Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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1170. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the community services programme will reopen for applications; if his Department will accept expressions of interest at this time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62093/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) supports 446 services nationally via 427 community organisations to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model. It focuses on urban and rural communities where public and private sector services are lacking, either through geographical or social isolation or because of demand deficits.

The CSP Programme provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent position being supported and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager. The CSP contribution is not aligned with the minimum wage and is not intended to meet the full salary cost of supported posts. The contribution must be co-funded by other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.

The CSP Programme currently provides funding towards 1,725 FTEs and 352 manager positions.

An allocation of €55.4m was made in Budget 2025 to support the CSP Programme for 2025, an increase of €3m from 2024. The additional funding announced for the Programme, as part of Budget 2025, was fully allocated to meet the increased employment costs of the existing CSP-funded organisations in 2025. A further increase of €4m has been announced for 2026, bringing the total programme allocation to €59.4m for 2026.

Under the Programme for Government, a commitment was made to open the Community Services Programme for new applications. My Department is currently examining the scope to hold an open call for the CSP Programme, in the context of the 2026 Budget announcement, having regard to both the funding needs of existing CSP-supported organisations and of organisations who wish to join the programme.

In the interim, any organisation who wishes to be contacted in the event that the Programme will open for new applicants, can provide contact details of a nominated person to the email address csp@drcdg.gov.ie.

It is also suggested that organisations may wish to make contact with their Local Development Company or Local Authority who may be able to provide some guidance on other supports available.