Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a ceist.

Working to address economic and social Inequality in urban and rural areas is a core part of the work of our Department. The Department’s budget for 2025 is €472 million. Of this, €212 million is allocated to the rural development programme, supporting our rural areas to thrive socially and economically. The funding supports a wide range of schemes that can help the rural economy and promote social inclusion. These schemes include the rural regeneration and development fund, the LEADER programme, town and village renewal agus an coiste CLÁR. The remaining €260 million is allocated to the community development area, supporting the economic and social development of communities in both rural and urban areas.

The social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and the community services programme, CSP, are key programmes within the community development area. SICAP is currently Ireland’s primary social inclusion funding intervention, and is designed to help those individuals in the greatest need to access supports and to enable participation in communities. The CSP provides employment opportunities for people in disadvantaged areas, and those most distant from the labour market, while also ensuring the provision of vital community services throughout the country. Work by our Department in the areas of social enterprise and social innovation will also help address inequality in our communities. I am due to answer a question later on social enterprise in particular.

My Department works closely with local authorities, local development companies and community organisations in delivering on these social inclusion measures. My Department regularly engages with rural and urban stakeholders to identify issues. This engagement is ongoing, and we are currently developing successor policies to the Our Rural Future and Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities strategies. In the whole area of urban intervention, however, it is an area on which the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I are both focused. We want to work with Deputy O'Reilly and those across the House. It is an area on which we are spending a lot of money, but I am not convinced that we are getting the kind of returns we need. I want to progress that area a lot, not just in 2025, but during the lifetime of this Government.

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