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

I was hoping to hear something on substantial amounts of funding but also on the other aspect of this, because it is an extremely important point, which I will make again. Local authorities have substantial funding. For example, Fingal County Council, which is one of the wealthiest local authorities in the State, has substantial funding and is able to utilise that funding, as well as borrowing and so on, for capital funding for its own local authority community centres. I have seen it. Those centres do fantastic work and I have no issue with that and have supported it 100% of the way. However, we have centres that are not owned by local authorities. Maybe they are owned by a diocese or a local community group that came together. They are all over the place but the one I know best is the one in Hartstown. That centre does not have access to those types of funding streams, to borrowing or to any of the different measures that are in place for local authorities. I urge that this €5 million be allocated exclusively for centres that are not owned by local authorities. I hope the Minister and Minister of State will consider doing so in future.

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