Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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561. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the case of an association (details supplied) in County Kerry will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13917/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Community Services Programme supports community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. Around 425 organisations are supported under the CSP, with funding provided as a contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions.

The organisation in question submitted a business plan to Pobal in 2017 as part of the normal CSP re-contracting process. The business plan failed to satisfy key CSP appraisal criteria. In particular, there were concerns regarding the organisation's continued financial sustainability. The CSP contribution is based on a 39-hour working week and is a fixed annual contribution that is required to be co-funded by supported organisations from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services. The organisation has very low levels of traded income and, despite the CSP funding available to support each post, could not show it was capable of sustaining the number of posts sought.

The business plan also failed to show sufficient need for the service, that it was a sufficiently strong strategic fit under the CSP or that it represented good value-for-money.

It was decided to continue funding the organisation under CSP Strand 1 with funding reduced to a more sustainable level for the organisation i.e. two full-time equivalent posts. The organisation appealed the decision but, following a full review by Pobal, the original decision was upheld.

The formal CSP appeals process is now exhausted. The new funding arrangements, providing support for two full-time equivalent posts under Strand 1, will commence from July 2018.