Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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547. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when he will announce the grants for community centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68990/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Since becoming Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, I have prioritised investment in community infrastructure. As part of Budget 2026, I was delighted to announce increased funding for the programmes that are delivering on this priority. 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 where such a need has been identified.

The last tranche of announcements was in respect of category 2 projects under the 2024 refurbishment measure, in March this year I approved funding of over €26 million for almost 370 projects providing funding of up to €100,000 for enhancement works to existing community centres.

I am committed to delivering further iterations of the fund in the coming years in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government for this to become a permanent rolling fund.