John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister, Deputy Dara Calleary, and his officials to the meeting today to discuss the Revised Estimate for Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. While the committee has no role in approving the Estimates, it is an ongoing opportunity for the committee to examine departmental expenditure, to make the budgetary process more transparent and to engage in a meaningful way on relevant performance issues. The Revised Estimate for Vote 42 - Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht was presented to Dáil Éireann on 17 December 2025. The Department has an important function in working to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities through Ireland. As a committee, we look forward to engaging with the Minister on the allocations, impacts, outputs and, critically, the outcomes of part of the performance of budgetary process. I now call the Minister to give some brief opening remarks.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach, le baill an choiste, agus le cléireach agus le foireann an choiste as an gcuireadh a bheith leo ar maidin chun an t-athbhreithniú seo a phlé faoin Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta. Mar is eol dóibh, tá coiste difriúil faoi chúrsaí teanga, an Ghaeltacht agus an mhuintir a labhraíonn an Ghaeilge. Bhí mé os comhair an choiste sin oíche aréir faoi chúrsaí Gaeltachta.

As members will be aware, there is a separate committee on the Irish language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-language community. That committee considered the Gaeltacht programme in detail yesterday. As the islands area does not yet formally come under the remit of that committee, however, I will also be asking this committee to consider the C12 islands funding allocation, which moved from the rural development programme this year. I am delighted to be here with the committee and engage with it.

For 2026, gross expenditure of €613 million is budgeted, which consists of €340 million in current expenditure and €273 million in capital expenditure. In terms of the split across the three main programme areas, €193 million is allocated for rural development; €260 million is allocated for the community development programme area; and €160 million is allocated for the Gaeltacht programme area, including the islands. I give apologies on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer. He is attending a PEACEPLUS event in Belfast. In gross terms, this is an increase in funding of 7% over the 2025 allocation, which illustrates the ongoing commitment of this Government to the sustainability and development of our rural towns and villages all over the country. The Department also has a capital carryover from 2025 of €21.8 million into this year, which is being used across the three programme areas.

The €193 million provided for the rural development programme is made up of €161 million in capital funding and €32 million in current funding. Capital funding is of particular importance to the rural development programme, funding well-established schemes such as LEADER, the rural regeneration and development fund, town and village renewal, TVRS, local improvement scheme, LIS, outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme, ORIS, and CLÁR. Regarding the allocations within the rural development programme in 2026, I wish to highlight the following: funding for the RRDF is being maintained at €60 million; funding of €32 million is being provided for the LEADER programme, along with a capital carry-forward of €4.3 million; funding for town and village renewal is increasing by €1 million to €21 million and ORIS funding is increasing by €1 million to €17 million. A sum of €17 million is also being provided for the LIS, an increase of €2 million on last year; and an additional €1 million is bring provided for CLÁR, bringing it to €12 million.

I would also note that the €32 million allocated for current expenditure within the rural development programme maintains the level of funding from 2025. This will finance areas such as the walks scheme, the Western Development Commission and the connected hubs initiative, which aid our regional development. The funding also supports Tidy Towns groups, agriculture shows and the town centre first initiative. I have been very fortunate since taking up my role as Minister to witness the impact of the supports delivered by those who work in my Department across the breadth of the country. These rural schemes and projects are assisting every town, village and rural community. The funding proposed for 2026 will ensure these impacts continue.

The community development programme is under the remit of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Jerry Buttimer, who, as I have already explained, cannot be with us owing to a PEACEPLUS event. The Revised Estimate will see a funding allocation of €260 million for the community development programme in 2026, with €203 million in current funding and €57 million in capital funding. Some of the key funding allocations for the community development programme in 2026 include €74 million for the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and other related supports, an increase of €1.5 million over the 2025 allocation; €59 million for the community services programme, an increase of €4 million year on year; and funding of €23 million for supports for the community and voluntary sector, which includes supports for volunteering, public participation networks, PPNs; and supports for the community and voluntary sector. A further €5 million is provided for social innovation, social enterprise and to progress the measures in the national philanthropy policy. An increase of €5 million for supports for disadvantaged communities brings the allocation to €12.5 million in 2026. This is targeted to fund a new RAPID-style scheme to provide targeted supports to address areas of disadvantage across the country. There is a total of €11.1 million in funding for the PEACEPLUS programme, an increase of €3.8 million on 2025. Funding of €6.6 million is being provided for the Charities Regulator, an increase of €700,000 on 2025 funding.

