Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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104. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if consideration will be given to providing additional supports for community centres in Budget 2023, particularly in view of soaring energy costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45045/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Firstly, I want to acknowledge the importance of community centres, they are the cornerstone of community life in many places around the country. While community centres and facilities are funded under a number of national and local Government funding streams – there was no dedicated standalone funding stream until I launched the new Community Centres Investment Fund earlier this year. This is a capital fund of €15 million which will provide funding for the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres in both urban and rural areas.

Separately, my Department has a number of schemes that are relevant to community centres such as the Community Enhancement Programme. The programme in 2021 provided €4.5 milion funding for small capital grants for the improvement of facilities.

The Community Activities Fund supported community and voluntary groups impacted by COVID-19. This Fund helped community groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with their running costs such as utility or insurance bills, as well as with improvements to their facilities.

In addition, depending on the project being completed, funding may be available through the Leader Transitional programme. The programme is delivered through Local Action Groups (LAGs) in each of the 28 LEADER sub-regional areas around the country. Interested applicants should make contact with the relevant LAG to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available.

While the exact allocations for programmes will be decided as part of the annual budgetary process, I hope to secure continued funding for all of the Department's schemes which support communities, building on the strong performance of these schemes in recent years.