Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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140. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if consideration will be given to increasing the level of funding for staff wages on the community services programme due to the ever-increasing cost of living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45046/22]

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 not aligned to the minimum wage and does not meet the full salary cost of supported posts, rather it is a fixed annual contribution towards the salary costs of employees in supported organisations, with funding of €19,033 currently provided for each full time equivalent (FTE) position and €32,000 towards a manager's salary, 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. It is anticipated that all existing organisations will transition to the new programme in January 2023 following an application process which will take place later this year.

As part of the restructuring process, it is proposed to introduce a new funding rate allocation model for the CSP programme, as an alternative to the current flat rate payment model. The revised funding rates for the restructured programme have not yet been finalised and will be subject to the budget available to the programme in 2023.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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142. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the increase in funding that she will provide for services and supports for community and voluntary organisations to enable them to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45132/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Government's five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector, Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, was published in 2019. This is a whole of government strategy led out by my Department, which is implemented collaboratively with the sector through the Cross Sector Group on Local and Community Development.

This Strategy is important in seeking to strengthen the community development, local development and community and voluntary sectors generally. It reaffirms the Government’s commitment to supporting the sector, whilst also recognising the reality of finite resources and the need to ensure that available resources are focused on providing effective services.

The strategy sets out a long-term vision for the sector and implementation will require an incremental building of supports over the strategy period and beyond.

Significant work is already underway, with the launch of the National Volunteering Strategy in December 2020, the introduction of a pilot Community Development Programme and the agreement of a set of Values and Principles for Collaboration and Partnership Working with the Community & Voluntary Sector, to name just a few.

Another key action in the strategy is the establishment of a Civic Forum for formal dialogue between the sector and local and central government. My Department is working on the design of this Forum, which will take place later this year. The Forum will be developed in collaboration with the community and voluntary stakeholders and its work will be underpinned by the recently agreed values and principles.

My Department’s Community Services Programme, or 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 not aligned to the minimum wage and does not meet the full salary cost of supported posts, rather it 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 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.

My Department is one of many Departments and public agencies that provide funding which supports the employment of staff within the community and voluntary sector.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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143. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development her views on increasing the annual funding for the Leader programme. [44967/22]

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 period rather than on an annual basis to allow more flexibility to the Local Action Groups to manage the programme budget 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. This level of funding is evidence of the Government’s continued support for the LEADER programme.

It is important to recognise that LEADER is a multi-annual programme and that payments in respect of projects which are approved in any given year are generally not drawn down until subsequent years, as projects are completed and payment claims are submitted. Therefore, costs related to projects approved and completed are met from the provision in my Department’s Vote on an annual basis.

I have also previously provided additional Exchequer funding for LEADER Groups administration in 2022 where they have exhausted their original funding, and I have recently confirmed that this funding will be made available again in 2023 as required.

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 and to continue the effective operation of the LEADER programme.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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144. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the streetscape enhancement initiative. [44619/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Last year I introduced the Streetscape Enhancement Measure, which is a measure as part of the wider Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The measure is administered on behalf of my Department by the local authorities. It is targeted at towns or villages with populations of up to 15,000 people.

The improvement of the visual appearance of our streetscapes, increases pride and confidence in our towns and villages, making them more attractive places to live, work and do business.

The Streetscape Enhancement Measure provides support for project proposal for one town or village per eligible local authority which may include activity such as painting (including murals), signage replacement, shopfront improvement, lighting, and canopies.

I allocated €2.6 million this year under the Measure and on the 30^thAugust I announced the successful nominated towns for 2022. Local authorities must now finalise the project proposals in these towns. In order to allow sufficient time for local authorities to engage with stakeholders and prepare the proposals the deadline for submission is Friday, 7th October 2022 . Local authorities have until 30th September 2023 to complete the approved works.