James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department currently supports a programme of large-scale regeneration projects in Limerick, Dublin and Cork.

These regeneration projects target the country’s most disadvantaged communities, and seek to address the causes of disadvantage in these communities through a holistic programme of physical, social and economic regeneration.

The Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan (LRFIP) was adopted by the then Limerick City Council in February 2014. This plan set out a programme of physical, social and economic interventions over a ten-year period from 2014 to 2023.

An element of the LRFIP was the Economic and Social Intervention Fund, (ESIF), and over the ten year period of the LRFIP (2014 to 2023) approximately €36m has been made available to Limerick City and Council from my Department. This fund has supported a range of social and economic initiatives to strengthen the local communities in the target areas of Moyross, Ballinacurra Weston, St. Mary’s Park and Southill.

This fund is an integral part of the overall approach to regeneration, and helps to leverage additional mainstream funding for the benefit of the areas. Through ESIF, my Department provided initial seed funding to launch programmes under the following categories:

• Community
• Education and Learning
• Families and Youth at Risk
• Employability and Work
• Health, Well Being and Aging Well

At the conclusion of the LRFIP at the end of 2023 my Department agreed to extend ESIF funding for 2024 and 2025.

It is imperative however that projects funded under ESIF are transitioned to a sustainable funding model going forward. Limerick City and County Council has commenced this process so that the progress to date can be built on and sustained in to the future.

In 2023 Limerick City and County Council requested and received approval for €4m.

In 2024 they requested €2.6m and received approval for this amount.

To date in 2025 my Department has agreed to a payment of €1.683m in respect of ESIF.

Looking ahead and taking account of the need to manage the wind down of financial support from my Department through the National Regeneration Programme for these initiatives, it is proposed that for 2025 and subsequent years the funding approved will decrease annually. Provided that a valid submission is received from Limerick City and County Council my Department will consider providing ESIF funding up to a maximum of:

€2m in 2025

€1.5m in 2026

€1m in 2027

€0.5m in 2028

Accordingly, the Social and Economic initiatives in Limerick will cease to be funded through Regeneration funding from 2029.

There are a number of existing funding streams across various Departments / Organisations that fund projects, groups, etc. in the same space as the types of projects currently being funding through ESIF, which may be suitable as alternative future funding sources. Also, there are some strategic bodies that provide good assistance to groups seeking funding. Some examples are as follows:

Sports Capital & Equipment Programme

Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation

Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme

The Wheel

Local Community Development Committees

ETB’s

Funding submissions for social projects from 2025 will only be considered where they fall outside the remit of other Departments.