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MINISTER PASCHAL DONOHOE has said there will be sufficient oversight of the new €4 billion funds to tackle rural development, urban
Joined by his ministers today, the Taoiseach announced four new funds which are part of the €116 billion Project Ireland 2040 investment.
Rather than allocating funding in a ‘business as usual’ way to government departments, these funds will allocate money competitively to the best projects. The funds will be open to applications from state agencies, local government, business, educational institutions, chambers of commerce.
Money for towns and villages
A number of towns and villages are eligible to apply for funds for both urban and rural development. The call for applications will open in the coming weeks.
The breakdown of the funds is as follows:
• €2 billion: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund – aimed at encouraging sustainable growth in Ireland’s five cities and other large urban centres.
• €1 billion: Rural Development Fund – aimed at supporting job creation in rural areas and support improvements in towns and villages
• €500 million: Climate Action Fund – to support initiatives that contribute to the achievement of Ireland’s climate and energy targets.
• €500 million: Disruptive Technologies Fund – to be invested in the development and deployment of disruptive innovative technologies
Oversight
At the press conference today, questions were raised about the allocation of the funds, and whether there will be sufficient checks and balances to ensure that certain constituencies do not reap more benefits than others.
Donohoe said the vast majority of applications will come from local authorities.
All projects will be subject to the public spending code, he explained. A panel is being put in place for each department to provide verification for the minister and to ensure the projects who are successful in getting funding adhere to the code.
Spending money wisely
He said the checks and balances to ensure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely is three-fold.
Each government department will have a panel consisting of senior civil servants and experts in certain areas such as planning or technology. The panel will make recommendations to the minister about how that money should be used.
“And while it is up to the minister to decide, as it is taxpayers money” what the panel recommends will feed into “what the minister decides to do,” said Donohoe.
The minister added that an oversight implementation board, chaired by members of his department and the Housing Department has already been established
Each panel will be required to report back to the board regarding the projects that have been selected and why.
Donohoe said any project that applies for funding must meet the criteria in the Ireland 2040 project.
He said these three steps will “ensure all this monies is invested well”.
In relation to the new Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher has been critical of it this afternoon, stating that for the first time in 21 years, government ministers and their officials will have a veto on which projects will be awarded funding.
While experts may review applications, it will be ministers and officials who will decide on who will be successful or not.
This is a clear and wilful attempt by this Government to award themselves with more power and influence in what has been a historically politically independent process.
Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys has said there will be steering group to oversee the fund, and two panels – one of national experts and one of international experts. However, as stated previously, Minister Donohoe acknowledged that ministers will ultimately have the final say.
The Taoiseach told TheJournal.ie that the funding “will go to the best bids… that is what it boils down to”.
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There is something truly unnerving about these gatherings of elites.
Noonan needs to be put out to grass, old fart with no fresh ideas
@Gus Sheridan: The most dangerous in Ireland. Despises ordinary people and has to the power to make them pay for it.
Has anyone ever wondered why they showcase Davos and not the bilderberg meetings?
They’ll be patting themselves on the back for this remarkable advance of the capitalist class at the expense of the majority working class.
“Eight men hold as much wealth as half the planet combined”
http://www.thejournal.ie/wealth-oxfam-3188533-Jan2017/
Kenny looks like he was telling a story at the World Angling Championship.
I wouldn’t be surprised.
@Ó Connmhaigh: Telling what he got while dressed as a dame.
Just back after nearly a month off and they’re away to Davos to act like the big important players on the world stage they can only begin to wish they were…Davos can have and keep Kenny
@Thevigilantone: Why would they if the same Goldman Sach ones goes to both of them?
The arrogance of these lads and lassies. Rich people gathering to discuss the worlds problems and issues as if they were elected to power to make decisions on our behalf.
@Jay Finn: Thats just it. EU suits are NOT elected.
@Jay Finn: It be an orgy there tonight…
About time they moved to Dublin, the wild west of financial shaenanigans
Davos/WEF is a massively expensive waste of time. I’ve never seen or read any effective, successful initiative they’ve funded, pioneered or implemented. Irish govt has to pay ten of thousands to be a member.
@Smidgen Dublin:
You will never see or read any initiative of Davos/WEF unless you are a member. Its all under the counter stuff. The little people suffer the consequences.
It’s the elites world, we’re all just worker ants
@classic: When will the US join the EU then???
Sure why wouldn’t Kenny and Noonan be there, presiding over a near bankrupt country and still refusing to claim tax due from one of the richest corporations in the world. Just goes to show who’s side these boys are on.
The One Percenter’s will be giving Noonan an update of NAMA policy and what bits they want.
World business leaders running their latest money making ideas by the school teacher from mayo for his assessment. That or they are telling him what they want him to do.
@Declan Tooher: Exactly. Went to train as a school teacher and ends up leading a country. Wasn’t it a great B. ed course he did. Only in sad Ireland.
Shouldn’t these donkeys kenny and noonan be back in their own country working hard in planning the Irish strategy for the hard brexit.
Yes they should be back here sorting out our problems but they needed someone out there to poke fun at so these pair of clowns went
In fairness, they’d be of little use back here.
They already sold all the property they could to the vulture funds and they can’t do much more with the corporation tax to compete with Britain for business, options are limited there, so what else can they do?
Bit embarassing that Britain could take business off of a tax haven though.
Rob’s a neighbour of mine, very nice guy, extremely hard working. I wish him well at the Forum.
These people have two problems
1. We don’t have enough
2. We want more.
Never forget 1% own 50% of the global wealth. Most of them will be gathered in Davos. Talking about “‘Responsive and Responsible Leadership’” They mostly will be un-elected people discussing that. I see Noonan will be attending will he be standing at the airport to greet the great and the good?
gender balance and climate change – two non-issues if ever there were.
Some amount of bull $#it been spoken in a confined space. You be a fair man to endure 5 minutes of it. This is an ostintation of wealth.
Can you get me a large Courvoisier XO brandy served in a Waterford Crystal Glass on a Silver Tray.
So a place where the bigger the brown envelope you are willing to hand over then the further up the tree you can go to meet the one you want to bribe?
Like in a lap dancing club that is really a brothel???
How pathetic must your life be if your jealous and bitter that people are at a work conference… and how paranoid and unstable to think they’re controlling your lives or plotting world domination.
It’s the same as any other conference, wearing name tags, making small talk, listening to self congratulating or promoting speeches, pretending to remember people you met there last year.
@Drew TheChinaman :): The 1% didn’t get to be the 1% without a nod and a wink from their political servants.
@Drew TheChinaman :): Yes it is all funs and laughs?
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/373943-davos-elite-play-acting-refugees/
Cultural levelling and its sinister twin cultural ecletism at work again.World citizen? Its official they have finally lost the plot.Not surprising to see the underbelly of the Irish politico in attendance.
Kenny and Noonan a bunch of asses, they havent a clue, once there pockets are lined. Were going back to way we were into a bubble and that ass Kenny cant see it
have your say