John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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1185. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if additional or unspent LEADER funding can be allocated to the Kerry LAG given programme budgets are depleted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63690/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is responsible for the LEADER programme, which is part of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan covering 2023 to 2027, and which is co-funded by the EU and the Exchequer.

The LEADER programme is administered by Local Action Groups, or LAGs, on behalf of the Department and has been at the heart of rural development in Ireland for over 30 years. It plays an important role in supporting local projects which bring renewed life, jobs and services to our rural communities, including those in County Kerry.

LEADER funding is allocated to LAGs at the beginning of each LEADER programme to provide them with greater flexibility in selecting and approving projects which will have a meaningful impact in their areas.

As you will be aware, €180 million of funding has been committed to the 2023 - 2027 LEADER programme. The LAG with responsibility for the delivery of LEADER in Kerry has received an allocation of almost €8.2 million. The budget comprises of over €6.1 million to support community and business projects, with the remainder covering their animation and administration costs associated with delivering the programme.

To date, the Kerry LAG has approved over 100 projects for funding under their 2023-2027 allocation with a value of over €4.7 million. Although 11% of projects have been completed to date, over 90 projects worth some €4.2 million remain to be completed. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the current programme emerge over the coming months and years, as these projects are delivered.

Whilst there are no plans to increase the budget allocations under the current programme, funding for the LEADER programme should be considered in the context of the expanding capital allocations made available in recent years under my Department's Rural Development Investment Programme. Under these measures communities in Kerry have benefited from funding in areas such as town regeneration, the development of community facilities, and the enhancement of outdoor recreation facilities.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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1186. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when he expects the Community Services Programme to next open for funding, or when a decision on this might be announced; if there will be an annual call for funding going forward given the Programme for Government’s commitment to open the Community Services Programme for new applications annually in order that more organisations can join the initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63836/25]

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 (FTE) 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. The outcome of this process is anticipated in the coming weeks.

As is standard practice, all future considerations in relation to the CSP Programme will be framed in the context of available budgets.

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