As regards capital funding for the community development programme, there is €25 million to support the community enhancement area, an increase of €3 million year on year. This includes €20 million for the community centre investment fund, with a further €5 million in capital carried forward for this area. A total of €10 million in capital funding is being allocated for the community recognition fund, along with €9 million in capital carry-forward, as the Department fulfils its commitment to support communities that have welcomed new arrivals from Ukraine and other countries. Capital funding for libraries development has been maintained at €8 million in 2026. As committee members know, for many communities across the country, these community development schemes help ensure the provision of key services and provide crucial training and employment opportunities. They also ensure that our communities have places to gather and socialise. This strong funding allocation will ensure communities continue to benefit from this investment.

As I mentioned earlier, the Gaeltacht programme was voted on by that committee yesterday, with the exception of the islands programme, which has recently moved to that programme area. In summary, funding for the Gaeltacht programme, including the islands, has increased from €123 million in 2025 to €160 million in 2026. This is an increase of 30%. Capital funding will increase from €30 million to €55 million, and this will allow three key projects to progress, namely, Inis Oírr pier, the Irish language and cultural hub at Harcourt Street in Dublin and the education and youth centre in Indreabhán, Contae na Gaillimhe. Current funding will increase from €93 million to €105 million. This ensures enhanced supports for areas such as language planning, Gaeltacht support schemes, Irish language support schemes agus Údarás na Gaeltachta. This increased investment will help support our Gaeltacht communities and our Irish language communities to grow, particularly in view of a level of enthusiasm for the Irish language at this time.

In closing, this Revised Estimate for 2026 shows the Government’s continued strong commitment to rural and community development, and to our island and Gaeltacht communities. I thank the committee for its time and I thank the clerk for facilitating us today. I am happy to take any questions the committee may have.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister. I will now move to questions.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the increases in the document. It is a very good document. I would like to ask a few questions on it. Can the Minister outline the key changes between the original and the Revised Estimates for Vote 42 and specify which programmes account for the most significant adjustments in funding?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As I said, we have the high-level figures, that is, €193 million for the rural development side of the house, €260 million for the community development and €160 million for the Gaeltacht.

It is a separate committee but a 30% increase in the Gaeltacht budget is transformational for the Gaeltacht side of this Department. It is a 7% increase.

The local improvement scheme, LIS, this year is €17 million, which is a €2 million increase. CLÁR is a €1 million increase, with a €1 million increase for town and village. There is a €2 million increase for the outdoor recreation and infrastructure scheme. They are all making a difference on the ground. We have just issued the first tranche of the LIS funding to each local authority.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I wish to ask one question on that. It is not a question I have written down. On the town and village renewal, I would have known for many years about trying to get towns and villages in my county into it. Is every county taking that up? They are in some shape or form, are they?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Yes. It is one scheme that even the outskirts of the city here can qualify for.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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When we divide that up, roughly on average how much of an allocation would there be to each county? Take my county of Laois.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have the Laois figures here but I will provide those to the Deputy separately. I know I have a full day of events coming up in Laois soon where we are opening a number of town and village projects. We will provide the Deputy with the Laois details. They depend on the schemes that come in from local authorities and Laois does very well out of it.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I understand that because there is a very good team there and they put in for a lot of projects. It is really important for our villages as well. It is the only hope we have of trying to enhance our villages and encourage them back. We are trying to do that, with people living over shops and all that. It is hugely important for us.

