Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 28 together.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am aware of the situation regarding Hartstown and Huntstown community centres and know how important the centres are to the people there.

Community facilities are funded from a range of sources across various Departments and agencies. For example, my Department has provided funding to Huntstown community centre under the community services and community enhancement programmes. My officials have been in discussions with Fingal County Council regarding the two centres. I am aware that both have specific and exceptional funding requirements.

I was previously asked about the possibility of opening a national fund to support community centres with emergency funding requirements for fire safety works. I stated that, given the constraints on my Department's voted funding, it was not possible for me to open a new line of national funding for that purpose. However, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that under the dormant accounts action plan for 2020 I have put in place a very modest fund of €250,000 to assist in a limited number of particularly critical cases. Given the large number of community centres, it is not possible for this fund to support a national programme of remediation works. However, it will allow me to make a contribution towards the costs of works in a small number of exceptionally urgent and critical cases. In that regard, I am prepared to examine what level of funding can be provided to the two centres referenced by the Deputy.

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