Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The intention is that the pilots will run for two years. That is to allow the communities to come together to set up community safety partnerships, to put a plan in place and embed that plan. That is well under way.

I visited Longford recently, where they are on target to have a plan in place. They have engaged with members of the community, from Comhairle na nÓg to the local women's support network to education, schools and everybody else.

A huge amount of work is under way to ensure the three pilots are up and running, have their plans in place and that there is time to see the plans implemented and bedded in. Once the pilots are finished, we hope to expand the initiative into all other counties. While it might take time for the pilots to run their course, it is important in relation to this fund that all communities have opportunities to access this type of money and to come up with or identify innovative ways to keep their community safe prior to the community safety partnerships being progressed.

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