4267. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the amount of funding allocated to County Clare under the town and village renewal scheme, CLÁR, LEADER and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund in each of the past five years, broken down by project. [56172/26]

My department delivers a number of schemes under the Rural Development Investment Programme, including the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), CLÁR, LEADER and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF).

It should be noted that the responsibility for identifying and selecting local priorities and submitting applications in response to departmental calls for proposals is often delegated to our project partners including local authorities. In respect of LEADER, the local action group is responsible for selecting and approving projects in its respective area.

In providing for a transparent and equitable treatment of proposals or applications for funding, the competitive assessment and approval of projects will have regard to a number of factors including alignment with Our Rural Future, Town Centre First plans, geographic spread, the range, mix, quality and impact of proposed projects, relevant local development strategies, past project delivery performance of local authorities and previous funding provided.

Further details on these programmes are provided below.

Town and Village Renewal Scheme

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016, and is designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. This scheme places particular emphasis on projects which support sustainable employment creation, town centre resilience and regeneration, enhancing our streetscapes, and bringing derelict and vacant buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose community spaces. Over €210 million has been allocated to over 1,900 projects since the launch of the scheme.

Since 2021, Town and Village Renewal scheme funding of over €5.2 million has been allocated to 26 projects in County Clare.

CLÁR

The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. Last year over €14 million was announced for 238 projects under the programme, with funding being provided for community facilities and amenities, community vehicles and specific support for island communities. This included funding of almost €597,000 for 9 projects in County Clare in 2025.

LEADER Programme

The LEADER programme is a multi-annual EU co-funded programme, with allocations being linked to a programming period, rather than an annual basis. The total amount of funding allocated to LEADER for the period of 2021-2027 is €250 million, made up of €70 million for the Transitional LEADER programme for the years 2021 and 2022, and €180 million allocated for the LEADER programme 2023-2027.

The current LEADER Programme is operational across the country, with the funding allocated across Local Action Groups at the start of the programming period to cover the period from 2023 to 2027. The LEADER allocation to County Clare for the period 2021 – 2027 is €9.48 million.

Since January 2021, 113 projects were approved funding under the LEADER Programme by the Clare LEADER Local Action Group with funding allocations amounting to over €5.1 million.

Rural Regeneration and Development Fund

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects that can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. Calls for Proposals to the RRDF are sought under two categories. Category 1 relates to large-scale capital works projects with all necessary planning and consents in place and are ready to proceed. Category 2, which typically provides funding of up to €1 million per project, relates to projects which may require planning permissions and statutory consents and further development to become ready for Category 1 status. To date, the RRDF has allocated over €610 million for 270 projects across Ireland. Since 2021, the RRDF has allocated funding of over €14.6 million to 4 projects in Co Clare.

The details requested by the Deputy in relation to the schemes referenced are listed in the tables at the following link. The tables cover the years 2021-2025 and to date in 2026.

Funding for County Clare