Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1050. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update as of July 2025 on the Programme for Government commitment to publish and implement Our Rural Future 2025 – 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38895/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Our Rural Future 2021-2025 is the Government’s national rural development policy. It has provided vital investment and supports, strengthened local economies, and improved the lives of many people in rural communities across Ireland.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026.

The process of developing this successor policy is well underway, informed by an independent OECD review of rural policy in Ireland, together with an extensive public and stakeholder consultation process.

The consultation process commenced with an online survey, followed by a series of eight stakeholder and public events which have recently taken place across the country and online. I am very pleased with the strong level of engagement with the views of close to 2,000 people gathered during the consultation process to date. Recent events have generated enthusiastic and well-informed discussion on the opportunities and challenges ahead and drafting of the new policy will reflect the feedback gathered from consultation.

These are issues that run right across Government and we will continue our whole-of-Government approach as we develop this next phase of Ireland’s rural development policy.

A policy framework document, outlining the emerging themes and priorities of the new policy in the period to 2030, will be published for a further period of written public consultation later in the year.

Government is committed to building on the success of Our Rural Future and securing a more sustainable and resilient future for our rural communities.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1051. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update as of July 2025 on the Programme for Government commitment to establish a rural communities initiative, similar in style to the previous RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38896/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is well placed to contribute to any discussions on the implementation of Programme for Government commitments, particularly as they relate to rural and urban communities. Indeed, my Department already funds a number of programmes that work on an ongoing basis to support and empower sustainable, inclusive and empowered communities, both rural and urban. These include but are not limited to the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), LEADER, Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), CLÁR, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), CCIF (Community Centre Investment Fund) and the Community Recognition Fund (CRF).

In terms of rural communties, Our Rural Future 2021 to 2025, Ireland's national rural development policy, has provided vital investment and supports, strengthened local economies and improved the lives of many people across rural Ireland over its lifetime. It sets out a vision for a thriving rural Ireland and establishes a strategic framework for the delivery of capital investment under my Department's Rural Development Investment Programme.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new Our Rural Future policy from 2026 and the process of developing this successor policy is well underway. Recent consultation events have reinforced the importance of a strong focus on communities and the new policy will reflect this.

In relation to the Deputys query, you can be assured that work remains ongoing in my Department to look at the best ways to ensure that both rural and urban communities are provided with the support they need in order to support their sustainable development. Consideration of all relevant Programme for Government commitments, including the commitment referred to by the Deputy, is well underway.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1052. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on the work within the scope of his Department, with regard to the Programme for Government commitment to promote and support remote work in rural Ireland, as of July 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38897/25]

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1053. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to expand the remit of connected hubs to unlock new opportunities in rural communities, enabling remote work, e-health, remote learning and digital engagement, as of July 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38898/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1052 and 1053 together.

Our Rural Future recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by the end of 2025. There are currently 387 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform. Details of all the onboarded hubs are available on .

The platform provides hub owners and customers with a central, easy to use portal that offers and enables the booking of a range of services, particularly professional remote working spaces and meeting rooms. The platform is managed by the Western Development Commission in conjunction with my Department.

The Government's commitment to remote working hubs is reinforced in the Programme for Government commitment to increase the number of connected hubs and users and broadening the services provided for entrepreneurs, start-ups, FDI and social enterprises.

A number of initiatives have already been developed through Connected Hubs that benefit the wider community such as 'Learning in the Hubs'. In collaboration with the Technological University of the Shannon this initiative brings third-level education programmes to communities across Ireland, enabling adult learners to undertake part-time courses in local Connected Hubs with state-of-the-art facilities.

A new National Hubs Strategy, is currently being finalised and will be published later this year. It will present a coherent approach to the future development of remote working and enterprise hubs including the development of new opportunities for communities across the hub network. The strategy is being developed in consultation with hub managers, local authorities, communities and other stakeholders.

The Government's commitment to remote working is set out in our national remote working strategy, Making Remote Work, published in 2021 by the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The strategy seeks to ensure that remote working is a permanent feature in the Irish workplace in a way that maximises economic, social and environmental benefits and commits to creating a conducive environment for remote working and building a remote work policy and guidance framework.

I am committed to ensuring that the Connected Hubs initiative will continue to make a central contribution to the achievement of the Government's vision for rural Ireland, as set out in Our Rural Future and the Programme for Government.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1054. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to increase the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund as of July 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38899/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Administered by my Department, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major programme which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects which can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. It forms part of my Department's Rural Development Investment Programme, and has allocated €588 million to 243 projects across Ireland to date.

Broadly, the objective of the RRDF is to assist in revitalising our rural towns and villages, in line with Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First Policy. This is through planned and sustainable regeneration that will drive greater economic activity and footfall, address vacancy and dereliction and ensure the re-use of heritage and other existing buildings. This will help to provide the necessary facilities and infrastructure, which will in turn assist in attracting people back to live in rural areas.

As highlighted, the Programme for Government recognises the importance of investing in our rural towns and villages through schemes such as the RRDF, and contains commitments to not only increase the Fund, but to also continue to invest in key regional tourism projects under the Fund. I will continue to seek increased funding for the Rural Development Investment Programme as part of the annual budgetary process.

An assessment of applications process is ongoing, following an RRDF Category 2 Call for Proposals, which closed in March of this year. I anticipate an announcement of successful projects will be made in Quarter 3 this year, and that a further Call, for Category 1 Proposals, would then issue in Quarter 4 of this year.