What measurable outcomes are attached to the increased expenditure under Vote 42 and how is the Department ensuring that funding translates into tangible economic and social benefits for the rural communities?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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There are a number of issues we have addressed there. We engage very closely with local authorities and town teams so that, first, the projects and the capital side of things are community-owned rather than us imposing them on communities. To that effect, last year we set up a capital delivery team within the Department that engages with local authorities. These capital projects have been challenging to get off the ground in some local authorities. The capital delivery team within the Department engages very intensively with delivery teams in local authorities to make sure we are delivering and that, when we announce the projects, they actually hit the ground, as it were.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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That is fine.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The capital delivery team is a major change in 2025.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister provide a breakdown of the capital versus current expenditure under the Revised Estimate and indicate how much is being directed towards long-term infrastructure as opposed to short-term supports?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The short-term side of things is very important. In regard to the work we do on community development and the supports we give to national organisations, such as the Tidy Towns, that is all short-term but it is really important. In regard to the rural development programme, €161 million of that is capital and €32 million is current. In regard to the other programmes, the Deputy might bear with me two minutes while I check the figures we gave him. On community development, €203 million is current and €57 million is capital.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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What contingency or flexibility exists within Vote 42 to respond to emerging challenges in rural areas, particularly in relation to housing pressures and community services?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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We are currently finalising the production of our new rural development strategy, Our Rural Future, which will be the guide document to address those emerging challenges. The consultation has involved over 2,000 submissions and 2,000 engagements and I will be publishing that document as the successor document to Our Rural Future, which was published by the former Minister and Deputy, Heather Humphreys, in 2021. That will address many of the emerging challenges around housing. To be honest, our biggest challenge is getting many of the capital projects to ground and getting them delivered. That is why we set up the capital delivery team last year and that is why we engage very intensively with local authorities. Similar to other capital projects, building inflation was a major challenge throughout 2024 and 2025 and we have taken steps to address that.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the increase we have in local improvement schemes but the longest waiting list that exists in every local authority throughout the country is that for the local improvement schemes. People can be waiting six, seven or eight years for a local improvement scheme to be put in place. The outlook on this one changed since the charge on the houses came in because everybody in a rural areas is paying their household charge, but what benefit do they get for that? Let us say people live in three or four houses down a lane and are paying a household charge. There may be no lights or anything, but that is grand because they would accept that in a rural area. What they do not accept is that the road cannot be done up for them. It can only be done under an LIS and the LIS money is most valuable to people in rural areas. The Minister knows it himself as a public representative, with people going into his clinics. It is really crucial now. I maintain that there should be even more money for it because people are making a contribution under the household charge and gaining absolutely nothing for it.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I would love to spend more money on it. Since 2017, when the former Minister and Deputy, Michael Ring, introduced the LIS, we have invested €184 million in the scheme alone. That is 5,500 roads. I agree with the Deputy that there is a frustration among people on those small roads as to what they see. It comes back to our earlier discussion. That goes into the local contribution for many of the funds we have. On the local contribution for facilities last year, between the original allocation and supplementary allocation, we were able to put €1 million-plus into the LIS in Laois. I know that was very much delivered on the ground. We have made the original allocation to date for 2026, and I am always looking to see if we have funding later in the year for supplementary allocations. I am sure the Deputy will be back to me on that.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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If there is a supplementary, will the Minister please include the LIS in it? I know it on the ground, the same as the Minister does.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I reiterate that on the LIS, we write to the councils and they submit their priority roads to us, but it is a very important scheme.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Absolutely, but there are people waiting eight or nine years for it. They get very frustrated and they blame me, the Minister and all of us. If there were extra money there, I would really appreciate it.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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I also put on record my call for any additional funding that could be made available for the LIS. We have situations in Waterford where roads have been all but washed away in recent adverse weather events. There is a huge waiting list for the LIS. It is one of the only schemes that is available to rural dwellers. It is the only bit of value sometimes that they see out of their local property tax, LPT. Any additional funding that could be put into it, especially in light of the lack of funding for local and regional roads announced for County Waterford in the past number of weeks, needs to happen.

