Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 87 together.

My Department operates a range of programmes and schemes that support rural development, and urban and rural communities throughout the country. The targeted investment and supports which my Department provides to all communities contributes to rural regeneration, facilitates new working opportunities, and fosters regional enterprise growth.

Capital schemes including the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, LEADER, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Local Improvement Scheme, and the Community Centre Investment Fund are delivering projects throughout the country. Current funding supports such as the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme and the Community Services Programme are helping to tackle social exclusion and support thriving communities.

In addition to our long standing funding supports, over the course of 2022/2023, my Department has introduced a number of new schemes to meet the emerging needs of communities. These include the Community Centre Investment Fund, providing investment of €20 million in 2023 for new build multi-functional community centres. A further tranche of funding under the Community and Voluntary Energy Support Scheme (CVESS) was also provided during 2023 to assist the community and voluntary sector with payment of increased energy costs. I would also note that in 2023 my Department established the Community Recognition Fund, which approved projects worth €50 million to help support communities welcoming new arrivals.

The provisional outturn for my Department in 2023 was €417 million – and this demonstrates the scale of support and investment now available to communities right across the country.

Budget 2024 provides my Department with a gross allocation of €431 million. This funding will allow me to maintain the excellent supports in place, and to provide some targeted increases, for example increasing funding for LIS to €13 million and for CLÁR to €8.7 million. I am also providing €21 million to support the Community Centre Investment Fund in 2024.

This increased level of funding availability will further support investment in regional, rural and local communities, investment in our islands, as well as a wide range of initiatives promoting social inclusion.

Already this year I have announced investment of over €6.2 million in funding for schools, community and sports facilities nationwide under the 2023 CLÁR Programme. This funding will support the delivery of 152 high quality community and sports projects nationwide.

In addition, €4.5 million has been allocated under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme’s Building Acquisition Measure, to enable local authorities to purchase and re-develop 24 vacant and derelict buildings in rural towns and villages across Ireland. These buildings will be developed for a range of community purposes.

My Department prioritises timely, meaningful and open engagement with community groups, local government and other interested parties. This engagement process provides important insights into issues impacting on communities and assists my Department in identifying and responding to emerging needs. Accordingly, we maintain continuous contact with all stakeholders to ensure that the most relevant supports are administered to the maximum extent in our communities.

I would encourage anyone interested in my Department’s funding schemes to visit our website at gov.ie where details of future and current calls can be found.