Written answers

Tuesday, 2 April 2019

Department of Rural and Community Development

Community Services Programme

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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492. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the review of the community services programme. [14781/19]

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Community Services Programme (CSP) supports around 400 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.

My Department recently commenced a review of the CSP.  The review was considered opportune as the programme hadn't been formally reviewed since its launch in 2006, during which time the external environment had changed significantly.

The review will consider how the CSP fits with overall Government priorities as well as with my Department’s other community programmes and policy objectives.  It will inform decisions on the future shape and structure of the programme.  To this end, it will examine inter alia options for restructuring the scheme and expanding the range of eligible activities, as well as the types and levels of funding for supported organisations. 

The review is being carried out by an independent reviewer who was appointed earlier this month.  It will take six months and should be completed in early Autumn 2019.

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