My first question relates to the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP. Any additional funding is welcome. The core SICAP allocation increased by €1.2 million this year, and that is welcome, but once you take out pay pressures and they are accounted for, what is the actual percentage uplift? What are we looking at once you take out the salary side of things?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I reiterate what I said about the LIS. If we have additional resources, it will be prioritised. It is important that the committee understands that, in regard to the standards - the Deputy mentioned the damage done recently - we give a huge amount of flexibility in our funding to local authorities to respond. We will be reiterating that to them today. In that kind of situation, they have the capacity to respond once the road qualifies.

On SICAP, the €53.64 million is a €1.2 million increase on 2025. I do not have the breakdown. That will depend on each of the various organisations, but SICAP supports 3,000 community organisations. It is really important throughout the country.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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The reason I am asking for that specific figure is that my understanding is much of that will be taken up by pay pressure, pay demands and the rest within those organisations. This is the State's and the Government's flagship social inclusion programme. I do not accept, and I wonder if the Minister does, that €1.2 million of an increase is a serious strengthening of that flagship primary social inclusion programme.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I do think that €53.64 million is a very significant investment in the context of the Department. We have also given non-core funding to continue the work that is under way with the programme regarding the new arrivals from Ukraine.

There is €7 million for the combined community development programme. It is having a massive impact on the ground within those resources. As I said-----

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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I would say the organisations-----

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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-----on the capital side, we will be introducing a new version of the RAPID programme. I hate referring using the word RAPID-----

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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I have some questions on that as well. The organisations that are rolling out SICAP are well used to doing a lot with little. That is a credit to them. They have been doing it for years.

On the new RAPID-style initiative, I see funding is increasing from €7.5 million to €12.5 million because of this new initiative. Which criteria will determine which areas qualify? Who makes that decision? How will that work?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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We are working on those criteria at the moment. I want to be able to launch it with the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer. The most recent RAPID programme was very big. I would like to get back to that space. Funding at the moment is €5 million so the programme will be small, but our overall sense of direction, particularly in respect of urban disadvantage and communities that are facing disadvantage, is similar to the principles to the original RAPID programme. That is where we want to get back to and the officials in the Department are working through what that might look like at the moment. I am more than happy to take input from the committee on this programme. We in the Department are always accused of focusing on rural issues but we are also the Department of community affairs. This is a really important part of that.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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That is really important. I am glad to hear the Minister say that. I ask that the committee would take up that invitation. Will the funding for this new RAPID-style initiative be recurring or is it a one-off political announcement in the budget cycle?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I do not do political announcements. This is recurring. It is my intention to make it recurring and grow it. That is a matter for each budget, but it definitely is a commitment in relation to urban communities, in particular.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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The community enhancement programme is worth €25 million, as I understand it from the figures, but €5 million of that is a capital carryover. What is the net figure for the community enhancement programme? Am I looking at those figures right?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Let us see.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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The €5 million is capital carryover, as far as I can glean from the figures as they are presented, in any case.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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That is €20 million from community centre investment and €5 million from the community enhancement programme. We will be launching the community centre investment refurbishment programme this year. That call for applications will be made in May, with a view to making awards of funding in the autumn.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister has pre-empted and answered my next question. It will be May. The observation I would make is that it is late in the year for starting building projects and securing contractors to do that work. Many will effectively have lost a building season and I envisage, from experience, that it will probably be early next year before projects that are approved under that call would be able to action works. Is there some contingency for increased costs that might arise as a result? I understand that the year delay might have been avoidable.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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There is not a year delay. We did a community centre enhancement programme this time last year and the work is under way. It is a multiannual programme. The emphasis is on refurbishment. Much of our experience in terms of refurbishment, as a by the by, is in respect of internal work. Some of the feedback we have got on community centre investment is to give support for that external piece, as well.

