Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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2041.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the estimated annual cost of restoring funding to the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme to its 2008 levels, in tabular form.[35064/24]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme, which aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality by supporting disadvantaged communities and individuals. This is a national programme that is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies (LDCs) to help those in the greatest need.

The current iteration of SICAP began on 1 January 2024 and will run until the end of 2028. My Department has committed over €47m in core funding in 2024 for SICAP.

The funding for SICAP is subject to the annual budgetary Estimates process. I acknowledge that funding for social inclusion measures were reduced after 2008. However, since then, a wide variety of additional social inclusion measures have been initiated and funded, with some recent examples being the Empowering Communities Programme, the Community Development Programme and the newly announced Community Connection Project.

The work of SICAP is of huge importance to communities across Ireland in tackling the issues they face, linking in directly with the agreed objectives of the Local Economic and Community Plans. I believe SICAP to be a hugely important programme and was delighted to secure a 10% increase for SICAP for 2022, the largest increase since the programme was launched. In 2023 I secured a further increase of €1.3m and for 2024 a further increase of €3m. This represents a total increase of €8.3 million in the programme increasing the annual funding to €47.4m. Separate to this increase in funding, I also secured additional funding of €5m through SICAP to support Ukrainian Nationals displaced by war in 2022 and this increased to €10m in 2023 and 2024 and included supports to all New Arrivals and International Protection Applicants.

In2008, the level of funding for SICAP was€84m. To return to this level of funding within the lifetime of the current iteration of SICAP, an increase of over €9m (€9,134,129.50) would be required each year from 2025 – 2028.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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2042.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the projects in County Tipperary that were funded under Local Enhancement Programme to date in 2024.[35083/24]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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Last December, I launched the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP), with capital funding of €6 million to assist community groups across the country. The LEP is targeted to the specific challenges facing local community groups and delivers immediate, tangible supports where they are needed most.

There was a particular focus on small capital works/improvements, and the purchase of equipment for community use. The funding may be used, but is not limited to; improved access for persons with a disability; enhancing community participation for disadvantaged and marginalised groups, and improving energy efficiency of community facilities to reduce ongoing costs.

Under the Local Enhancement Programme €1 million was ring-fenced to support Women's groups building on the €100,000 ring-fenced under the Community Support Fund the previous year.

The LEP is administered locally on behalf of my Department by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority. The relevant LCDC receive and appraise applications, making determinations on how the funding can best support their communities.

With regard to specific projects in Tipperary, I can confirm that Tipperary LCDC received an allocation of €178,045 under the Local Enhancement Programme 2024, with €35,609 ring-fenced for Women's Groups. 245 projects were awarded funding under the main LEP in Tipperary and 43 Women's Groups received funding.

The Local Enhancement Programme is now closed to applicants, and details of successful projects under both the main LEP and the Women's Groups ring-fenced funding have been published on my Department’s website www.gov.ie/drcd. This includes a full list of approved projects in Tipperary.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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2043.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the current annual capital and current funding in place for applications for new community centres, as well as for refurbishment and updating of existing community centres, in tabular form.[35089/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Last December, I launched the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP), with capital funding of €6 million to assist community groups across the country. The LEP is targeted to the specific challenges facing local community groups and delivers immediate, tangible supports where they are needed most.

There was a particular focus on small capital works/improvements, and the purchase of equipment for community use. The funding may be used, but is not limited to; improved access for persons with a disability; enhancing community participation for disadvantaged and marginalised groups, and improving energy efficiency of community facilities to reduce ongoing costs.

Under the Local Enhancement Programme €1 million was ring-fenced to support Women's groups building on the €100,000 ring-fenced under the Community Support Fund the previous year.

The LEP is administered locally on behalf of my Department by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority. The relevant LCDC receive and appraise applications, making determinations on how the funding can best support their communities.

With regard to specific projects in Tipperary, I can confirm that Tipperary LCDC received an allocation of €178,045 under the Local Enhancement Programme 2024, with €35,609 ring-fenced for Women's Groups. 245 projects were awarded funding under the main LEP in Tipperary and 43 Women's Groups received funding.

The Local Enhancement Programme is now closed to applicants, and details of successful projects under both the main LEP and the Women's Groups ring-fenced funding have been published on my Department’s website www.gov.ie/drcd. This includes a full list of approved projects in Tipperary.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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2044.To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the current annual funding to the community services programme and to clarify if community development projects and social enterprises can apply for funding under the programme, in tabular form.[35090/24]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community-based organisations, with a budget of €52.4m in 2024, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager.

The Community Services Programme addresses the issue of equality through the promotion of social enterprise as an approach to alleviating disadvantage, addressing local needs and creating sustainable jobs for those most distant from the labour market and from specific target groups. Eligible organisations under the programme must have a registered office based in the Republic of Ireland, be a community and voluntary sector organisation i.e. operating on a “not-for-profit” basis for the benefit of the community they serve, be incorporated e.g. be a company limited by guarantee or co-operative which is registered with the Companies Registration Office and the Registrar of Friendly Societies (for co-operatives), have a governing body such as a board or committee and a governing document that has been formally adopted by the organisation and be tax compliant i.e. be registered with Revenue and obtained a tax clearance certificate. I can confirm that community development projects and social enterprises can apply for funding under this programme, provided they meet these requirements.

Funding of €1m was made available for a Call for Proposals in respect of specific CSP services which issued in March 2023, which resulted in the approval of 14 organisations to enter the CSP programme on 13th December last. Some other applications that were not approved to enter the programme arising from this call may be considered at a later date, subject to the availability of funding.

While no further calls for proposals are anticipated at this time, my Department can hold contact details on file should the programme open for new applicants in the near future. Contact details for a nominated person can be provided to the email address, csp@drcd.gov.ie. It should be noted that any additional new entrants will be considered in light of available budgets.