Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1288. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a comprehensive list of all non-governmental organisations operating within the State under the aegis of his Department, focusing particularly on those that may overlap in their missions and areas of operation (details supplied). [23821/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1289. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development for each non-governmental organisation under the aegis of his Department, to provide a detailed breakdown of its core activities, geographical areas of operation, target demographics, and the specific services or programs they provide (details supplied). [23839/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1291. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a breakdown of the number of non-governmental organisations under his Department’s aegis that charge fees for their services, including membership fees, participation fees, or any other forms of charge to the public; to specify which of these organisations charge fees while also receiving public funding, and how this practice is monitored to ensure that taxpayer money is not indirectly supporting fee-based services. [23875/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1292. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to identify any existing oversight mechanisms or audits that are conducted to assess the effectiveness of funding allocated to non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department (details supplied). [23894/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1293. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to state whether any review or audit has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness, redundancy, and administrative costs of state funding for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the aegis of his Department; if such a review has not yet been conducted, to request a detailed timeline and plan for implementing a comprehensive review of NGO funding under the aegis of the Department. [23912/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1294. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a summary of any specific steps taken to streamline non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, eliminate redundancies, and prevent the duplication of services where organisations may be competing for similar grants or operating in the same areas with little coordination (details supplied). [23930/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1296. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline the total administrative costs associated with non-governmental organisations under the aegis of his Department, including the overhead costs related to compliance, reporting, and auditing requirements; and to compare these costs to the overall financial aid allocated to the organisations, identifying whether the administrative expenses are in proportion to the benefits delivered to the public. [23948/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1297. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a full and detailed explanation of how his Department monitors and ensures transparency in the use of public funds by non-governmental organisations under his aegis. (details supplied). [23966/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1288, 1289, 1291, 1292, 1293, 1294, 1296 and 1297 together.

There are no non-governmental organisations which operate under the auspices of my Department, nor are there any functions within the Department relating to how such organisations are structured, how they operate geographically, or if they charge membership or participation fees.

Rather my Department operates a wide range of funding schemes to which community and voluntary groups, charities, social enterprises and other such organisations can make applications. All grants issued by my Department have specific terms and conditions associated with the grant funding. While the terms and conditions can vary across schemes, mainly taking account of the level of funding the scheme provides, they are based on the requirements of DPENDR circular 13/2014 which provides guidance for the management and accountability of grants. This guidance note is available at:

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-public-expenditure-ndp-delivery-and-reform/circulars/circular-132014-management-of-and-accountability-for-grants-from-exchequer-funds/

The terms and conditions attached to our relevant schemes also outline the agreed deliverables and outcomes from funding, which ensures that the funding provided is linked to outputs . The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) and the Community Services Programme (CSP) are the two largest such schemes funded by this Department and the outputs and outcomes are published at a high level in each Revised Estimate, with more granular detail on outcomes available in specific annual reports. Such annual reports can be found at:

SICAP: www.pobal.ie/programmes/social-inclusion-and-community-activation-programme-sicap-2024-2028/

CSP: www.pobal.ie/programmes/community-services-programme-csp/

Oversight arrangements across relevant schemes include regular financial, performance and progress reporting by grant recipients to ensure adherence to both the conditions of the grant agreement and to the purpose of the funding scheme. For example, in the case of core funding provided to Volunteer Centres, a comprehensive work programme for the year ahead must be submitted to the Department. Adherence to that Programme and to the deliverables committed to in it are actively monitored by Department officials. Furthermore, all grant funds may be subject to inspection and/or audit.

With regard to transparency, I would also note that all funding approved by my Department is published on the Department’s website, with the approvals for all schemes operated by my Department available at:

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development/collections/funding-allocated-by-the-department/

Reviews of relevant schemes are carried out on a periodic basis. For example, both SICAP and CSP were reviewed prior to moving from the last funding period to the current one. These reviews focus on ensuring delivery of the objectives of the scheme, assessing impact and value for money, and recommending possible changes to future iterations of the scheme.

My Department has published numerous reviews of DRCD schemes providing funding and support to community organisations, including SICAP and CSP as mentioned above, and also the Community Enhancement Programme, LCDC Support, Pobal, Philanthropy, Social Enterprise, the Seniors Alert Scheme and Support for Disadvantaged Communities. These review reports may all be found at:

ww.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development/publications/community-development-research-and-analysis/