Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to say there is constant communication between my Department, myself, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, the local development companies, the community services programme organisations and the broader community voluntary sector. That flow is constant and we are keeping a close eye on developments as they carry on.

I want to mention some other programmes which are key in terms of reaching people. The CLÁR programme in particular is worth a mention. There are three measures under that. Measure 3 is particularly important as it provides Meals on Wheels, Link services, as well as mobility and cancer care transport. CLÁR was open to applications from local authorities under measures 1, 2, 3a and 3b. Up to 339 applications were received in 2020 across all these measures and 186 were approved. Measure 3 is particularly effective in reaching vulnerable communities, particularly those impacted by the pandemic.

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