Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Earlier this year, together with Government colleagues, I announced details of €50 million in funding for more than 880 projects under the community recognition fund. At its core, this fund recognises the huge efforts of communities that have gone above and beyond to welcome and support people coming to Ireland. It is supporting towns and villages nationwide that have shown such generosity in welcoming people from Ukraine and other countries.

The fund aims to support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of the community. It is important to note this is separate from other public funding streams which aim to support the development of public service needs arising from the significant number of new arrivals into Ireland. Through this initiative, communities are being assisted to develop projects such as large-scale multipurpose sports facilities, walkways, cycle paths, playgrounds, equipment for sports clubs and community festivals. The entire €50 million fund has now been allocated across all local authorities based on the number of new arrivals located here. Projects for funding were submitted by local authorities to my Department for approval following a process of extensive engagement and consultation at local level.

I have been delighted with the uptake of, and engagement with, the fund to date. A key priority now is to ensure the range of projects approved across the country is delivered over the course of this year and next. Any future iterations of the scheme will be informed by the annual budgetary process and progress in delivering the large number of projects already approved. I look forward to seeing projects coming to fruition across the country in the coming months and I am confident these projects will deliver real and lasting benefits to many communities.

See this speech in context