On community centre investment this year, there is a focus on new builds that were allocated in 2024. We are getting them to construction stage. We have approximately seven at construction stage at the moment. I hope to have all 12 at construction stage. Some will be open for activities before the end of this year. That is under the new-build programme.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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What is the total underspend currently recorded for approved RRDF projects? Is that figure available? Does the Minister have it?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have it. I would not say it is an underspend. RRDF is-----

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Let us call it the balance that has not been drawn down.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I will get back to the Deputy with that particular figure.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Okay.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As I said to Deputy Aird, our capital projects, particularly RRDF, are challenging. To get those programmes and constructions to site is challenging. We found that construction inflation was a particular challenge. We have had a lot of engagements, through the unit in the Department, with the capital delivery team. We had some really successful openings, including the Shackleton Experience in Athy. Deputy Wall has just laughed, but I highly recommend it as an example of an RRDF project revitalising a town. It is a major visitor attraction. It ticks all the boxes.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for the update. It is nice to get a report where no cutbacks are mentioned. It is all very positively disposed towards further investment, and I welcome that.

I note in the report that there is a carryover of €21.8 million from 2025. Was that an underspend? How does it fit into the budgeting for 2026?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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It is a carryover because capital funding that was not drawn down under various project headings during 2025 we expect will be drawn down in 2026. They may be projects that did not complete or did not get submissions in on time.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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It is €25 million and €26 million together, if you like.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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It is allocated, as opposed to being spent.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Minister referenced RRDF funding. I am pleased to say that we got an email only yesterday to state that the applications are being invited from this Friday. Is that correct?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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We have an outstanding community where all the stakeholders who are involved in sport, recreation, education and all that kind of stuff have come together with a glorious application for Ardrahan in east Galway. The applicants will have planning permission and everything else over the line. Last year, Galway Rural Development supported an application for the sports complex in Glenamaddy. The outcome from that investment is something compelling. Mother of God, it is extraordinarily brilliant. Great credit must go the stakeholders who put in their own funding. It is massive investment. It is transformative.

The report states that the funding of €60 million is the same as last year. That is a lot of money, but a lot of genuine effort goes into applications for RRDF funding. Those applications are not simple but involve a lot of meetings and administrative work. Somehow or other if they are unsuccessful this year because of restrictions in funding, I would like them to be categorised as next in line, so to speak.

Will the Minister talk a little about what he anticipates for this year's applications? Every community is getting a little wiser about where the moneys can come from and how to put the best application together. That €60 million is significant, but it will be spent quickly. What about those who are unlucky as a result?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Every applicant sees their application as glorious when they send it in. That is why we need a very vigorous assessment. We always give feedback on all of the applications, especially in relation to RRDF. The capital delivery team is essential in that space. The Galway capital delivery team, in this case, will be essential not just in getting feedback but as the application is being considered, the delivery team needs to engage first with the local authority, which in this case is Galway County Council, to ensure they are all singing from the same sheet.

Deputy McGuinness's earlier point is relevant to this discussion. To date, €265 million has been spent on RRDF, which is a massive investment. Some €348 million has been approved to be drawn down but has not yet been spent. We will be announcing the call in the next few days for category 1 projects that are ready to go and ready to roll. There is a four- or five-month window to get applications in and we will assess them quickly. We will give feedback on every application.

I cannot say that we will have a waiting list. That will depend on the volume of applications to come in and the quality of the applications. However, the Deputy is right.

The ambition of the application is fantastic, and it really reflects the really good vibrancy in communities across the country.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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In the context of the application, is the grant of planning permission a prerequisite?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Category 1 applications have to be ready to go. They are assessed accordingly. They are marked on the basis of how ready to go they are. Any project that does not have planning, particularly in this day and age, is not ready to go.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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As I mentioned earlier, it is transformative. I referenced the tremendous success of the Glenamaddy sports complex where they have a Croke park-sized pitch fully developed. It is worthy of a visit for anyone who has any interest in where the rural regeneration and redevelopment, RRDF, funding goes. There is a need to replicate that around the country. I do not want to be too parochial. I am referencing the Glenamaddy one because it is done, and the Ardrahan project is coming in for application. It is a game-changer in the context of all the people who will benefit. It is not just football, hurling or soccer. It is about all of those, but sensory gardens and walking trails or pathways are very often included. By any manner and means, they are really game-changers.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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On my behalf, I thank the Minister very much for the report this morning. Every town and village has benefitted from the rural development programme, be it through the LEADER programme, the RRDF, town and village local improvement schemes or outdoor recreation schemes. We can see the stamp of the Department in every town and village now, and that is really positive. We have seen many times where villages have succeeded in getting a second round of an application or a second tranche, which is really beneficial.

