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

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. I would like to extend my condolences to the family of the former Taoiseach and his friends and colleagues in the Fine Gael Party.

Funding is down by 0.8%. I look at the community recognition fund which has decreased to a proposed €10 million in 2024. In relation to the community development sector, it is disappointing to see that the funding has gone down. I am not sure why this is the case. When we look at the significant impacts of extra funding for Ukrainians and people in international protection, I do not see a slowdown in the numbers of people coming to the country. In fact, in January, we have seen a significant increase in the number of Ukrainians coming to the country. This is expected to continue in February as well. We have also seen a huge increase in the numbers of people seeking international protection. The community recognition fund is a vital piece of the infrastructure to support communities that are accepting people into their communities. The fund is an acknowledgement that there are significant impacts on their communities. Will the Minister comment on this?