Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1856. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development when the Community Recognition Fund 2023 will be allocated to the successful groups. [18181/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In January I launched the Community Recognition Fund which aims to support the development of community infrastructure and facilities in recognition of the contribution being made by communities across the country in welcoming and hosting significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries.

The funding is specifically targeted at projects that are located in communities, towns and villages that are hosting the beneficiaries of Temporary Protection and/or International Protection applicants. The Fund aims to support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of the community. It is separate in its objectives and scope to any other public funding streams which aim to support the development of public service needs arising from the significant number of arrivals from Ukraine.

The Fund is being administered at a local level by the relevant local authority. A funding proposal, comprising projects selected and prioritised locally, has been submitted to my Department by each local authority for final approval.

Proposals were required to be developed locally following direct engagement with impacted communities and consultation with the Municipal Districts, Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and the local Community Response Fora.

In most local authority areas, the level of funding sought far exceeded the available budget and each local authority had to prioritise projects based on need and gaps in local infrastructure. Proposals are now being assessed and I expect to announce successful projects in the coming weeks.