The Minister mentioned that there is a lot of RRDF money out there that has been allocated but has not been spent. It would be encouraging to see if we can try to get collaboration between all the local authorities and capital delivery units to make sure that we try to deliver those as quickly as possible. Some communities have got the word that the allocation has been made, but they are waiting for the project to succeed and proceed as best it can. Continued engagement with the Minister's own Department and local authorities will be vital in that sense.

I welcome the news this morning in terms of local improvement schemes, and the good allocations for Cork county as well. It is hugely important to see that we would get a diverse amount of money right across all the constituencies. The Minister mentioned when he was here previously the discretion or the disparity between the price of some local authorities to do roads compared to other local authorities. Was there any advance on that discussion with the local authorities?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Chairman for his remarks on the RRDF. My colleague, Mr. Robert Nicholson, is here. One of his lead roles is to engage with local authorities with the capital delivery team we have in the Department and with each local authority capital delivery team. We have had some really difficult conversations with local authorities in the past year. We are spending taxpayers' money. We are spending on programmes that are changing communities. Deputy Roche just spoke about Glenamaddy and Ardrahan and the change it has made to those communities. I get a little bit frustrated and impatient that local authorities can drag their feet in terms of delivering those projects because the community wants them. The community is driving it. We have had a very good change in the atmosphere in the last 12 months since we set up our capital delivery team. Mr. Nicholson and the team are doing a lot of work with local authorities. They also have capital delivery teams. That has been really positive.

In terms of the local improvement scheme, LIS, we are continuing to look at that. First, this year, we had no underspends in terms of local authorities. It is extraordinary that we had last year. That message got out. We are continuing to look at what is causing the difference and that includes location, the varying condition of roads in each local authority and the topography. I also want to emphasise this, however. There are some local authority people who say that the Department lays down very strong and very strict standards in the LIS. Our standards are there to help. We do not gold-plate roads. We do not want gold-plated roads. We want roads that are fit to travel on. That does not necessarily mean they have to be gold-plated. The LIS standards are as flexible as possible, and the main call in that is in the gift of the local authority.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister. In relation of the community centre investment fund, CCIF, it is a very welcome move that there is going to be another fund this year, particularly for the refurbishment of community centres. There is an exciting feeling out there within communities for the launch of that. Certainly, the funding that will be allocated this year of €20 million will be very well-received. The Minister is talking about a timeframe of May, and then the allocations later in the year, is it?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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It will be made during the autumn; the Chair is absolutely right. There was some work done in the 2023 allocation of the CCIF when the then Minister, Heather Humphreys, introduced it. There was a 90% increase in the usage of many of the facilities that were funded on the original refurbishment. The halls were built in the 1970s and 1980s, and they became cold. That is what we want to see; that money has resulted in that level of increase in terms of usage, and there is massive demand. To come back to Deputy Roche's point, we had to turn down an awful lot of people in 2025 for community centre investment refurbishment. That is why we are doing it again this year. It will hopefully open in May with a view to making some announcements in late autumn.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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In terms of the community recognition fund, CRF, I know this fund is finishing up, but some funds were allocated again this year as a carryover. Could the Minister give us a brief in relation to how he sees that fund? Is it going to finally finish up or is there talk in the Department that we might make further allocations?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As of now, our priority for 2026 is to ensure that those projects that are funded are actually drawn down. We have budgets set aside to do that. That involves considerable engagement with local authorities. Some €58.2 million has been drawn down under the CRF to date; €43.9 million of that relates to funding that was announced in 2023 and €14.3 million relates to 2024. We plan on winding it down, but there is still quite a lot of work to be done in terms of the allocations that were made last year and in 2024. That work will continue through 2026 and more than likely into 2027, but I do not anticipate beyond that.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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On the RAPID programme - I know the Minister says "RAPID" with an exclamation mark; the name could be changing by the way he is talking - can the Minister give a bit of a brief in relation to how he sees that going? When is the timeframe, roughly, for this fund? Certainly, we had a RAPID programme in Mallow in the other part of my constituency previously and that was very well-received in the urban areas and disadvantaged areas. The Minister might give a brief in relation to how he sees it working out this year.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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We are in the very early stages of it. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are working on it. We have asked our officials to prepare a proposal for us, which I anticipate getting at some stage in the next couple of weeks. It will be similar to the old RAPID programme. The reason I am reluctant to use the name is because RAPID at its completion was something in the region of a €100 million programme. We are nowhere near that. I would love to be at some point. It is, however, making very strategic interventions in very disadvantaged communities in urban areas. The definition of "disadvantaged" will be given to us by Central Statistics Office, CSO, statistics. It will be done independently. It will not be I or the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, deciding what town is disadvantaged. We will use solely the CSO statistics that are there. The Pobal deprivation index will be our guide in relation to that. With all of our programmes, we are focused on urban communities as well, and this will have a particular focus on urban communities.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister mentioned demographics and updating the CSO. The CLÁR map for disadvantaged areas has not changed for quite some time. Is there an intention to change that?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, we are nearly there. We have a commitment in the programme for Government to do that and update that. We are ready to finalise that. Again, that will be defined on the basis of population statistics from the 2022 census. I know there will be a lot of people saying that we have to do it some other way. We have very little discretion in that, but it will reflect the true spirit of the CLÁR programme in terms of census-to-census statistics. We are nearly there with that with a view to announcing it imminently.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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In relation to men's shed funding, the Minister mentioned it here previously, and contact was being made with the women's shed in terms of trying to get funding to them. Has there been any update in that sense?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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We are continuing to engage with the Irish Men's Sheds Association. We worked very hard with them through 2025 to get funding out to the local men's sheds in that space.

