Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for her question. Community wealth building is, indeed, a long-standing commitment of the Deputy and her party. As she knows well, the concept refers to a range of approaches to local economic development. While the Department under the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and me does not have a dedicated community wealth building fund as such, our wide range of policies and funding programmes provide support for local economic development and community-led local development in line with many of the principles of community wealth building.

The creation of an environment in which social enterprises can thrive is a key element of community wealth building. Our Department leads on the implementation of the Government's social enterprise policy and a new policy, Trading for Impact, was launched last year. In addition, the community services programme currently supports 427 community-based organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. The national rural development policy, Our Rural Future, has, over its lifespan, provided significant investment and supports, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people in rural communities across Ireland.

The LEADER programme, which supports economic development and job creation in rural areas, is a prime example of community-led local development. In addition, the rural regeneration and development fund and the building acquisition measure of the town and village renewal scheme invest in the regeneration of rural towns and villages, including measures for the acquisition of buildings for community use, which aligns with the concept of community wealth building.

As the Deputy knows, Deputy Conor D. McGuinness, the Minister and I have visited many areas in conjunction with the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP. This initiative supports integrated approaches across communities throughout the country, enhances and leads community development, addresses disadvantage at local level and supports community-led initiatives in urban and rural areas. I thank the Deputy for the question and would be happy to explore the matter further with her.

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