Large parts of rural Kilkenny and adjacent South Tipperary will benefit from the almost €23 million budget of the CLAR programme in 2006. BNS Rural Development, the LEADER company administering to Kilkenny and southeast Tipperary, will be the local administering body for the funding to the 31 district divisions (DEDs) in Kilkenny and the 13 in its part of South Tipperary. CLAR is an initiative of Éamon Ó Cuív T.D., Minister for Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs.

"I am delighted to have secured further Government endorsement for this programme with the decision to expand it into more depopulated rural areas and I have no doubt that the people living in the new CLÁR areas will soon feel the very real benefits of inclusion in the programme.", Minister Ó Cuív declared at the announcement in Carlow last Tuesday. Qualification for CLAR funding is based on a significant drop in population between the 1926 census and the most recent one in 2002. Previously limited to those areas which had lost at least half their population over this period, the government has agreed that areas qualifying for CLÁR funding will now be based on an average drop of population of 35% in DEDs in approved counties.

Villages as widespread as Galmoy, Drangan, Gathabawn, Muckalee, Coan, Kilmangh, Gortnahoe, Tullahought and Tullagher are included in the eligible BNS area. CLAR funding has a focus on improving the infrastructural and community deficit of rural areas and operates in a variety of ways, including direct funding, top-up of existing funds and co-funding with governments departments or the local authority as appropriate. Application for funds comes jointly from the community and the local administering body, such as BNS and is then evaluated by the CLAR section of the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs.

Tommy Cooke, the Chairperson of BNS stated, "We are delighted with the Minister's announcement on CLAR and we are looking forward to the roll-out of the programme, which should be of serious benefit to rural communities in our region".

Contact: Declan Rice, 056-7752111; e-mail declan@bnsrd.com
EDITOR'S NOTE The CLÁR programme was introduced in October 2001 as a targeted investment programme for rural areas that had suffered more than a 50% drop in population since the foundation of the State. Following direct consultation with the communities themselves, Minister Ó Cuív developed a range of schemes under CLÁR designed to accelerate the development of physical, community and social infrastructure. The schemes cover a wide variety of developments such as village, housing and schools enhancement, electricity conversion, broadband, roads, water supply and sewerage disposal, health, coastal, sports and community projects.
Funding for CLÁR schemes operate in three ways; Direct funding from CLÁR, top-ups to existing schemes, or co-funding with Government Departments, State Agencies, Local Authorities and the communities themselves. This funding helps rural communities to overcome local difficulties and to achieve access to a range of essential services.
The original CLÁR areas announced in 2001 were parts of: Counties Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath and all of County Leitrim. Following a review of the Programme in late 2002 based on the preliminary 2002 population census data, the number of Electoral Districts (EDs) included in the Programme was increased to 885 (from the original 701) and the total population covered increased to 362,000 (from 284,000) across 18 counties.

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