Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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95. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to consider providing pilot funding for the Comhar Comaraigh rural social enterprise initiative in County Waterford. [14540/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Dunhill Rural Enterprise CLG, Waterford, invited my Department to present at their Conference on Friday 11^th October 2024 on the new Social Enterprise Policy. My Department accepted this invitation and an official from my Department was in attendance.

At the conference, a presentation was made on a research initiative undertaken by Dunhill Rural Enterprises CLG in partnership with WAP-SICAP, Copper Coast UNESCO Global Geopark, Kill Community Hall/Theatre, Healthy Waterford Initiative and SETU.

The research focused on the feasibility of setting up a 22 village/30 social enterprise network in the Comeragh Municipal District of County Waterford. The research is a collaborative initiative between Waterford Area Partnership-SICAP and Comhar Comaraigh (Comeragh Network).

I understand that a request was made for funding to support a full-time coordinator to work with local community and voluntary groups to successfully implement improvements in their communities.

While there is no funding available to facilitate this request in 2025, the request may be considered should funding become available in 2026 in the context of the implementation of the National Social Enterprise Policy – Trading for Impact . The purpose of this policy is to help cultivate and sustain strong and impactful social enterprises in Ireland to enrich the social, environmental and economic well-being of people living in our communities.

I would like to acknowledge the valuable work undertaken to date by Comhar Comaraigh and the overall potential of this network for the benefit of the community.