Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for her question. Community centres are the cornerstone of community life in towns and villages around the country. The Government recognises the very important role these centres play in bringing people together and facilitating community services and events.

Since its establishment in 2022, the community centres investment fund, CCIF, has provided some €110 million for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres in locations that were not adequately served. Over €45 million was approved for some 861 community centres nationwide under CCIF 2022. To date, over €43 million of this has been paid to these communities, with 760 of those projects now complete. Last year, funding of €30 million was approved for the construction of 12 new community centres covering nine counties. These projects are now beginning to move forward.

The most recent fund focused again on the refurbishment of existing community facilities. In March of this year, I was delighted to announce over €26 million for 369 community centres under category 2, which provides funding of up to €100,000. This was in addition to 405 projects approved in November with a value of €7.8 million under category 1, which provides funding of up to €25,000. This brings the total amount approved under the 2024 iteration of the fund to over €33 million for in excess of 770 projects nationwide.

I am totally committed, as is the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to delivering further iterations of the fund in the coming years in line with the commitment in the programme for Government. Since the programme for Government was agreed, we have seen first hand the value of these community centres in responding to Storm Éowyn, and the value of the people who volunteer to provide these community centres. We will be looking at future rounds of the CCIF to ensure community centres are at the forefront of any future climate responses.

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