Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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315. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she proposes to liaise with the community sector throughout the country, with a view to identifying and addressing issues as they arise at an early date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9438/23]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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In 2019, my Department launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, the Strategy to support the community and voluntary sector. The Strategy seeks to create a vibrant and active civil society, developing opportunities for all communities to contribute, engage and participate in decision-making and policy implementation.

As part of the implementation, in November 2022 my Department held the first Civic Forum.  The Forum, attended by over 100 representatives from national and local government as well as a wide representation from across the community and voluntary sectors, provides a space for formal engagement between the sector and state. 

My Department also has overall responsibility for the funding, governance oversight and development of Public Participation Networks (PPNs). The focus of the PPN is to empower and assist volunteer-led community groups to participate in local authority policymaking and decision-making. PPNs are also called upon on occasion to bring the perspective of the local community sector to national policy matters. A PPN has been established in each of the 31 local authority areas, and over 18,000 groups nationwide are currently members of a PPN. This means that my Department’s engagement with PPNs give it a deep reach into the local community sector.

DRCD also provides funding to the members of the Community and Voluntary Pillar to engage in dialogue and policy formation. The Pillar is a seventeen member group representing community and voluntary organisations which contribute to the social dialogue process. The Pillar plays an active role in contributing to my Department’s policy formation, meeting with my officials twice a year, with individual members also contributing separately as part of wider Departmental policy engagement.

These initiatives ensure robust structures and open dialogue, facilitating early identification of emerging issues and collaborative means to addressing challenges. 

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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316. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she continues to interact with urban and rural communities, with a view to continuing to identify priorities in a timely manner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9439/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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321. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she and her Department continue to monitor the needs of rural and urban communities, with a view to ensuring an appropriate and timely response as issues arise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9444/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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322. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she and her Department have identified a rapid response mechanism in respect of issues that tend to impact on communities, urban and rural; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9445/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 316, 321 and 322 together.

My Department continues to liaise with stakeholders in communities around the county including the Local Authorities, Local Community Development Committees, Public Participation Networks and the Local Development Companies to ensure that supports provided are timely and appropriate to the needs of those communities.

While the schemes administered by my Department have a consistent, ongoing focus, they are regularly adapted and supplemented in response to emerging needs identified through the aforementioned stakeholder engagement. Such examples are the Community Call Initiative, the Covid-19 Stability Scheme, the Accelerated Town and Village Renewal Scheme , the Community and Voluntary Energy Support Scheme and the recently announced Community Recognition Fund.

My Department will continue to monitor issues that arise in communities and tailor our approach to the emerging issues.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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318. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the degree to which she has directly or indirectly assisted rural community groups throughout County Kildare in the past twelve months; her intentions in this regard in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9441/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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320. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of projects assisted by her Department in County Kildare and throughout the country in the past twelve months; her intentions in this regard in the next twelve months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9443/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 318 and 320 together.

A vital part of my Department's mission is to support the creation of vibrant and sustainable communities across this country. In the 2022 Further Revised Estimates, my Department was allocated €388.7 million. This funding ensures that we are in a position to further assist communities in Kildare and throughout the country seeking funding and other supports for important local activities and projects.

The Programme for Government places a strong emphasis on balanced regional development through a range of measures. My Department supports this commitment through targeted investment that supports rural regeneration, facilitates new working opportunities and fosters regional enterprise growth.

We will continue to invest in, and support, communities in Kildare and across the country through our wide range of schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, LEADER Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, Local Improvement Scheme, CLÁR Programme, Islands Capital Programme, Community Enhancement Programme, Connected Hubs initiative, Libraries Investment Capital funding, PEACE IV Programme and the PEACE PLUS Programme.

My Department also provides strategic interventions, funding programmes and supports which target and address issues of social and or economic deprivation in rural and urban communities throughout the country.

In 2022, over €11.55 million of funding was allocated to County Kildare.

I am confident that the funding supports and policies provided by my Department will continue to deliver tangible benefits for both urban and rural communities, supporting economic development, and enabling the local and community development sectors to continue to provide valuable much needed services and supports to all communities throughout the country.