Dáil debates

Thursday, 17 September 2020

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Community Development Initiatives

10:40 am

Photo of Paul DonnellyPaul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the provisions made for funding for community centres into 2021 due to the restrictions on local fundraising due to Covid-19 and the reduced capacity to operate cafés and receive income from room rental. [24461/20]

Photo of Paul DonnellyPaul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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I would like to ask the Minister what provisions have been made for funding for community centres into 2021 due to the restrictions on local fundraising due to Covid-19, and also, importantly, the reduced capacity to operate cafés and receive income from room rentals. The Minister knows they are not businesses. They are not there to make a profit but to support the community and they need to be supported as we go forward.

Photo of Joe O'BrienJoe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Government's recovery and resilience plan, published on Tuesday, does acknowledge the importance of communities working together at this challenging time. Community centres, as Deputy Paul Donnelly knows, are often the focal point for vital activities that can foster community resilience. The most relevant programme in my Department is the community services programme to community centres. Overall, the community services programme funds approximately 400 community organisations and earlier this year a support fund of €1.2 million was put in place, providing additional funding to many of these organisations, many of which suffered loss of income due to Covid-19, as they are partially dependent on revenue-raising through renting out spaces, cafés and so on.

My Department also introduced a package of supports for community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises in the context of Covid-19, which included a stability fund of up to €35 million. Some community centres met eligibility criteria for this and are receiving funding from the fund.

The 2020 community enhancement programme, which was launched in June and has funding of €2 million provides small capital grants to community organisations. Separately, under the July stimulus, a €5 million fund was launched for repairs and upgrades to community centres and community buildings. Details can be found on the website.

The overarching rural development investment programme has been tailored to address the emerging challenges associated with Covid-19. This includes the town and village renewal scheme, which is currently open for applications. Improvements to community centres have been funded through this scheme in the past.

My Department will continue to work with relevant stakeholders, including the community and voluntary sector, local authorities and local development companies, to support community organisations across the country as they deal with the ongoing and emerging challenges presented by Covid-19.

10:50 am

Photo of Paul DonnellyPaul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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I am sure that the Minister of State has spoken to a large number of community centre managers. Many of those to whom I have spoken are concerned. They appreciate the funding that has been provided, but they say it is not enough, given that the impact on their centres has been enormous. Most closed and then reopened with significantly reduced capacities. Many of the centres had to retain reserve funds because they were companies limited by guarantee, but they are now approaching the end of that pot. Their reserve funding is running out. This issue has not just arisen in the current context - centres have always asked for multi-annual funding, which would allow them to plan and prepare. Now, they have no reserve funding and little income. The money they have received to date has been welcome, but it is not enough. The managers are concerned about 2021 and 2022.

Photo of Joe O'BrienJoe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I will elaborate on the question of the loss of income suffered by community services programme, CSP, organisations. My Department developed a €1.2 million fund to ensure that such organisations could pay their full-time CSP-supported employees a maximum of €350 per week, with a proportionate amount for part-time CSP-supported employees.

Pobal has issued a financial survey to all CSP-supported organisations to identify their remaining financial issues. We are in an organised and forensic way looking to see what the real issues are for each of the relevant organisations. Pobal will report to the Department this month, following which the Department will consider any additional funding need that may arise as detailed in that report.

Photo of Paul DonnellyPaul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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I will cite a couple of sentences. I sent out a survey to a number of community centres. One response struck me, that of Huntstown in Castleknock in my constituency. The centre stated that its reserve funds had been depleted and its traded income was down by more than 80%. Along with that traded income, the CSP grant received was used to bring people up to the minimum wage. This centre is concerned because, if it does not have a reserve fund and income coming in, the CSP funding will not be able to meet the minimum wage. The centre would like to pay the living wage, but it cannot. It is fearful that if there is no guarantee that CSP funding will at least help to match the minimum wage, it will have to let people go in 2021. This concern is shared across the board because funding from the CSP is €9.38 per individual yet the funding for the minimum wage is nowhere near that.

People are asking me questions about this issue. Will the Minister of State give community centres some clarity about 2021? I am sorry, but I am not seeing much clarity right now.

Photo of Joe O'BrienJoe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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Regarding Huntstown specifically, my Department provided €20,000 in January to that community centre. Under the stability fund, €45,000 was approved for the Huntstown family resource centre. I am just putting these figures into the mix.

To address the Deputy's question, the Estimates process is ongoing. I am fighting hard for the community service programme across the country. Some organisations are in trouble. Outside of Covid, and while I might hope it was not the case, there is a natural rate of attrition every year where some services cannot survive. Some services exit the programme and new ones enter it.

I met an organisational body of CSP managers several weeks ago. The managers laid out a stark picture as well as some proposals, which we are considering. I asked them to organise further meetings for me with different types of community services from around the country. I am eager to stay in touch with the stories on the ground such as the one the Deputy outlined.