Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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128. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will report on her plans to increase community arts space across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32460/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Community Centres Investment Fund is a new capital fund of €15 million which will provide funding for the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres in both urban and rural areas.

The fund closed to applications on the 14th July, 2022 and costs associated with improving the arts space in Community Centres are eligible under the fund. Details of successful applicants will be available on the Department’s website www.gov.ie/drcd. Many applications under the fund are seeking improvements/renovations to spaces where arts related activities are taking place around the country.

Separately, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme was launched in 2016 and aims to assist with the rejuvenation of rural towns and villages throughout Ireland, making them more attractive places to live, work, and visit. In line with the commitment in Our Rural Future, the 2022 Town & Village Renewal Scheme prioritises projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites in our town centres back into use as multi-purpose spaces. Multi-purpose spaces include such uses as enterprise spaces, arts, and other community uses.

The 2022 scheme closing date for applications was 22^ndJuly 2022. Applications are currently being assessed as part of a competitive process and I expect to be in a position to announce successful projects later this year.

Funding may also be available through the LEADER Programme for the type of project the deputy refers to. LEADER is a multi-annual programme covering the period 2014-20202 which is delivered through 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) around the country.

Support under the LEADER programme is provided under a broad range of themes. In order for a project to be eligible for LEADER funding, it must be compatible with the actions outlined in the approved Local Development Strategy for the relevant LEADER area, and it must comply with the Operating Rules and EU Regulations in place for the programme.

Prospective applicants should, in the first instance, contact their relevant LAG, through its Implementing Partner, to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available. The list of all Local Action Groups, their Implementing Partners and their contact details, is available on the Gov.ie website at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/c45498-local-action-groups.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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129. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide community organisations with funding for the cost of compliance and streamline regulatory and funding-related compliance requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45135/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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In 2019, my Department published Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities - A five year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland2019-2024. The strategy reaffirms the Government’s commitment to supporting the sector and addressing some of the burdens faced by service providers, whilst also recognising the reality of finite resources and the need to ensure that available resources are focused on providing effective services.

The strategy commits,inter alia, to developing appropriate compliance and monitoring arrangements and to supporting capacity in the community development, local development and the broader community and voluntary sector to meet them. Actions include:

- reviewing the appropriateness of regulatory compliance requirements;

- developing and implementing a strategy to reduce, streamline and standardise all public-funded programme and regulatory monitoring, reporting and compliance requirements, where appropriate, and

- resourcing and supporting organisations to fulfil compliance requirements.

The implementation of the strategy is being overseen by the Cross-Sectoral Group on Local and Community Development. A key role for this group is to support my Department in the prioritisation of objectives and actions to be progressed within the framework of annual workplans.

I acknowledge the concerns of the sector in relation to this issue and I am committed to working with all stakeholders to address the challenges involved.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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130. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department is reviewing ways to mitigate the impacts on local communities and the schemes that are supported by Leader in view of the fact that the Leader allocations vary from year to year; the steps that her Department is taking to give Irish local development network members stability in planning ahead financially; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44955/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The LEADER programme is a key intervention implemented by my Department, which will help to underpin the Government's rural development goals as outlined in Our Rural Future.

Funding is provided for the duration of the LEADER programme rather than on an annual basis to allow more flexibility to the Local Action Groups (LAGs) to manage the programme in their areas of operation.

€250m has been made available for LEADER for the period 2021 to 2027. This is comprised of €70 million for the transitional period 2021 to 2022 which came into effect on 1 April 2021 and an additional €180 million from 2023 to 2027. Up to 25% of this funding is available for the administration and animation costs of the LAGs delivering the programme.

In addition to this core funding, additional administration Exchequer funding has been put in place for LEADER Groups who have exhausted all such existing funding in 2022. I have also recently confirmed that this funding will be made available again in 2023, in cases where it is required by LEADER Groups.

This level of funding is evidence of the Government’s continued support for the LEADER programme and gives certainty to the LAGs, including members of the Irish Local Development Network, regarding their funding until the new programme is operational .

The process to select the Local Action Groups to implement the new programme which will be open, transparent and competitive will be conducted over two stages. I hope to confirm full details of this process shortly.

The first stage will be an Expression of Interest by eligible groups followed by a more detailed stage which will see them develop their LEADER strategies. All groups that are successful in Stage 1 will be provided with funding to assist with the costs associated with developing a Local Development Strategy in Stage 2 of the process. A fund of €2 million has been ring-fenced for this purpose.

