Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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484. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department has ringfenced funding for community centres and voluntary organisations to apply for, to help meet the heightened costs of running their premises; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50969/22]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and the charities sector in meeting the high cost of energy currently and is committed to supporting the sector in meeting these costs.

Not-for-profit and voluntary organisations in the Community and Voluntary sector are woven into the fabric of community life across Ireland, but they are vulnerable to the impact of increased energy costs.

The recent budget made €10m available in 2022 put in place a support scheme for community and voluntary organisations and the charities sector. The framework for delivering this assistance will be developed by my department within the next few weeks to ensure access to support in a timely manner.

My department will continue to work with relevant stakeholders, including the community and voluntary sector, charities, local authorities and local development companies, to support community organisations across the country as they deal with the ongoing and emerging challenges. I would encourage all groups to engage with Gov.ie, their Local Authority and Local Development Company so that they are aware of funding opportunities as they become available.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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485. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the grant assistance that may be available for the refurbishment of a community centre in a Clár area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50975/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a number of funding streams to assist groups in both rural and urban areas for the refurbishment of community centres.

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

The closing date for applications under CCIF was the 14th of July and the assessment and appraisal process is currently underway and details of successful projects will be made available over the coming weeks.

I secured €20 million in funding in Budget 2023 for a targeted scheme for new build community centres as well as upgrades and improvements to existing centres. The details of this scheme are currently being developed by officials within my Department.

Separately, the Community Enhancement Programme (CEP), provides funding to community groups and organisations across Ireland, with a focus on areas of disadvantage. 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 and is now closed.

The 2022 CEP will run later this year, however, details of the fund and the allocations available are currently being developed by officials within my Department and further details will be announced in due course.

In addition, the CLÁR Programme provides funding for small-scale projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. Since the programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures. While the 2022 programme is now closed for applications, capital works at community centres were funded under Measure 1, which supports community facilities and amenities. Information on the successful projects can be found on my Department's website.