619. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the measures being taken to support the continued regeneration of rural towns and villages through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme; the number of projects approved in the current funding cycle; the criteria used to assess applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54559/26]

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. This is achieved through projects which support town centre resilience and regeneration, enhancement of our streetscapes, and the bringing of vacant and derelict buildings or lands back into use as multi-use community spaces.

TVRS is administered by local authorities, who work closely with local communities and businesses to develop proposals to respond to the needs of our rural towns and villages.

Since the launch of the scheme over €210 million has been allocated to over 1,900 projects. Funding is allocated based on project suitability against the scheme criteria, geographical spread, the quality of the proposed projects and the available budget. Details of all projects funded under the TVRS are available on my department's website.

The 2025 TVRS had three funding streams for project applications, the Building and Land Acquisition Measure (BLAM), the Main Scheme and the Project Development Measure (PDM). In August of 2025, funding of €6.73 was allocated to 33 acquisitions under BLAM. In December last, funding of €26.2 million was allocated to 116 projects under the Main Scheme and PDM.

In April 2026, I announced a new call for proposals under BLAM. Assessment of these applications is currently ongoing, and local authorities will be informed of the outcome of this process shortly.

TVRS priorities are reviewed and updated in advance of each Call for Proposals, and details of the next iteration of the Main Scheme and Project Development Measure are currently being developed, with a view to seeking further applications for funding later this year.