Funding allocated to Cork for 2018 from the Department of Rural and Community Development increased by 93% on the previous year, North Cork Fine Gael Councillor John Paul O’Shea has said.
My colleague the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD, has confirmed to me that Cork was allocated increased funding from his Department last year. The total amount granted to Cork for 2018 was €17,494,322, a 93% increase on the 2017 amount.
“This is good news for the development of communities in Cork and I will work to ensure this trend of increased investment keeps going in the right direction.
“Examples of this funding include the Town and Village Renewal Scheme & the Leader Programme which supports the revitalisation of rural towns and villages. It covers a range of activities, from improving the public realm to make towns and villages more attractive for locals and visitors alike, to job-creation initiatives such as the development of enterprise hubs and digital hubs.”
“Rural Ireland is continuing to grow and develop after a difficult time,” commented Cllr. O’Shea. “There are now more people working in Ireland than ever before in the history of the State. Over 146,000 jobs have been created since this Government took office and don’t let people tell you that rural Ireland has been left out.
“Three out of every five new jobs have been created outside of Dublin since the Regional Action Plan for Jobs was launched in 2015. 58% of total IDA employment is now outside of Dublin – the highest level in the IDA’s history. Two thirds of the new jobs created by Enterprise Ireland companies in 2018 were outside of Dublin.
“Regional job creation continues to be a key priority for the Government. That’s why Minister Humphreys has announced over €60 million in funding for 42 projects right across the country under the Government’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund.
“In Budget 2019, we provided an extra €10 million for the next phase of the IDA’s Regional Property Programme which is critical to encouraging more FDI into the regions. We also increased the Budget for the Local Enterprise Offices by €5 million.
“In the coming weeks, Minister Humphreys will launch new Regional Enterprise Plans so that we can build further on the success of recent years and deliver more jobs in the regions.
“I will continue working with my colleagues in Government to ensure that Cork experiences continued economic growth for the benefit of all its people,” said Cllr. O’Shea.
