Results 361-380 of 14,252 for speaker:Dara Calleary

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Priorities (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department has a number of schemes in place to help address loneliness and social isolation in rural areas and communities across the country. Of particular importance is the Local Enhancement Programme. This scheme is providing €7 million in 2025 to assist thousands of community groups across the country. A huge variety of community groups, including social clubs, choirs and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Voluntary Sector (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: In May 2021, Pobal conducted a scoping exercise on the potential for a National Funding Platform of community and voluntary organisations which have a funding relationship with the State. The overarching purpose of the scoping exercise was to explore options for a funding platform that would reduce the administrative burden on grantees and funders, as well as providing a single source of...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Dunhill Rural Enterprise CLG, Waterford, invited my Department to present at their Conference on Friday 11th October 2024 on the new Social Enterprise Policy. My Department accepted this invitation and an official from my Department was in attendance. At the conference, a presentation was made on a research initiative undertaken by Dunhill Rural Enterprises CLG in partnership with...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Voluntary Sector (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Online scams are a cause of concern for government and for all reasonable people. Moreover, where a scammer holds themselves out to be raising funds for charitable purposes, the damage they may do to the reputation of the not-for-profit, community, voluntary and charitable sectors can be significant. In the course of drafting the Charities (Amendment) Act 2024, officials at my Department had...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 110 together. Administered by my Department, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects which can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. To date, the RRDF has allocated €588 million for 243 projects across Ireland. The Programme for...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a capital investment fund that is key to the delivery of Ireland's rural development policy, Our Rural Future. Meath County Council is the lead partner for the Kells Creative Placemaking (Phase 1) project. The project has been allocated over €1.5 million under the RRDF. This project includes the extensive conservation and...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Renewable Energy Generation (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Responsibility for policy and planning of renewable energy projects is a matter for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Indeed, I am informed that that Department recently ran a public consultation process on the operation of community benefit funds under the renewable electricity support scheme. That consultation sought views with regard to how local communities...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) was established in July 2017 to provide a renewed and consolidated focus on rural and community development in Ireland. While my Department does not have a dedicated community ownership fund, programmes overseen by my Department such as LEADER, SICAP and the Community Services Programme all support community-led initiatives. My...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Island Communities (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Programme for Government commits to ensuring that Our Living Islands - the national islands policy - is fully implemented to support sustainable development for island residents. Our Living Islands, which was launched in June 2023, is a ten-year policy backed up by rolling three-year action plans, with the first of these covering 2023 - 2026. The Action Plan has time-bound...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Voluntary Sector (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The role of volunteers and voluntary organisations in building and sustaining a resilient, cohesive and healthy society cannot be over-stated. Accordingly, my Department has supported the development of a coordinated national volunteering infrastructure that includes 29 local volunteer centres, a national volunteering database and funding to a number of national volunteer-supporting...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 132 together. The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities for LIS. In April 2024, €40 million in funding was announced for LIS across all...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Welfare Services (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The Empowering Communities Programme (ECP) is funded by my Department. It commenced in 2022, initially providing funding for 14 projects. At present, there are 17 projects supported under the programme, with annual funding of €2.3 million. The areas selected for funding under the ECP are ones that are experiencing significant disadvantage, identified using the Pobal HP deprivation...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 128 together. My Department has developed a range of funding schemes and interventions which support community groups across the country. These include: LEADER the Community Centre Investment Fund the Community Recognition Fund the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme the Local Enhancement Programme the Community Services Programme...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106, 126 and 425 together. The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities under the scheme. In April 2024, €40 million in funding was...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Departmental Funding (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 123 together. Storm Éowyn was an unprecedented event which brought many challenges to communities, and in particular rural communities. The important of good community facilities and infrastructure was very clear in the aftermath of the storm, and the value of the investment made in recent years was fully evident. The budget allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Urban Development (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: Launched in 2022, the Town Centre First (TCF) Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. TCF supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland by setting out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable places to live, work,...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Men's Sheds (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department provides a range of supports which are available to both Men's Sheds and Women’s Sheds. Under the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) 2025, Men's and Women’s Sheds were eligible to apply directly to their Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) for funding under both capital and current funding streams. Funding of €7m was available under this programme...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: My Department is responsible for a range of initiatives aimed at revitalising communities in both rural and urban areas. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme. This is a national programme that is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies to help those in the greatest need....

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Community Development Projects (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: I propose to take Questions Nos. 112, 117 and 131 together. The Community Recognition Fund (CRF) was introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. To date €100 million has been allocated to support cities, towns and villages. It is a matter for each local authority to identify the most appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Rural and Community Development: Rural Schemes (27 Mar 2025)

Dara Calleary: The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation over a defined period. The Programme for Government makes a commitment to carry out a comprehensive review of the eligibility criteria of CLÁR within 6 months with a view to expanding...