Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are couple of issues I would like to highlight. I have mentioned subhead B11, the community enhancement programme, on several occasions. A grant of €2 million has been made. I know of two community centres in my own community that are in need of 40% of that. One is at risk of closing because it is in such poor condition. It is one of those community centres and parish halls that are not local authority-run. If a facility is run by a local authority it can get funding there, but a substantial number of groups must apply for community enhancement programme funding. Perhaps other members know how many groups are in that position. They get it in dribs and drabs.

Hartstown Community Centre sent me an absolutely brilliant business plan outlining operations in the next year, three years and five years. The problem is that the centre has no guaranteed funding other than its own. The Wheel and other organisations have raised the issue of multi-annual funding. Multi-annual funding provides assurance. If an organisation goes to a bank or credit union with a business plan, it can point to a facilities fund sponsored by the community enhancement programme that guarantees a certain income for the next three years. It can then use that assurance to take on some risk.

As Deputy Ó Cuív said, these community centres open in the morning and stay open as long as they can. They try to open seven days a week to facilitate local dance groups, musicians and sports groups. It is vital for the fabric of our communities that we keep all of these centres open so that the community can use them. I am concerned because there is significant pent-up demand for funding. Many of these facilities were built 20, 30 or 40 years ago. A crèche might offer a community centre a certain amount per year to rent the premises. That is brilliant income, but Tusla is likely to rule that children cannot be cared for there under any circumstances because there are no proper fire doors, fire alarms or whatever. Either the improvements have to be made, which costs an astonishing amount, or the centre must turn the business away. In some cases, crèches have been there for years, but Tusla applies new rules demanding that massive changes be made or operations stop. That rent is a big chunk of guaranteed income that enables community centres to subsidise dance clubs, football clubs, singing groups, karate clubs, etc., without charging commercial rates, which many clubs cannot afford. I am very passionate about this issue because I know the effect it could have if centres cannot operate without that work being done and those managing the centres decide they cannot take on €200,000 loans as personal risks.