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

I thank the Deputy for the question. My Department has a number of schemes that local groups can avail of to support the establishment of community centres. Funding may be available through the LEADER transitional programme, which is delivered through local action groups, LAGs, in each of the 28 LEADER subregional areas around the country. Interested applicants should, in the first instance, contact the relevant LAG through its implementing partner to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available. The Department also provides small grants relevant to community centres through the CEP. The 2021 programme was launched on 10 May with funding of €4.5 million. It is currently closed but will reopen in due course. In addition, the €49 million community services programme supports more than 420 community organisations, including community centres, to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model. Funding is provided as a contribution towards the cost of employing staff in these organisations. The 2021 town and village renewal scheme is also relevant to community centres, as it will support the repurposing of existing community buildings in town centres to facilitate remote working and other projects to bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use. Finally, a new capital fund for the upgrade of community centres was referenced recently in the NDP and funding has been secured for this under budget 2022. The details of this capital scheme are currently being developed within my Department. It will be launched in early 2022, with further details to be announced in due course.

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