John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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711. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the grants available to senior-citizen community groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11487/23]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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My Department’s mission is to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. In delivering on its mission, my Department provides a wide range of strategic interventions, funding programmes and policies to support all cohorts living in our communities, including young people, older people, and people with disabilities.

The Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO) for example, plays a significant role in Government’s support to our national community and voluntary organisations. The SSNO provides multi-annual funding towards core costs of national organisations delivering services and supports, with a focus on one or more of the following: addressing poverty, social exclusion and promoting equality. Those organisations supported by the SSNO operate at the very heart of our communities, providing much needed supports for our most disadvantaged and vulnerable citizens, including our senior citizens. A number of the organisations in the SSNO have a specific focus on senior citizens, including Age Action, Irish Senior Citizens Parliament and Active Retirement Network. In addition, there are other organisations funded under the current SSNO programme, while not having a specific focus on senior citizens, provide related supports and advocacy.

Funding provided by my Department supports the Seniors Alert Scheme, which encourages community support for vulnerable older people in our communities through the provision of personal monitored alarms to enable them to live securely in their homes with confidence, independence and peace of mind. Funding is available under the scheme towards the purchase by a registered community-based organisation of a personal alarm or pendant.

The Community Support Fund, with funding of €10 million was launched on 18th November last. This is a new fund, under the Community Enhancement Programme, and is designed to assist community groups across the country, in light of the current rising energy costs.

The fund will deliver grants to help groups with rising energy and operational costs such as electricity bills and insurance costs. Groups can also use the funding to carry out small upgrade or refurbishment works and for the purchase of equipment which supports their activities such as laptops and printers, training equipment, tables, chairs etc.

The Community Support Fund is being administered locally by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) on behalf of my Department, with support from their Local Authority. Groups should contact their local LCDC for further details on the application process.

The Community and Voluntary Energy Support Scheme (CVESS), administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department, is providing once-off support to incorporated organisations and registered charities within the community and voluntary sector which fall outside the parameters of other energy support schemes being delivered by Government.

I am pleased to confirm that senior citizen groups, subject to satisfying meeting scheme criteria, may apply for support under CVESS. To date, three tranches of successful applicants have been announced, awarding over €705k to 552 organisations across the country. Payments have been issued directly into successful applicants' bank accounts, and a full list of recipients is available on Gov.ie. Applications remain open until 24th March and further announcements of successful applicants will follow.

This Scheme is part of a range of supports introduced through Budget ’23 and everyone is encouraged to visit gov.ie/reduceyouruse to find out how they can make energy savings, where safe and possible to do so.

My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 420 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. My Department and Pobal have been working on the restructuring of the CSP with the redesigned programme introduced from January 2023. An open call for applications has been announced yesterday (Monday 6th). Pre-application support workshops will be rolled out to ensure organisations are fully equipped with the information that they need to apply for this funding. Organisations that wish to be notified about the workshops should contact: csp@pobal.ie

All my Department’s policies are underpinned by extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including rural and urban stakeholder groups, community groups, older people, Government Departments and State Agencies.