Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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1473. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the breakdown of public library funding to Carlow County Council and Kilkenny County Council distinguishing capital grants, branch upgrades, my open library, vehicles, fit-outs, ICT and current supports showing project branch, approval date, amount approved, and amount paid; and the annual totals, by county, from 2020 to date in 2025, in tabular form. [48795/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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The provision of library services is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. Notwithstanding this, investing in our library service is a key priority for me as Minister. The National Public Library Strategy 2023-2027 'The Library is the Place' recognises that public libraries are at the heart of our communities and my Department provides a wide range of funding to support the library service.

Some of the recent funding awarded by my department includes the Libraries Capital Programme 2023-2027, which will invest €22.6 million in 11 state-of-the-art library buildings projects over the period 2023-2027. In addition, my department also provides a wide range of funding to support many other library services.

With regard to the Local Authorities in question, details of funding awarded by my Department to Carlow County Council and Kilkenny County Council towards the provision of library services for the period 2020 to date, are attached.

Separately, it should be noted that another capital scheme within the Department, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund can provide funding towards projects that support the provision of library facilities, as part of town regeneration programmes. Details in respect of such projects funded in Carlow/Kilkenny have been provided in the response to the Deputy’s separate parliamentary question tabled in respect of this scheme.

Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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1474. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide details of all volunteering supports funding to the Carlow volunteer centre and the Kilkenny volunteer centre and any volunteer information services including core funding, once-off grants, and dormant accounts-funded measures with annual totals, by county, from 2020 to date in 2025, in tabular form. [48796/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides core funding to Volunteer Centres on an annual basis to support their operations. Volunteer Centre operations include providing a placement service between individuals and groups who want to undertake voluntary activity and organisations that are seeking to involve volunteers; matching individuals and groups interested in volunteering with appropriate specific volunteering opportunities; promoting volunteering; and offering advice and support to volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations. Volunteer Centres also assist with Garda vetting on behalf of volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations.

In addition, Volunteer Centres also support various Government policies and priorities. In recent years, for example, Volunteer Centres have been heavily involved in the State’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, supporting Ukrainian refugees, and integration and support efforts for International Protection Applicants and other new arrivals.

Since the publication of the National Volunteering Strategy, Government support for volunteering has increased. In 2025, funding from my Department to Volunteer Centres amounted to €5.3 million.

In recent years, additional funds to Volunteer Centres have included:

• An additional funding allocation of €1m distributed between all Volunteer Centres to support the community response to people arriving from Ukraine and International Protection Applicants.
• Funding towards the costs of participation in the Community Volunteers pilot programme.
• Funding for volunteer recognition events.

Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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1475. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide PPN core funding allocations and payments to the Carlow PPN and Kilkenny PPN including baseline allocation, additional once-off supports if any and total paid with annual totals by county, from 2020 to date in 2025, in tabular form. [48797/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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Public Participation Networks (PPNs) were established following the enactment of the Local Government Reform Act in 2014. The PPN is the main link through which each local authority connects with the local community sector.

The PPNs' primary function is to provide representation for the community sector in policy-making structures, giving local volunteers a greater say in local government decisions. When community representation is required on local authority committees, such as Strategic Policy Committees or Local Community Development Committees, it must be sourced through the PPN.

Membership of a PPN is open to volunteer-led and not-for-profit groups in each local authority area. Over 21,900 groups nationwide are currently members of a PPN and there are PPNs established in all 31 local authority areas.

My Department, in conjunction with local authorities, provides funding to each of the 31 PPNs for staffing and operational costs. My Department has also funded structural supports to the PPNs at the national level, including training, awareness-raising, and ICT support.

Funding for PPNs increased from €2.45 million in 2022 to €3.41 million in 2025. This increase means that this year my Department will provide up to €100,540 in funding to each of the 31 PPNs around the country in core costs, with each local authority also providing a minimum of €35,000 in funding to support their PPNs each year.

