Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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692. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide a schedule of grants she can award directly to community groups, by heading and amount available. [21651/24]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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693. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide a schedule of grants she can award directly to local authorities for distribution to community groups, by heading and amount available. [21652/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 692 and 693 together.

My Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. In furtherance of this, my Department drafts policies and manages strategic interventions and funding programmes that support economic, social and cultural development in both urban and rural communities.

Budget 2024 provides my Department with a gross allocation of €431 million. Included in this is over €205 million in funding available for the Rural Development Investment Programme, which includes schemes such as Town and Village Renewal, LEADER, and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Local Improvement Scheme; the Local Enhancement Programme and CLÁR. These schemes provide much needed funding for capital projects that improve the quality of lives of those living in rural Ireland, and the experience of those visiting our rural heartlands.

Over €225 million in funding has been allocated for my Department’s Community Development Programmes. These include the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), the Community Services Programme (CSP), the Community Enhancement Programme and the Community Recognition Fund.

Many of my Department’s programmes, particularly those that community groups may apply to, are administered by the Local Authorities/Local Community Development Committees (LCDC’s) or the Local Action Groups, allowing greater flexibility at local level to make decisions on local and community proposals and respond to emerging needs.

Currently, the CLÁR programme is the only grant scheme that my Department awards directly to community groups. In 2024, €8.7 million in funding is allocated to the CLÁR 2024 programme across 3 measures. CLÁR 2024 is now open and applications can be submitted directly from community groups under Measures 2 and 3 of the programme. Measure 2 is for Mobility, Cancer Care, Community First Responder and Meals on Wheels Transport and Measure 3 is for ‘Our Islands’.

My Department also has a number of grant schemes that are awarded directly to the Local Authorities for distribution to community groups that include –

• €6 million in funding for the Local Enhancement Programme 2024. This is a capital fund administered by the LCDC’s which provides small grants to allow community groups to improve and enhance their facilities and/or to purchase equipment for their group. The 2024 LEP is now closed.
• €50 million in funding has been allocated for the Community Recognition Fund 2024. The Community Recognition Fund was first introduced in 2023 to recognise the huge efforts made by communities in welcoming and supporting people coming to Ireland. The 2024 iteration of the fund is targeted at larger projects than in 2023, with a minimum of €50,000 up to a maximum of €500,000 per project, thereby providing a real and tangible benefit to communities. Applications under the current round of funding can be submitted by Local Authorities across three phases, so as to allow flexibility and adequate engagement and collaboration on larger projects. The first phase for applications from Local Authorities closes on 31st May.
• €8.7 million in funding is allocated to the CLÁR 2024 programme. Measure 1 is administered by the Local Authorities that provides grants from €5,000 to €50,000 to support the development of community and sports facilities, youth clubs, playgrounds, sensory gardens, walking tracks and much more. This grant scheme is open.
• €16 million has been secured for the next iteration of the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) which is expected to be launched later this year. This scheme provides individual grants between €30,000 and €500,000 in funding for the development and enhancement of outdoor recreational infrastructure such as walking trails, cycleways and blue ways throughout rural Ireland. Local authorities are eligible to apply under all four Measures of the ORIS scheme.
• €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) since its inception. The TVRS is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. The priorities of the scheme are reviewed each year. The 2023 TVRS had a renewed focus on town centre economic and social vibrancy. The 2024 Scheme is scheduled to launch in October of this year.