Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

50. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the funding available for community groups that are looking to construct capital facilities, particularly community centres; if consideration will be given to providing additional funding for community and voluntary organisations to assist with running costs as currently the grant schemes that exist are for capital works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66414/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am acutely aware of the important role that high quality communities can play in our towns and village, and I have thus prioritised investment in both community infrastructure and community services. The development and enhancement of capital facilities, including community centres, across the country is a priority for myself and for this Government.

My Department has a range of schemes available to support the delivery of capital works in in areas such as town regeneration, the development of community facilities, and the enhancement of our outdoor recreation facilities.

As part of Budget 2026, I was delighted to announce increased funding for capital schemes which fund these community works. This includes an increase in the annual budget for the Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) by €3 million to €20 million. The CCIF was introduced to provide high quality, accessible, community spaces that are available to all groups in all communities in both rural and urban areas. Some €110 million has been allocated since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of new centres. I am committed to delivering further iterations of the scheme in the coming years in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government for this to become a permanent rolling fund.

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund seeks to support large-scale, ambitious capital projects which can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. Funding is made available for community facilities and is allocated to local authorities and other State-funded bodies. Since 2018, over €613 million has been allocated to 273 projects across the country.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is designed to support the revitalisation of rural towns and villages and projects which regenerate buildings to provide community multi-purpose spaces and other community infrastructure. Since its launch, almost €184 million has been allocated to over 1,800 projects across Ireland. It is my intention is to confirm successful projects under the 2025 scheme in the near future.

The Community Recognition Fund, first introduced in 2023, also has supported a range of community infrastructure projects, and recognises the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. A total of €100 million has now been allocated over two iterations of the fund.

The Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) provides small capital grants to community and voluntary groups for the improvement/refurbishment of their facilities and/or the purchase of equipment. In several iterations of the LEP, current funding was also made available to assist groups with their running/operational costs. LEP 2026 is currently under consideration and details of the new programme will be announced shortly.

Managed through a national network of Local Area Groups, the development of community facilities can also be funded under the LEADER programme which is operational across the country, with total funding of €180 million allocated to cover the years from 2023 to 2027.

In addition to these capital schemes which fund construction related costs, I would also highlight my Department’s Community Services Programme (CSP). CSP supports 427 community-based organisations, with a budget of €55.4 million in 2025, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. 78 of these organisations are associated with community centres (defined as Community Hall, Sports and Resource Centres for CSP) and provide employment to a total of 535 staff, 54 managers and 481 full-time equivalents. The total amount of funding allocated to these organisations is €34.6 million over the five-year timeframe of this programme (2023-2027). A further €4m has been allocated to the CSP Programme in 2026, bringing provision to €59.4m.

Separately, the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), supports individuals and community groups who face disadvantage, providing targeted supports in areas such as employment, mental health, education, and community engagement and improving the quality of life of those facing social exclusion and inequality. The supports are provided by the staff of Local Development Companies in local communities across the country often using community centres as their bases.

Full details of all of these measures including eligibility criteria can be found on the Department’s website.