Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department’s budget allocation for 2026 totals €611 million and represents a 6% increase on the 2025 allocation. It builds on strong investment in recent years. Across the Community Development area, total funding of €260 million will be available for next year. This in turn provides a range of funding programmes which will support communities, delivering social and economic benefits, some of which include;
€74 million is being allocated to the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) and other social inclusion supports. This includes €13 million per annum for important community integration work, helping to support new arrivals. As part of funding arrangements for SICAP, local development companies, otherwise known as Programme Implementers, are permitted to use up to 25% of their overall annual allocation to cover administration costs associated with delivering the programme, including staff salary and pension costs.The Community Services Programme currently supports 426 community-based organisations, with a budget of €55.4m allocated for 2025, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. A further increase of €4m was allocated for 2026, bringing the total CSP funding allocation to €59.4m for 2026.The Scheme to Support National Organisation (SSNO) currently provides multi-annual funding towards core costs of national, community and voluntary organisations delivering services and supports. The current iteration of the SSNO has been extended to conclude at the end of June 2026. Under the current iteration, approximately €28 million will be provided to 82 national, community and voluntary organisations over of the period of the scheme. A new iteration of the Scheme will commence on 1 July 2026, and the application process for the scheme opened on 18 November.The New Solutions Social Innovation Fund, which is co-funded through the European Social Fund+ 2021-2027 (ESF+), is aimed at reducing the risk of poverty and social exclusion, with an emphasis on disadvantaged groups. Under the initiative, salary and pension costs for employees are allowable costs, subject to evidenced invoice payments.Údarás na Gaeltachta has a comprehensive strategic development approach to managing the increased demand for funding from Gaeltacht community development organisations, with a 59% increase in direct funding provided to these organisations over the past five years. The distribution of funding is based on annual work plans prepared by the community development organisations. The Community Development Unit within an tÚdarás, in collaboration with the relevant officers and Regional Managers, carries out a comprehensive assessment of the applications to address the needs of the organisations concerned.
Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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