Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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398. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason that yet again no project from the Courtown-Riverchapel area of County Wexford was awarded funding under the latest round of the Community Integration Fund, even though an IPAS centre has operated in Courtown, County Wexford for many years and there is strong integration with the local community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31143/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To date, there have been two iterations of the Community Recognition Fund implemented by my Department with €50m being allocated to the Fund in each of 2023 and 2024.

While there were some differences between the two iterations of the scheme, a key element of the process has been that all applications are made locally to the local authority who select projects for submission to my Department for approval. As part of this process, local authorities are required to engage and consult with local stakeholders to ensure that the allocation of funding is based on the appropriate targeting at local level. Across the 2023 and 2024 schemes, Wexford has been allocated some €2.9m which has now been allocated across 47 projects in the county. This included funding of €125,000 for two projects in the Courtown Riverchapel area under the 2023 scheme. No further applications for this area were submitted by the local authority to my Department under the 2024 scheme.