Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus leis na Seanadóirí. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Chathaoirleach, leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach agus leis na Seanadóirí nua atá tofa. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach, the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the new Senators. Excuse me not knowing a lot of your names but I will get to know you all. I also welcome back all the returning Senators.

I thank Senator Daly for raising this important matter. Collectively, we saw the devastating impact Storm Éowyn had right across the country. We have worked tirelessly since to ensure the Government has taken on board the lessons learnt during those days and that comprehensive preparations are in place in anticipation of similar future weather events.

As Senator Daly said, the importance of community centres as a fulcrum for every community is crucial in good times and in bad. They are the glue that binds communities together. They provide vital social and economic services. We saw that at first hand in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Many community centres were repurposed as community emergency response hubs. I visited a number of these immediately after the storm, as did the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and other Ministers. We saw at first hand how invaluable they were as an outlet for people facing very difficult circumstances.I thank all the local volunteers and the staff across all our local authorities who were central to the effort in standing those hubs up. I was very proud that many of the facilities that were visited have been supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Social Protection under schemes such as the community centre investment fund, CLÁR, LEADER and the local enhancement programme. I am anxious to ensure these facilities are supported to ensure they continue to be relevant at all times for every community.

I have previously said the provision of generators to support communities during extreme weather events is an issue I feel strongly about. I am also of the view that we should be taking into account all the elements that any future emergency hub may require, be it power generation, digital connectivity or the provision of showering facilities, as well as food, catering, etc. I have asked my officials to take full stock of the lessons we have all learned in recent weeks and to do so in consultation with our key partners, such as the local authorities. Central to this is the suite of investment schemes being implemented by my Department. For example, the Senator will be aware that in recent years funding has been provided for a small number of generators for community groups through LEADER and CLÁR. There is no reason such support cannot continue to be made available.

One of the main advantages of the range of schemes run by our Department is flexibility. I have seen in recent years that these schemes can be been adapted to react to and anticipate emerging challenges and priorities. I have asked officials to review schemes that are due to be launched over the coming weeks and months to ensure they are fully focused on the real needs of communities, be that the provision of generators, the refurbishment of existing community facilities or the development of new projects that will help ensure we continue to support strong, resilient and vibrant communities across the country. In this regard, I intend to open schemes such as CLÁR and the town and village renewal scheme in the coming weeks. I will also be announcing further details of funding for projects under the community centre investment fund. This will build on the announcement earlier this week that saw €14 million in funding awarded to 163 community-focused projects under the community recognition fund.

We are working to ensure we continue to support resilient and healthy communities. We have clearly seen the strength of these communities in how they responded to the recent challenges and I am committed to ensuring we help them to be ready for every future challenge.