Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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99. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when Climate Action Fund for Community Climate Action projects will be announced for County Mayo (details supplied). [32525/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Climate Action Fund Community Climate Action Programme (CCAP) was launched in November of last year. Under this programme €60 million from the Climate Action Fund will be invested in community climate action projects and initiatives, as well as capacity building, over the next three years. The overall aim of this programme is to support and empower communities to shape and build low carbon, sustainable communities in a coherent way to contribute to national climate and energy targets. CCAP Phase 1 involves the allocation of an initial €30 million over an 18-month period for two strands of the programme. Under strand 1, €24 million is being provided to all local authorities to support communities to build low carbon communities in a considered and structured way. This strand is currently being finalised with the local authorities and further information will be available on the websites of the local authorities and my Department shortly.

Under strand 2 of the CCAP, a total of €6 million is being provided to build community capacity in relation to climate action. €1 million of this has been allocated to the Creative Climate Action Programme being run by Creative Ireland. The remaining €5 million has been allocated for an open call for projects and initiatives that facilitate community climate action through education, capacity building and learning by doing, which is being run by Pobal on behalf of the Department. A total of 72 applications were received and have been assessed. My Department is currently finalising the Ministerial submission requesting approval to fund a selection of projects. I expect that the successful projects will be announced shortly.