More cash for regions

FIANNA Fáil Spokesperson on Rural, Regional, Gaeltacht & Island Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív says the new Minister for Rural & Community Affairs Michael Ring must get to grips with his department’s underspend as a matter of urgency.

Deputy Ó Cuív has been expressing his frustration and alarm at the lack of money being spent on rural initiatives, despite funding being allocated in the Budget. He raised the issue with Minister Ring during questions in the Dáil this week.

“The amount spent by the Department at the end of May this year on rural and regional projects was € 2.6m. Not only is this a massive underspend, the most worrying aspect is the fact that the bulk of this money was related to the administration of the LEADER programme. None of the spend was used for any form of capital expenditure on the ground for rural or regional development projects”, explained Deputy Ó Cuív.

“The Government announced a “new” Action Plan for Rural Ireland back in January. However, the latest figures released to me reveal that a miserly € 78,000 has been spent on projects under the headings of the Rural Development Scheme, the Town and Village Regeneration Scheme and Rural Broadband. That’s a mere 0.3% of the total allocation for the year.

“The Department has shown a total inability to deliver for rural Ireland.”