John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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872. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the supports his Department has provided towards the establishment of community hotels in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15810/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department operates a variety of funding schemes aimed at the economic and social development of rural areas, and wider community development of both rural and urban areas. These schemes do not, however, contain a specific focus on support for the establishment of community hotels. Details of these schemes, together with the activities they support and any relevant eligibility criteria etc. are available on the Department’s website.

I would note that my Department has provided funding of €150,000 excluding VAT to Tipperary County Council to fund a feasibility study on the potential sustainable future use of a former hotel in Roscrea, and this work is ongoing.

My Department also provides funding via the Community Services Programme (CSP) to Knockatallon Development Company Ltd., which manages the Sliabh Beagh Community, Tourism & Accommodation Centre in County Monaghan. The CSP currently supports over 430 community-based organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. The Programme 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.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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873. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the reason a community centre and astro pitch (details supplied) was unsuccessful in the recent Community Centre Investment Fund allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15846/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Community Centre Investment Fund has provided in excess of €109 million since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres.

Over €33 million has now been approved for in excess of 770 projects nationwide under the 2024 fund. However, given the very significant level of demand, not all applications were successful.

The facility referenced by the Deputy submitted an application under category 2 of the 2024 fund seeking support of €98,650 for enhancement works on the facility. The application reached the minimum scoring threshold required to be eligible for consideration but did not score high enough to be successful on this occasion.

Correspondence has issued to all unsuccessful applicants. The community centre referred to by the Deputy is being offered an opportunity to avail of a feedback call which will clearly explain the basis for the decision and areas where the application can be strengthened.

There is also an opportunity to appeal the outcome of this application process and this will also be outlined during any feedback call.

I am committed to delivering further iterations of the scheme in the coming years in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government for this to become a permanent rolling fund.

In addition all unsuccessful groups may wish to explore other potential funding options supported by my Department, including the LEADER programme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the CLÁR programme. Details of these and other schemes are available on the Department’s website.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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874. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if he is further aware that a service run by an organisation (details supplied) does not cover all of County Dublin [15869/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding to the organisation referred to by the Deputy, under the Community Services Programme (CSP), which currently supports over 430 community-based organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model.

The CSP Programme 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. An amount of €1,041,600 has been provided for 2025 to support the employment of 29.75 FTEs in this organisation.

The services of this independent, not-for-profit organisation are not commissioned by my Department. It is a matter for the organisation itself to define its services and the geographical area where those services are delivered.