I am confident that the level of funding allocated for the 2021-2027 programming period is sufficient to meet the demand for grant funding from rural communities and businesses to continue the effective operation of the LEADER programme.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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131. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she has considered the constraints on building community infrastructure and community involvement in the new rapidly developing areas on the fringe of cities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45043/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I am acutely aware of the challenges which community groups and community centres are facing throughout Ireland. All matters in relation to planning are, of course, dealt with by the relevant Local Authority and An Bord Pleanála.

However, the Department provides a number of funding streams to assist groups in both rural and urban areas with some of the cost challenges they face.

The Community Enhancement Programme (CEP), which has been run on annual basis over the past number of years, provides funding to community groups and organisations across Ireland, with a focus on areas of disadvantage. Funding is provided to each Local Authority area, and the programme is administered by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDC) on the basis of local need. The 2021 CEP was launched in May with an allocation of €4.5m. It's is envisaged that the CEP will run again later in 2022, however, details of the fund and the allocations available have not yet been confirmed.

In 2021 the Community Activities Fund (CAF) provided funding of €9M to community groups to help with their running costs such as utility or insurance bills, as well as with improvements to their facilities. Groups also used the funding to carry out necessary repairs and to purchase equipment within their community, such as tables and chairs, tools and signage, laptops and printers, lawnmowers, canopies and training equipment. This once-off fund was administered locally by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs).

Earlier this year the new Communities Centres Investment Fund (CCIF) was announced with funding of €15M available to communities in both urban and rural areas for the upgrade and refurbishment of existing community centres.

Examples of the projects this fund will support include:

- Energy retrofitting projects that reduce an organisation's carbon footprint;

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

- Works to improve disability access;

- Works to improve communal facilities such as kitchen and toilet facilities, and

- Essential maintenance

The closing date for applications under CCIF was the 14th of July and the assessment and appraisal process is currently underway, it is expected that details of successful projects will be made available in Q4.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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132. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development when a decision will be made on the applications for the community centre grants. [45188/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Community Centres Investment Fund application closing date was Thursday 14th July 2022, and the appraisal process is currently ongoing. All applications will be subject to a competitive assessment process based on the assessment criteria as set out in the fund guidelines.

Due to the high level of applications to the fund, it is expected to be quarter 4 of 2022 when applicants are notified of the outcome of the application and appraisal process.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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133. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the recently launched Towns First Policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44713/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Town Centre First (TCF) Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. The policy is an important deliverable under Our Rural Future, the Government's Rural Development Policy for the period to 2025.

A key step in delivering the TCF Policy is the establishment of the National Implementation Office to ensure the delivery and implementation of the policy, and to co-ordinate stakeholder engagement at a national level. The office is responsible for supporting Town Regeneration Officers (TRO) in driving implementation of the policy and will also produce an Annual Implementation Plan that monitors progress and delivery.

My Department has agreed the structure and funding for the National Office and the TROs with local authorities and a National TCF Coordinator has been appointed to head up the National Implementation Office. The National Coordinator is currently in the process of staffing this office.

Similarly, local authorities have also begun appointing TROs who will drive the development of TCF Plans at local level across the country. The first of these officers have already taken up their roles, and it is expected that all TROs will be in place in the coming months.

The policy is also underpinned by significant levels of public investment spread across major Government schemes, such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, the Croí Conaithe (Towns) Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

For example, earlier this year I announced funding of €18.5m under the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme and I have also recently launched the 2022 Scheme, including a new Building Acquisition Measure. This measure provided up to €400,000 to each local authority to purchase vacant and derelict buildings in rural towns and villages for development as community assets. In July, I approved funding of €7.5m under this Measure for 36 vacant and derelict buildings to be purchased by local authorities. This new measure will be a key support for towns in implementing the Town Centre First approach locally.

I am committed to ensuring that the continued roll out of the Town Centre First policy will work to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages as set out inOur Rural Future.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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134. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding arrangements that will be put in place for the Leader programme in 2023. [45154/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The LEADER Programme is one of the key interventions of Our Rural Future, the Government’s Policy for rural development.

I was delighted to welcome the recent announcement that the European Commission has confirmed their approval of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan for 2023-2027, which includes the LEADER programme. This approval is a key step in the delivery of the next LEADER programme. A number of further steps will now be completed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in advance of bringing the CAP Plan to Government for final approval in the coming weeks.

As part of the new Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan, the Government has committed significant funding of €180m to LEADER for 2023-2027. I can confirm that all of this funding will be allocated to the Local Action Groups.

