Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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1967. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the supports which are available to charities to assist with rapidly rising energy and other costs in their premises; if she will commit to making available enhanced supports to charities to offset and absorb these costs in the context of any forthcoming Government package of supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21287/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I am aware of the challenges facing community groups in relation to utilities and insurance costs.  In November 2021 I launched the €9m Community Activities Fund to support community and voluntary groups impacted by COVID-19.

The fund will support community groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with their running costs such as utility (Electricity, Heating charges) or insurance bills.  Groups will also be able to use the funding to carry out necessary repairs and/or improvements to their facilities as well as the purchase of equipment such as tables and chairs, tools and signage, laptops and printers, lawnmowers, canopies and training equipment.  The fund is being administered locally by the Local Community Development Committees in each Local Authority area and closed for applications on the 28 March, 2022.

In addition, I also launched the Community Centres Investment Fund on the 15 April 2022. This is a new capital fund with a budget of €15m to support community groups with the upgrade and refurbishment of existing Community Centres. This is an investment in both rural and urban communities across the country.

The Community Centres Investment Fund will support community groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with the upgrade and development of their community centre facilities.

The fund will assist with projects such as:

- works to improve communal facilities such as kitchen and toilet facilities;

- energy retrofitting, new windows/doors/heating systems;

- upgrades to lighting systems and stage areas;

- works to address safety concerns, including as a result of fire safety audits;

- works to improve disability access;

- improvements to assist in providing additional or better services to the community such as meals for the elderly and youth facilities;

- works to develop community centres as social hubs through the development of community cinemas, youth hubs and community libraries; and

- essential maintenance works, repairs to roof, etc.

Funding will be available under three categories, with grants of between €10k and €300K available:

- Category 1: Small scale projects/improvements to facilities - €10,000 to €25,000.

- Category 2: Larger scale projects - €25,001 to €100,000.

- Category 3: Major projects - €100,001 to €300,000.

Guidelines and a sample application form are available on my Department’s website.

My colleague the Minister for Environment Climate and Communications provides funding for the Communities Energy Grant as part of the Government's National Retrofit Programme. The Scheme is managed by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and is aimed at upgrading building stock and facilities to high standards of energy efficiency and renewable energy usage, thereby reducing fossil fuel usage, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Communities Energy Grant supports cross-sectoral and community-oriented partnership approaches that deliver energy savings to a range of building types including public, commercial and community buildings as well as charitable organisations.

A budget of €43 million has been provided for the Community Energy Grant scheme in 2022. This represents a 43% increase on the 2021 funding allocation and is the largest ever budget for the Scheme.