That has been ongoing through January and to date in February. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I made it very clear to our officials that we need this money to get out. They were too slow in getting it out but we have resolved that. In relation to women's sheds, colleagues of mine in the Department are engaging on this, as are officials from the Department of Health. A facilitator has been funded to set up a national organisation. There will be a gathering on 8 March in Tullamore around that and to perhaps establish a national organisation. It is a bit early yet to say what will come out of that, but work is under way. I also point out to women's sheds and to men's sheds that the local enhancement programme is open - it is due to close I think this Friday for applications. That is open to women's sheds and to men's sheds. I would encourage them to put in an application through to their local community development committee, LCDC, ahead of the deadline.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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The local women's shed are coming to meet me in about an hour and if the Minister is still here he is more than welcome to meet them.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I have one question on the community centre investment fund and it is for new builds. We have a community, Clough-Ballacolla, which has been working very hard since 2020. They have a site and planning permission and have raised 10% for the matched funding. We were unsuccessful last year and we are just hoping that it will be open this year. That is all I am asking.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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For new builds, my current plan, subject to budget, will be to open it next year. That is exactly the kind of project we want to invest in - one that is ready to roll. This year the focus is on refurbishment because we had such demand for refurbishment last year. I want to try to take another tranche out of that but I am very focused on new builds.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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That is grand and I agree wholeheartedly that money should be put into existing buildings. The issue is where there is not an existing building and the community is trying to drive ahead and they have come together to raise the money and it is in the bank. They have done a great job and they were hugely disappointed they were not were included. I just want the Minister to keep this in the back of his mind on the basis that there is no hall.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, 100%. That is why the new builds programme has been so successful. Our priority with the programme was to get those that were announced in 2024 to construction. It has taken a lot of work, believe it or not, to get the 12 to the points they are at now. We will actually have some of those open by this year and all of them will be in construction by this year. That will then give me a chance to look at new builds for 2027. We will keep Ballacolla very much in mind.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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No, Clough. There is a difference between Clough and Ballacolla. As I said, if they got the money they would start straight away.

Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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On the CCIS, magically, my local community and the local parish of Abbeyknockmoy benefited from such funding, to the tune of €300,000. Anyone who wants to realise the significance of that investment should please come to visit. It is transformative. The Minister mentioned that a lot of the community halls were built back in the day with very little funding and they were just built standard. My God, what that funding has done for our local community centre. It is state of the art and we were allowed to shape and design it in such a way that if we had, God forbid, another storm like Storm Éowyn, people would be able to go there and avail of water, refuge or anything else they may wish for. To my mind, it is the most significant thing that ever happened with regards to community development and enhancement, so keep it going.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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It is a very important programme and it has revitalised our community centres. The Deputy referred to storm response. We have been able to use a portion of funding from community centre investment to purchase transportable generators which we will supply to each local authority in rural areas to have on standby for emergency events and community events. A lot of community events, shows, festivals, etc., need generators, so it benefits the community centres. We provided funding for the switch that is necessary. That equipment will also now be available to appropriately trained community groups to use for different events.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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My two colleagues have mentioned the community centre investment fund. The Minister was very welcome to Rylane for the turning of the sod there recently for our new community centre in my own constituency. Something has come up in the interim. It is nothing to do with the Minister or the Department but maybe he and his officials could take it away. Irish Water is charging a new-connection fee for a new community centre in that area. It is €70,000 for a standard wastewater and water connection. Despite the fact that the Department of housing is responsible for Irish Water, it does not come in to report to the Oireachtas; the CRU is responsible for that. Perhaps the Minister and his officials could take this away if the Department is going to do another round of community centre investment funds. That community in Rylane will have to fundraise €250,000 after a contribution of departmental funding, which is great. On top of that €250,000 they will have to contribute €79,000 for a connection fee for water and wastewater. I do not see any Department taking the lead on this because Irish Water is its own utility. It is not responsible for coming before any of the committees of the Oireachtas. We cannot put down parliamentary questions on that front, so there is a quite an issue there. Maybe the Department could have a look at it, particularly in terms of the fact that we are promoting new builds in the future.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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That issue has been brought to my attention. It is a most amazing group in Rylane and it was a pleasure to meet them with the Cathaoirleach and Deputy Moynihan. The group has great ambition for the community and this issue was not apparent on the day. The Cathaoirleach has raised a very important issue and I would ask Irish Water to engage in the spirit of this building and in the spirit of an amazing community. I certainly use this platform today to ask Irish Water to remember that it is a public company and to engage with the public in relation to that specific issue.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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What we will see if Irish Water is charging that much is that everyone will be sinking a well beside the hall. We will be going back in time. How could any organisation budget for that amount of money? They would not have done so. When the local authorities had responsibility groups could raise it and it would be done for very minimal cost.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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There would definitely be a meeting of minds on that.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Absolutely.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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Before we finish I want to address the Gaeltacht and the islands. As has been mentioned here today, there has been a significant investment in the Gaeltacht and the islands. I come from Cork and when I was a member of my local authority we made many a visit to the islands right across the county. As there is significant investment going on there, perhaps the Minister will address a few of the items that were mentioned.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The 30% increase in Gaeltacht funding was debated last night. We have also made substantial increase in our islands funding. For the non-Gaeltacht islands we have increased their co-op funding significantly during 2025. The biggest capital delivery project in the history of this Department is the new pier on Inis Oírr which we got to tender in 2025. It will go into construction later this year. There was a big public meeting on the island last Thursday for the contractors, Ward and Burke Construction, to go through that. The Cathaoirleach's own county is actually a leader in terms of having a specific islands committee of the council. I met the deputy CEO who has that responsibility at the Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann AGM in November. We have minor works programmes for the islands. There is today's LIS announcement in which any county with an island is getting a specific allocation for the islands. I would ask the local authorities to make sure they deliver on the allocations. I fully understand the challenges of getting tradespeople onto the islands but they should please use the money that we are providing for island communities. I would say that to all the relevant local authorities.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister and his officials for their attendance and for providing the committee with the briefing material in advance. I also thank the members for their contributions. The select committee will stand adjourned sine die.