Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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131. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to outline the supports available for local community radio stations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36441/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The provision of quality public service content is not just the preserve of public service media bodies. Community radio plays a vital role in providing valuable public service content to the Irish public. This contributes to a plurality of voices in the media sector and is crucial to the continued provision of free, independent, high-quality journalism and trustworthy news and current affairs coverage to the public.

The sector has about 2,000 volunteers nationwide which is a testament to the passion and commitment displayed by Irish communities all over the country. Active participation and representation in community media encourages engagement, cohesion, and the promotion of social inclusion in our communities, large and small.

The community media sector receives ongoing support through the Sound and Vision Scheme, which provides dedicated funding rounds for the sector.

A major innovation in the current scheme has been the establishment of Social Benefit rounds specifically for community broadcasters. In the most recent round of funding under the Sound and Vision Scheme, over €740,000 was awarded to 19 community radio and television stations through a Social Benefit Round announced by Coimisiún na Meán at the end of June, taking the total funding awarded to community broadcasters so far in 2025 to just over €935,000.

This allocation builds on the over €1 million in funding that was provided to community media projects through the Sound and Vision Scheme in 2024.

In addition, community radio also benefits from funding for training, learning and development activities through Coimisiún na Meán’s Sectoral Learning and Development Fund. This is an essential area of funding for the sustainability and development of the sector. Since 2024, the community radio sector received €269,000 to support activities such as the CRAOL Féile and CRAOL Awards, workshops, a helpdesk, and other capacity-building initiatives.

As recommended by the Future of Media Commission, the establishment of a new Media Fund will provide support for the provision of public service content by the wider media sector at local, regional and national levels on a platform-neutral basis.

Coimisiún na Meán are progressing a body of research into current community media supports. This research will help determine optimal supports going forward and will establish the foundations on which a new scheme may be devised.

€10 million was secured in Budget 2025 to ensure the continuation of the Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes and to introduce two new schemes in 2025, the Digital Transformation and the News Reporting Schemes. As these schemes are being administered on a platform-neutral basis, local and community radio will be eligible to apply for support from all of the aforementioned schemes in 2025.

The Digital Transformation Scheme will have regard to the varying needs of the sector, who will be invited to put forward costed proposals for projects they deem to be important for the viability and the development of their organisations. This will support investment in digital transformation measures, assisting media organisations in the continued provision of public service content which serves to inform the public, to maintain integrity of information and to preserve trust.

In line with the relevant Programme for Government commitments, Coimisiún na Meán will monitor the impact of these schemes, and update them as appropriate, in order to ensure they are accessible to the wider media sector and continue to deliver on intended objectives.

As Minister, I understand the importance of ensuring our community broadcasters, who are among the most trusted news sources in the country, remain viable and strong and actively contribute to a thriving and diverse national media landscape in the interests of protecting our democracy against the threats posed by misinformation and disinformation and of strengthening our community bonds and our social cohesion.