I am committed to ensuring that the RRDF can continue to support high quality and transformational projects across rural Ireland in line with the objectives of Our Rural Future.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1055. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to carry out a comprehensive review of the eligibility criteria of CLÁR within six months with a view to expanding the programme to rural areas which are currently ineligible, as of July 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38900/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The CLÁR Programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas.

The Programme for Government makes a commitment to carry out a comprehensive review of the eligibility criteria for CLÁR within 6 months with a view to expanding the programme to rural areas which are currently ineligible.

The review is now at an advanced stage and I expect this work to be concluded shortly in line with the Programme for Government commitment. The outcome of the review will inform my decision regarding the areas that will be eligible for CLÁR in the future, and indeed any further analysis that may be required in this regard.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1056. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to require the local community development committees to recruit social development managers to prioritise very disadvantaged areas, as of July 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38901/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) play an important role in social development including their role in developing, implementing and monitoring a six-year Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP), that incorporates social objectives, within their local authority areas.

A number of the programmes currently delivered by my department have a focus on social development and supporting those living in disadvantaged communities and the LCDCs play a critical role in the implementation of these programmes.

There are 33 LCDCs nationally who are the Contracting Authority for my department's Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme (SICAP). The LCDCs manage SICAP at a local level and direct funding to 47 Programme Implementers/Local Development Companies to deliver SICAP across 53 contract areas.

SICAP is our country’s primary social inclusion programme. It is a multifaceted programme that provides supports to respond to disadvantaged communities and individuals who have been identified as being in need to improve their life chances. This can be through lifelong learning and training, getting labour market supports to improve work readiness, or working with people in broader and more holistic ways so that they can improve their quality of life and general well-being. In 2024, SICAP supported 8,205 people living in disadvantaged communities.

In addition, SICAP also supports local community groups representing disadvantaged communities and target groups in order to empower them to address social exclusion issues that affect them. In 2024, over half (53%) of the Local Community Groups supported under SICAP were focused on supporting people living in disadvantaged communities.

My department's Empowering Communities Programme (ECP) aims to enhance community access to key services and empower local communities to develop their own response to area-based poverty, social exclusion and the resulting consequences. LCDCs administer the Programme locally through Local Development Companies within the areas.

While the LCDCs receive no funding directly from SICAP or ECP, my department provides funding to local authorities towards the staffing costs of their community functions. This includes, in particular, the costs of fulfilling the LCDC’s statutory functions in relation to the development, implementation and review of the six year Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs). The funding also assists LCDCs in delivering on their community development functions and to support the administration of DRCDG-funded programmes such as SICAP and ECP.

I can assure the Deputy that work remains ongoing in my department to look at the best ways to ensure that disadvantaged communities are provided with the support they need in order to underpin their sustainable development. Consideration of all relevant Programme for Government commitments form part of this work, including the commitment referred to by the deputy.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1057. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to enhance support for Mná Tí at Gaeltacht summer colleges, as of July 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38904/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland’s Future contains a commitment to ‘maintain and where possible enhance support for Mná Tí at Gaeltacht summer colleges’. In this regard, my Department provides a number of supports for households providing accommodation for summer college students.

In order to foster language acquisition and enrichment opportunities in the Gaeltacht outside of the post-primary education system for learners of the language, my Department provides a subsidy under the Irish Language Learners Scheme (Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge) payable to qualifying Gaeltacht households who provide accommodation for those attending an Irish course in any one of the c. 40 Irish-language colleges operating under the scheme.

A grant of €13.00 per student per night is paid under Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge to recognised households accommodating learners. This payment is in addition to the fee paid to them separately by the colleges. The nightly rate was increased to €13.00 in 2024 - the third such increase since 2022, and equal to an almost 30% increase in the grant since 2020. 41 new households were recognised under Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge in 2024 and all income received by recognised households is free from income-tax.

Newly-recognised households may also avail of a once-off starter grant. This grant supports households with the costs of works required to comply with fire safety requirements, including installation of alarms and fire suppression systems and the purchase of beds and mattresses. The grant is worth up to €6,000 or 80% of costs, whichever is the lesser.

The cap of 12 learners per household per course was also removed in recent years and increased to a maximum of 16 learners per household. This increased capacity for greater numbers of students to attend courses, but also allowed households in a position to accommodate a greater number of learners to increase their income generated from the scheme.

My Department also funds the DEIS Gaeltachta scholarships scheme in order to assist in providing language acquisition opportunities to post-primary school students attending DEIS schools to attend recognised Irish summer colleges.

Additional funding was allocated to this initiative since its establishment in 2019 from €50,000 to €900,000 in 2025. With this increase, over 800 scholarships are now offered annually.

Also administered by my Department is the ERASMUS Gaeltachta fund, worth €250,000, which facilitates opportunities for up to 175 third-level students to spend three months immersed in the Gaeltacht. Under ERASMUS Gaeltachta, a subsidy worth €22 per night towards accommodation costs is provided to enable third-level institutions to offer a semester in the Gaeltacht to their students. Similar to the other aforementioned measures, this subsidy is payable to households providing accommodation under the terms of Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge.

It is my intention to continue to support the maintenance and development of this sector where possible, as outlined in the current Programme for Government, over the coming years.