Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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966. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if, further to the statement in the Programme for Government (details supplied) he will assist in progressing the development of a national social innovation fund to assist consortia of organisations in collaborating to meet the challenges of an ageing society. [33723/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to acknowledge the valuable work of social enterprises, and the meaningful impact they have on the lives of people in our communities. They frequently work to support disadvantaged groups such as the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, the Traveller community, etc., or to address issues such as childcare, food poverty, social housing, our ageing population or environmental matters.

In July 2024 my department launched Trading for Impact, the second national social enterprise policy. Trading for Impact has been designed to cultivate and sustain a strong and impactful social enterprise sector in Ireland that enriches the social, environmental, and economic well-being of our communities.

Implementation of Trading for Impact policy actions is taking place in partnership with the sector through the ‘Trading for Impact Stakeholder Engagement Group’ which brings together key stakeholders to co-ordinate input into the delivery of the policy. Commitments contained in the Programme for Government will be taken into consideration during the implementation of the policy.

I will be seeking additional funding, through the annual Estimates process, to enable my department to progress Trading for Impact policy actions, and to further support the social enterprise sector and the range of services they provide across our communities.

Listed below are a number of available resources that may be useful for social enterprise organisations:

It is recommended that any organisation seeking supports should contact their nearest Local Development Company (LDC) for advice. LDCs can provide details of funding available across many Government Departments, and also provide details of training, mentoring and networking opportunities that may be available. A link to the Local Development Company Network, the representative body for LDCs can be found here: .

There are a wide range of business supports available to social enterprises through the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), provided they operate on a commercial basis and meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme for which they wish to apply. More information on LEOs can be found here: www.localenterprise.ie/.

My Department provides funding across a number of schemes that organisations such as See My Skills may be eligible for. These include Community Services Programme (CSP), Social Inclusion and Activation Programme (SICAP), and LEADER. Details of these schemes can be found at the links below:

CSP: www.gov.ie/en/service/f8f93d-apply-for-community-service-programme/

Leader: www.gov.ie/en/service/87e09-leader-programme-for-rural-development/

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

Other organisations such as Rethink Ireland () and Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (www.socialentrepreneurs.ie/) may also be able to provide advice, funding and training for organisations.

The Deputy will also be aware of the National Enterprise Hub, which can be used by Social Enterprises and provides a centralised signposting service for over 250 Government or agency supports from 29 different Departments and State Agencies.

Information and support can be accessed through the website www.neh.gov.ie or by speaking to an advisor by phone or via live chat. This free service makes it easier to access and avail of business supports such as grants, funding, loans and expert advice across a range of sectors. It also aims to engage with small businesses who have yet to avail of government support.

My Department maintains a Social Enterprise Supports Table that provides a list of supports available to social enterprises in Ireland. This includes information on the various sources of advice, networking, training, funding and financial supports social enterprises may avail of. This table can be found at:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/89e63-social-enterprise-supports-tables/.

Finally, I am pleased to annouce that my Department recently launched the New Solutions Social Innovation Fund. The core focus of this fund is to support the development of a Social Innovation Hub to further develop the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland and provide capacity building supports to social innovation projects.

The fund will also provide grant funding and, in collaboration with the Hub, non-financial supports to innovative projects at different stages of the social innovation development curve including pilots and scaling projects, including social enterprises. The scaling up grant application process will be managed by Pobal and was launched on 16 June (see further details in the link below) and is open for applications. The pilot grants phase will be launched in early 2026 by the Hub.

New Solutions Social Innovation Fund – Creating better outcomes - Pobal (www.pobal.ie/programmes/new-solutions-social-innovation-fund/).

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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967. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht whether he intends providing additional funding to Galway County Council to enable it progress a backlog of local improvement scheme applications, on hand since 2021, as a result of the high volume of applications lodged and the limited funding available each year; if he accepts the need for urgent upgrading of roads that are not in council charge due to public safety concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33730/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) improves non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, the Government has provided almost €170 million to local authorities under the scheme.

In April 2024, €40 million in funding was announced for LIS across eligible local authorities to cover 2024/2025. This figure included its 2024/2025 allocation of €3.09 million to Galway County Council.

While the Department provides funding for the scheme, it is administered by local authorities, who are responsible for selecting and prioritising roads for works under the scheme and managing waiting lists of eligible roadways.

Demand is strong for this scheme nationally which has seen base funding increased annually since 2021. The Programme for Government commits to supporting rural communities, including increasing funding under the Local Improvement Scheme. My Department is engaging with the ongoing review of the National Development Plan to increase the capital allocations for schemes such as the Local Improvement Scheme.

I will also continue to monitor capital expenditure across my Department as the year progresses, with the potential to utilise any savings that may arise elsewhere for schemes such as the Local Improvement Scheme.