Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In May 2023, together with Government colleagues, I announced details of €50 million in funding for some 900 projects under the Community Recognition Fund. It supports towns and villages nationwide that have shown such generosity in welcoming people from Ukraine and other countries.

The fund aims to support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of the community. Projects approved under this funding include enhancement works to community and sports facilities, and improvements to recreational amenities such as the provision of lighting and outdoor gym equipment. Support has also been provided to address transport needs in communities.

The Fund has been allocated across all local authorities based on the number of new arrivals located there. It follows an extensive consultation process by local authorities who submitted their individual list of projects for approval. The full €50 million was allocated in a single tranche with the aim of having all projects completed by the end of this year.

I have recently been discussing the implementation of the Community Recognition Fund with Government colleagues, including the potential to introduce a second iteration of the scheme to further assist impacted communities. I hope to make an announcement in this regard shortly.