Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
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26. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will report on the outcomes of the pilot bike and e-bike upcycling initiative; her plans to bring additional organisations into the initiative; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9229/23]

Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
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56. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the proactive steps her Department is taking to work with the Department of Transport to explore and realise the potential of e-bikes for rural communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9230/23]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 56 together.

On 28 April 2021, my department, in collaboration with the Department of Transport, announced the introduction of a three-year pilot initiative to develop a scheme for the provision of high quality up-cycled bicycles and e-bikes as an alternative to the Cycle to Work Scheme model, for those on low incomes and/or those who are most marginalised and disadvantaged.

A call for applications was launched in May 2021, with funding of €1 million per annum (€3m in total) being provided by the Department of Transport for this initiative, with the funding being made available through my department's Community Services Programme.

Organisations eligible to apply under the pilot were those supported under CSP or alternatively in a Partnership/Consortium of which at least one member was an existing CSP supported organisation.

Out of the fourteen applications received under the pilot initiative, five applications met the qualifying threshold under the eligibility and award criteria. The five applicants approved for support under this pilot initiative are:

- The Rediscovery Centre & Rothar Velo in Dublin 9.

- Frontline Bikes/ Frontline Make Change in Dublin 8.

- Treo Port Lairge CLG (aka Renew Enterprises) in Waterford.

- The Life Cycle Consortium in Galway – Westside Resource Centre and An Mheitheal Rothar.

- Sign & Cycle in Cork – Cork Community Cycles & Deaf Enterprises

Four of the applicants are in contract since 22nd July 2021 with the final contract issued on 1st October 2022. Both departments have recently approved some budgetary amendments with funding of €1,089,504.14 issued to the applicants up to end December 2022.

There were 17 CSP-supported employees reported across the 5 organisations with outputs outlined below:

- 433 Bicycles Upcycled - 49 of these have been redirected to relevant end users (those on low incomes, disadvantaged individuals/communities, and those in direct provision or similar).

- A total of 4 individuals have been certified as qualified bike mechanics/trainers through the programme.

- A total of 10 Training modules have been delivered.

- 6 public bike mechanic / maintenance courses were delivered.

- 1 Individual has been offered employment in other organisations following training.

Should additional funding be made available for this purpose by the Department of Transport, consideration will be given to extending this initiative. However, any further iteration or extension of the scheme will be dependent on the outcomes- of an interim evaluation of the five approved projects which will be carried out in 2023. My department continues to liaise with the Department of Transport on this matter.