Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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262. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the cumulative funding provided in each Dublin local authority area since 2020 to date in 2024 under the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, in tabular form. [39423/24]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is Ireland’s primary social inclusion intervention with an allocation of €47.4 million in 2024. SICAP funding allocations are made based on levels of relative affluence and deprivation in communities, ensuring the programme is targeting disadvantage fairly, to help those individuals in greatest need of the support.

The programme is managed at a local level by 33 Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), with support from local authorities, and actions are delivered by 47 Local Development Companies across 53 Lot areas.

In 2022, an additional €5 million funding was allocated through SICAP, to support the Local Development Companies in the community response to support people arriving from Ukraine. An additional €10 million was also provided under SICAP in 2023 and in excess of €11m has been allocated in 2024 to allow Local Development Companies to continue their work to support New Arrivals and International Protection Applicants.

As requested, please see attached a breakdown of SICAP allocations for 2020 to 2004, including New Arrivals funding from 2022, for each Dublin Local Authority area.

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Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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263. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the cumulative funding provided in each Dublin local authority area since 2020 to date in 2024 under the Community Services Programme, in tabular form. [39424/24]

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, to provide local services through a social enterprise model, with an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager.

In 2020, my Department developed an €8.95m CSP Support Fund to help organisations, which required additional assistance up to December 2021, as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

Following an independent review of the programme, the CSP was restructured and a needs-based, differentiated funding allocation model was introduced for the CSP from January 2023, as an alternative to the previous flat rate payment model. This new model was designed to support those organisations most in need, providing a higher rate of funding to supported organisations that are identified as operating in areas of high disadvantage, employing individuals from the prescribed programme target groups and with evidence of limited earning potential.

In March 2023, funding of €1m was made available for a Call for Proposals in respect of specific CSP services, which resulted in 14 additional organisations being approved entry to the CSP on 13^th December last, supporting thirteen manager positions and twenty three full time equivalent positions. There is a further number of organisations in the pipeline for support, however, this is subject to available resources.

An application window for funding for additional staff posts to existing CSP funded organisations was opened on September 1st with a closing date of 29th September 2023. The successful applications were announced on 18th June 2024, approving €1 million in funding to support a further seven manager positions and thirty five FTE positions in thirty two CSP supported organisations.

Following the announcement of an increase of €1.40 to the minimum wage as part of Budget 2024 and the potential impact it would have on CSP organisations, I responded accordingly. On 13^th December last, I announced that the CSP contributions would increase for organisations at the higher level and at the medium level for both FTEs and for managers. The allocations below are reflective of funding provided, which reflects these measures.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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264. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the cumulative funding provided in each Dublin local authority area since 2020 to date in 2024 under the Community Centres Investment Fund; and the total number of community centres funded in each county, in tabular form. [39425/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I introduced the Community Centre Investment Fund in 2022. Under the 2022 scheme, over €45.8 million was committed for improvement and refurbishment works on 861 existing community centres across Ireland in 2022. I approved funding of €30 million earlier this year for the construction of 12 new community centres across nine counties under CCIF 2023,.

In June this year, I was delighted to announce a new round of the CCIF which will provide funding of between €10,000 and €100,000 towards capital costs for the refurbishment of existing community centres. The 2024 scheme closed for applications on Thursday 5th September.

The attached tables set out the information requested by the Deputy. Table 1 shows the total number of community centres funded under CCIF in each county under the 2022 and 2023 schemes. The applications under the 2024 scheme are currently being assessed. There were applications in Dublin under the 2022 scheme but not under the new build scheme. Table 2 attached provides the breakdown between each Dublin local authority area based on my Department's review of the applications funded.

Details of all approved projects can be found on my Department's website. I expect to begin announcing the successful applicants under the 2024 scheme in the coming months.

[Tables to follow]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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265. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the cumulative funding provided in each Dublin local authority area since 2020 to date in 2024 under the Community Enhancement Programme, in tabular form. [39426/24]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) was established in 2018 with the aim of providing funding for community groups in disadvantaged areas across Ireland. There have been a number of iterations of the CEP since then. In 2023, the CEP was replaced by the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) which has a particular focus on small capital works/improvements, and the purchase of equipment for community use.

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 for funding under the LEP and make determinations on how the funding can best support their communities.

The LEP is now closed to applicants.

Please find attached table 1 below which provides a breakdown of the funding allocated to each Dublin Local Authority area from 2020 - 2023. To date in 2024, no funding announcement has been made with regard to the LEP, and any announcement relating to the next iteration of the LEP will be considered within the context of available resources.