneration Officers (TROs) funded by my Department act as a key link between the local authority, towns and villages and their communities.  Based in 26 local authorities across the country, they provide vital support to the Town Teams in the preparation of TCF Town Plans.  They also provide information and assistance to enable access to various funding streams to support TCF plan implementation at a local level.

Rather than being a funding stream in its own right, the significance of TCF is that it is a policy document that provides an integrated policy approach for the development of Irish towns which is underpinned by funding streams across Government.  This includes a range of measures funded by my Department, such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS).  The RRDF is currently open for applications, while I expect to open a further round for applications under TVRS later this year.

It is important to stress that, subject to the standard eligibility criteria, Departmental and wider Government capital schemes may be accessed to support towns and villages nationally irrespective of whether those towns and villages have formal Town Teams in place.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who holds joint responsibility for the policy, also implements a suite of schemes to support town regeneration including the Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, and THRIVE.

My department remains committed to the success of the TCF policy and will continue to work closely with local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to work on the next phase of implementation, in order to deliver on our goal of revitalising rural towns and villages.