Transitional funding of €70m was provided for the LEADER Programme by the Government for 2021 and 2022 to ensure that there was no gap in funding prior to the commencement of the 2023-2027 programme. To date, , all available project funding has not yet been allocated to projects or drawn down by LEADER Groups under the transitional programme. 80% of project funding has been committed by LEADER Groups and I am aware that they continue to develop projects ‘in the pipeline’ in order to fully utilise the available budget.

On top of this core funding, additional administration Exchequer funding has been put in place for LEADER Groups who have exhausted all such existing funding in 2022. I have confirmed that this funding will be made available again in 2023, in cases where it is required by LEADER Groups. It is not expected that all groups will require such funding in 2023.

In addition, a separate funding stream of €2 million will be made available to eligible groups to develop a local development strategy for the new LEADER programme. I will be announcing full details in relation to the selection process shortly.

I am confident that the LEADER allocations made available by the Government are sufficient to allow the LEADER programme to continue to deliver for rural communities in 2023.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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135. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress that she has made in delivering on the Government’s policy, Our Rural Future. [44982/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Our Rural Future was published in March 2021 and is the most ambitious rural development policy for Ireland in decades. It contains more than 150 measures for delivery across the whole of Government, for both short-term recovery and longer-term economic and social development and environmental and cultural wellbeing.

Updates on policy implementation are provided by a series of Progress Reports and Annual Work Programmes; the latter allows for revised priorities in light of emerging opportunities and challenges.

The First Progress Report, published in February last, provided updates on a total of 216 actions contained in the 2021 Work Programme, with a delivery rate of just under 80% of actions scheduled for completion last year.

It was followed by the 2022 Work Programme, which outlined work to be undertaken this year. It contains 318 new and continuing actions to be progressed across Government, including 23 actions proposed under 10 new policy measures, adding to those originally contained in Our Rural Future. This shows that Our Rural Future is a living document, with ambition evolving over time.

The Second Progress Report was published in August and contains updates on actions for delivery in the first half of 2022, with contributions from 22 departments or agencies. This Report recorded a strong 72% completion rate.

A Third Progress Report will capture further updates at the end of 2022, and all Reports and Work Programmes are available on my Department's website - .

I am delighted with these continued efforts, which seek to address the emerging challenges and opportunities facing rural communities. The high level of progress to date demonstrates this Government’s continued commitment to realising the ambitions of Our Rural Future.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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136. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will mainstream multi-annual funding and ensure adequate long-term funding levels are provided for community services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45133/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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My Department’s Community Services Programme (CSP), currently supports over 430 community organisations to provide employment opportunities and the delivery of a diverse range of local services, through a social enterprise model.

The CSP contribution is a fixed annual contribution towards the overall cost of the employees with funding of €19,033 currently provided for each full time equivalent (FTE) position and €32,000 for a manager, where warranted.

The CSP contribution must be co-funded by the organisation concerned from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.

Following an independent review of the CSP, the programme is currently being redesigned. As part of the restructuring process I have recently approved a new funding rate allocation model for the CSP programme based on three weighted criteria, as an alternative to the current flat rate payment model. This will provide a sustainable funding model for the CSP Programme, taking account of the earning potential of the funded organisations.

The revised funding rates to apply from January 2023 under the restructured programme have not yet been finalised. It is anticipated that all existing organisations will transition to the new programme in January 2023 following an application process which will open in the coming weeks.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the engagement that she has had with the stakeholders of the Gearagh, County Cork in relation to suitable outdoor tourism development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45072/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as trails, walkways, cycleways, blueways and bridleways in rural areas.

Since the formation of my Department in 2017, funding of over €4.6 million has been approved under the Scheme for Cork.

Earlier this year, I launched the 2022 Scheme with a budget of €15 million to support outdoor recreation projects nationwide. The Measures being funded under this year’s Scheme are:

- Measure 1: Small Scale Repair/Development/Promotion and Marketing (up to €30,000)

- Measure 2: Medium Scale Repair/Upgrade and New Trail/Amenity Development (up to €200,000)

- Measure 3: Strategic Large Scale Repair/Upgrade and New Strategic Trail/Amenity Development (up to €500,000)

- Project Development Measure: Development costs for Strategic large Scale Projects (up to €500,000)

The 2022 Scheme is now closed for applications. In August I announced the successful projects under Measure 1 and the Project Development Measure. I expect to announce the successful projects under the remaining Measures in the coming months.

I am not aware of any recent direct engagement between local stakeholders and my Department in relation to the Gearagh, County Cork. However, it should be noted that applications under ORIS are developed and submitted to my Department by local authorities and local development companies, and all applications are required to demonstrate a collaborative approach, working with the local community and stakeholders.