Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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500. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will report on the workings of the Community Safety Innovation Fund; the amount allocated to it in each of the years 2021 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9153/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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In 2021, the creation of the Community Safety Innovation Fund was announced to reinvest proceeds of crime funds returned to the exchequer by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) back into communities, in order to fund innovative local projects aimed at building stronger, safer communities. The Fund has since been renamed the Community Safety Fund (CSF).

Investing this money back into the community is a tangible way of showing that there can be a direct link between the activities of law enforcement and building stronger, safer communities. The CSF encourages and supports the development of ways in which to improve community safety from those people who best understand the needs in their locality.

Some themes of last year’s successful applicants for example include projects aimed at addressing anti-social behaviour, domestic violence, drug-related intimidation, safety on public transport, social exclusion, youth programmes, prison post-release support and more. Many of the projects focus on the use of education, sport, recreation, and social interaction to proactively address safety concerns in communities.

Please see below in tabular format amounts that have been paid to successful projects since the launch of the fund.

It should be noted that funding is distributed following a review and assessment of applications received. Furthermore, funding is distributed in a managed way over the period that projects are operational, and so funds are required each year to complete prior year's projects. Therefore, the distribution annually does not strictly adhere to the total amounts available.

Following the establishment of new National Office for Community Safety, it will manage the fund in conjunction with new Local Community Safety Partnerships, further enhancing the CSFs ability to target worthwhile community-based projects.

The fund was increased to €4m in budget 2025.