Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

164. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when applications for the Community Environment Action Fund will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34510/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The most recent call for applications under the Community Environment Action Fund (CEAF) was made in 2019 as an important support to communities to enable and support local climate action. As a consequence of Covid-19, the completion deadline for all projects funded under that scheme were extended a number of times, most recently to the end of 2021, at the request of the Local Authorities. In addition to the CEAF, I launched the Community Climate Action Programme (CCAP) in November, 2021 supported by a fund of €60 million from the Climate Action Fund. This Programme is set to run over 3 years. €48 million of this is being provided to Local Authorities to develop partnership projects with local communities to help them build their low carbon communities, with €12 million being allocated to creative projects, climate education, capacity building and learning by doing.

The CEAF will be reviewed in 2022 as part of the broader supports to communities in the delivery of climate action.