Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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593. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development when a decision on an application by a centre (details supplied) for a new community services programme will be decided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5743/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Community Services Programme (CSP) supports around 420 community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model, with funding provided as a contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions. More than €46 million is available to support community organisations under the programme in 2019.

While my Department continues to accept Expression of Interests(EOI) under the programme, funding for new organisations is considered in light of available budgets during the course of the year. The EOI appraisal process seeks to differentiate between organisations that may be eligible under the CSP and those that are not, without putting them through a full business planning and application process at the outset.

The organisation in question submitted an EOI in December 2018. This EOI was appraised in January and the organisation has been approved to progress to the next stage of the application process.Pobal will work with the organisation over the coming months to prepare it for the Business Planning stage. Subject to successful completion of this stage, the organisation will be invited to submit a business plan and a formal application for funding later in the year.