Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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708. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the Exchequer amount allocated between current and capital allocations in 2024 and 2025 to schemes and programmes (details supplied) in her Department, in tabular form. [41247/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Exchequer funding allocations provided to my Department are detailed each year in the Revised Estimate Volume. The 2024 Revised Estimate, which presents the figures in tabular form, is available here: www.gov.ie/en/collection/e20037-revised-estimates/ . It should be noted that the announcement of funding under each scheme takes place in the context of our multiannual funding envelopes, with funding announced in one year often being paid out in subsequent years as projects are delivered on the ground. The allocations made in the Revised Estimate for each year reflect expected demands under each area during the year, with funding potentially being moved between schemes depending on demand as the year progresses. Furthermore, as actual expenditure levels materialise, funding may be re-allocated across sub-heads through either virement or technical supplementary to deal with emerging priorities.

Budget 2025 saw my Department’s overall budget increase from €431 million in 2024 to €472 million in 2025. This represents a 9% increase on the previous year and demonstrates the Government’s continued commitment to both Our Rural Future, and to supporting vital programmes which address social exclusion and community development needs. This €472 million in funding for 2025 will provide €212 million for rural development and €260 million for community development activities, continuing to breathe new life into towns and villages and support the social and economic development of rural and urban communities. The Revised Estimate 2025, which will be published in December 2025, will provide the voted allocations for each funding areas. However, indicative plans for 2025 funds are available here: www.gov.ie/en/press-release/ab0cf-budget-2025-ministers-humphreys-and-joe-obrien-deliver-472-million-for-rural-and-community-development/ . These funding plans remain subject to change until the Revised Estimate 2025 is published and voted upon.

With regard to 2024 funding allocations for the specific schemes referenced:

• The A.4 Rural and Regional Supports sub-head has total funding of €17 million in current funding and €22.82 million in capital funding. This includes indicative capital funding of €13 million for LIS in 2024 and €8.7 million for CLAR in 2024. Within the current funding available, €8 million is provided for the walks scheme and related supports. Funding of €1 million was announced to support Agricultural shows.
• The A.5 LEADER sub-head has a capital allocation of €44 million for 2024.
• The A.6 Rural Regeneration and Development sub-head has total capital funding of €95 million for 2024, with indicative allocations of €60 million for the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, €19 million for Town and Village Renewal, and €16 million for the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. Exact expenditure on each scheme will reflect progress on the projects approved over recent years.
• The B.11 sub-head has an allocation of €21 million with an indicative €16 million for the Community Centre Investment Fund and €5 million for small capital grants under the Community Enhancement/Local Enhancement Programme. Again final expenditure may differ from these estimates.
• The B.10 Library Development sub-head has an allocation of €1.1 million in current funding and €6.6 million in capital funding for 2024.
• The B.8 PEACE programme subhead has an allocation of €4.3m in current funding and €1.5m in capital funding.
• The B.14 Community Recognition Fund sub-head has an allocation of €10 million in capital funding for 2024, which is in addition to €20 million carried forward from 2023 for use in 2024.
• The B.12 Community Services Programme sub-head has a current allocation of €52.4 million for 2024.
• The B.4 Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme and other supports sub-head mainly funds the SICAP programme, but with funding for other social inclusion initiatives and dog control is also within that area. For 2024 the SICAP programme has €51 million in core funding allocated, with an additional €10 million in non-core funding in the context of supporting new arrivals and the communities welcoming those arrivals. The dog control area has €0.6 million in current funding allocated from this sub-head.
• The B.3 subhead is for Supports for the Community and Voluntary Sectors, with €21 million available in 2024.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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709. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the current and capital allocation in 2024 and 2025 to the implementation of strategies (details supplied), in tabular form. [41249/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Our Rural Future is the Governments policy for rural development, with actions right across Government to support the rural economy and rural communities. Within my Department the policy is underpinned by funding for both the rural development programme and the community development programme, the latter of which supports projects and schemes in both rural and urban communities.

The Revised Estimate 2024 provides my Department with total gross funding of €431 million, with €205 million allocated for the rural development programme and €226 million for the community development programme. I am delighted to have secured a 9% increase in funding through Budget 2025, and the Department will have a gross allocation of €472 million for 2025. The funding will provide €212 million for rural development and €260 million for community development activities. This will continue to breathe new life into towns and villages and support the social and economic development of the rural and urban communities including the islands. It should be noted schemes such as the Community Centre Investment Fund, Libraries Development, the Community Services Programme and the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, which are funded under the Community Development Programme, impact both rural and urban communities.

With regard to Our Living Islands, this is also a whole of Government policy, with my Department leading on the area. Specific funding of €15 million is available for the islands area in 2024, with €10 million in current funding and €5 million in capital funding. This aims to support connectivity through subsidised transport services and infrastructure development, along with allowing overall policy co-ordination to support and sustain communities on our islands. While the 2025 allocations are yet to be finalised, I envisage an additional €1 million in current funding to support transport services to the islands. Recently, I have also introduced island-specific measures under other funding schemes within my Department, such as CLÁR and Town and Village Renewal.

The exact funding allocations for 2025 will be published in the Revised Estimate Volume 2025, in December. Indicative details of how it is planned to utilise that funding are available here: www.gov.ie/en/press-release/ab0cf-budget-2025-ministers-humphreys-and-joe-obrien-deliver-472-million-for-rural-and-community-development/ . The funding allocations for my Department for 2024 and 2025, at programme level, are detailed in the tables below:

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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711. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide a breakdown of all current and capital funding to Dublin’s northeast inner-city initiative in 2024 and 2025, in tabular form. [41251/24]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Government committed €7.5 million to the North East Inner City (NEIC) Initiative for 2024.

The NEIC Programme Implementation Board meet monthly to oversee implementation of the Mulvey Report and the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, including funding proposals and allocations. Final funding allocations for 2024 will be completed before the end of the year.

The Programme Implementation Board publish an annual progress report which includes a breakdown of the Initiative’s spending throughout the year. These progress reports, from 2017 – 2023, are available on the Initiative’s website, . The 2024 Annual Report will be published towards the end of this year.

The Revised Estimate 2025, which will be published in December 2025, will provide the voted allocations for each funding area of my Department. While, in general, the Department’s funding plans remain subject to change prior to finalising REV 2025, funding for the Dublin northeast inner-city initiative will remain at €7.5 million for 2025, with an indicative split of €2.267 million capital and €5.233 million current.