James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the grants and schemes available from his Department to support community centres. [68332/25]

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 and community centres in particular.

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 by €3 million, from €17 million in 2025 to €20 million in 2026.

The Community Centre Investment Fund was introduced in 2022 and to date some €110 million has been allocated for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and for the construction of new centres where such a need has been identified.

County Cork has been allocated over €10.7 million for 189 projects under the fund.  I was delighted to visit Cork last Saturday where I turned the sod for construction to commence on a new community centre in Rylane. This was allocated over €1.8 million in funding from my department under the 2023 new build measure.

In addition to the centre in Rylane, eleven other new build projects have been approved across the country with total  funding of over €30 million.

I am committed to delivering further iterations of the Community Centre Investment Fund in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government for this to become a permanent rolling fund. I expect the next iteration of the fund to be rolled out next year.

It should be noted that my Department also supports community facilities through a range of other funding streams including the CLÁR programme, LEADER and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. I would encourage organisations to check my department’s website for information on all of these different funding opportunities.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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9. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the programmes, funding and supports for the most disadvantaged areas of Dublin north-west, given the RAPID Programme has been closed for some time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68434/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My department administers a wide range of programmes to support communities. The main programmes focusing on areas of high disadvantage are the Empowering Communities Programme (ECP) and the Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme (SICAP). My Department also administers the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP), which provides capital supports for small community organisations serving disadvantaged communities in rural and urban areas.

The Empowering Communities Programme commenced in 2022, and at present there are 17 projects supported, with annual funding of €2.3 million.  The programme operates initiatives in the Dublin north-west area, under Dublin North West Area Partnership and Dublin City Community Co-Op.  Funding of just under €400k is allocated across three programme areas in Dublin north-west.

The areas selected for funding under the ECP are experiencing significant disadvantage, identified using the Pobal HP deprivation index. With the support of the relevant Local Community Development Committee, the programme aims to enhance community access to key services and empower local communities to develop their own response to area-based poverty, social exclusion and the resulting consequences.  

SICAP is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention. It is a national programme delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies. SICAP aims to address high and persistent levels of deprivation through targeted and innovative, locally-led approaches. It targets and supports those most disadvantaged in Irish society. Funding  of approximately €1.88m has been allocated to Dublin North West Area Partnership for delivery of the programme in 2025, along with additional funding of approximately €71k for delivery of supports to New Arrivals in the Dublin north-west area.

As the Deputy will know, funding of €5m has been secured in Budget 2026 for the development of a successor to the RAPID programme, in line with commitments in the Programme for Government. My Department is currently designing the new programme, and I expect to launch the scheme in the new year. 

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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11. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps his Department is taking to support the development of community and civic spaces in suburbs of Dublin city, such as Dundrum, to support local communities and ensure access to services and cohesion in communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68504/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department has developed a range of funding schemes and interventions which support access to services and build cohesion in communities across the country. While many of my Department's schemes are focussed on rural areas, others support both rural and urban communities. These include,

• the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme;
• the Community Services Programme;
• the Community Centre Investment Fund;
• the Community Recognition Fund, and;
• the Local Enhancement Programme.

• Over €39,000 was allocated to develop the Rosemount Family Resource Centre under Community Centre Investment Fund since 2022.
• €99,000 has been allocated to the upgrade of the Patrick Doyle Road playground in Dundrum under the Community Recognition Fund.
• Also under the Community Recognition Fund, €146,000 has been approved for an upgrade to Balally Scout Den.