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

I will respond to that last question. Grants range from €20,000 to €150,000. We must look at the types of projects that have been applied for. We are still going through that. How many projects receive a grant and how the funding is divided up would then depend on the types of projects that have been sought. The fewer of the €150,000 type projects there are, the more we can spread it across. This is just the first year and it is my intention it will expand. I brought the Criminal Assets Bureau 2021 report to the Cabinet just recently. The bureau has been very successful in its confiscation measures and in returning funds to individuals who have been defrauded. The bureau has done excellent work and we must make sure we reflect that with this overall fund.

When we consider the community safety partnerships that are being developed, there are three pilots under way at the moment, in Dublin's inner city, in Waterford and in Longford. The long-term intention is these community safety partnerships will be able to use this fund themselves where communities would identify the need for different types of projects separate from the different funding streams I have mentioned. They would be able to apply to this community safety innovation fund and use that as part of the overall plan they set out for their individual community needs.

I acknowledge the work of Councillor Kenneth Egan and our own colleague Deputy Fergus O'Dowd who, along with the Deputies and many others, have campaigned for this. I look forward to this scheme expanding and growing. Most importantly, the people in our communities will benefit from this.

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