Following please find details of PPN core funding allocations to Carlow PPN and Kilkenny PPN with annual totals by county, from 2020 to date in 2025, in tabular format:

Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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1476. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to list all funding provided towards connected hubs, digital hub development or upgrade, and broadband connection points in County Carlow and County Kilkenny including hub/BCP name, location, scheme/measure, approval date, amount approved, amount paid with totals by county, from 2020 to date in 2025, in tabular form. [48798/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The details requested by the Deputy are outlined in the attached tables in respect of funding under the Connected Hubs Calls, funding for Broadband Connection Points, and the Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme. Other capital schemes within my Department, such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Scheme (RRDF) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), provide funding towards projects that support the provision of remote working facilities. Details in respect such projects funded in Carlow/Kilkenny is being provided in the responses to the Deputy’s separate parliamentary questions tabled in respect of such schemes.

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. The Connected Hubs online platform was launched in May 2021 and is funded by my Department. 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. As of 1 September 2025, there are 393 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the platform, including five in County Carlow and five in County Kilkenny. Details of all the onboarded hubs are available on www.connectedhubs.ie.

Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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1477. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide the LIS allocations to Carlow County Council and Kilkenny County Council and the payments made including the number of roads completed, location/MD, allocation, drawdown, and balance with annual totals by county, from 2020 to date in 2025, in tabular form. [48799/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Local Improvement Scheme or LIS is a key support to rural communities in improving non-public rural roads and laneways that are not typically maintained by local authorities. Since its launch in 2017, the Government has allocated nearly €184 million to local authorities for LIS.

Due to the continued strong demand for funding under the Scheme, I was pleased to recently announce an additional €14 million in LIS funding nationwide, bringing the total LIS 2025 allocation to over €30 million - a record investment in the Scheme. Carlow received an additional €328,537 bringing its total 2025 allocation to €702,016. Kilkenny received an additional €264,537 bringing its total 2025 allocation to €816,562.

While the Department provides the funding for LIS, the scheme is administered at local level by each local authority. LIS allocations are made to each local authority on a county basis who then decide on the distribution within their areas. The Deputy may wish to contact Carlow and Kilkenny County Councils for further details on the specific operation of the scheme at municipal district level.

LIS funding is only paid to local authorities at year end, once confirmation is received that all works have been completed within the calendar year. Accordingly, payment figures relating to the 2025 scheme will not be available until December.

The following tables provide information of LIS in County Carlow and County Kilkenny from the period 2020 - 2024.

Table 1: Details of Local Improvement Scheme in County Carlow, 2020 to 2025

Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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1478. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide all tidy towns related funding and grants paid to groups in County Carlow and County Kilkenny listing group name, location, grant type, amount approved, and amount paid with annual totals by county, from 2020 to date in 2025, in tabular form. [48800/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Supervalu TidyTowns competition is a unique volunteer-led programme that makes a hugely positive contribution in communities across Ireland.

I am very aware of the work undertaken by our TidyTowns groups and of the costs which can arise in the course of this work. With this in mind, direct financial supports have been put in place for TidyTowns groups.

Since 2017, the Department has allocated over €11 million in grant funding to almost 1,000 eligible TidyTowns groups nationwide. The most recent grant funding of €1.5 million was announced in November 2024. This funding of between €1,000 and €4,000 was provided to groups to assist them in preparing for the SuperValu TidyTowns Competition, with the added benefits of helping to make our towns and villages better places to live, work and visit. I am happy to confirm that a total of €260,000 was paid to 50 eligible groups in counties Carlow and Kilkenny since 2020. The details requested by the Deputy are provided in the attached table.

The 2025 SuperValu TidyTowns National Awards ceremony will take place in Croke Park on Friday 24th October 2025. I look forward to announcing the winners of the 2025 competition, as well as meeting some of our TidyTowns volunteers from around the country.