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Departmental Strategies

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 September 2019

Tuesday, 17 September 2019

Questions (604)

Dara Calleary

Question:

604. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the proposed annual budget line for strategies (details supplied); and if a funding provision will be made in budget 2020 for the strategies. [37321/19]

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Written answers

The two strategies which the Deputy refers to were published in July and August of this year and will support social enterprises and the community and voluntary sector respectively.

The social enterprise policy will help to create an enabling environment for social enterprise to grow and contribute to Ireland’s social and economic progress.  

My Department provides ongoing support for social enterprises from the Dormant Accounts Fund, through a €2 million per annum Social Enterprise measure, and through the Social Enterprise Development Fund administered by Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI).  This Fund is a €1.6 million fund to be delivered over the three-year period 2018-2020.  My Department has contributed €800,000 towards the Fund, on a match-funding basis with SIFI.

My Department also supports social enterprises through a number of other programmes including the Community Services Programme (CSP), SICAP, and LEADER.  

The Strategy to support the Community and Voluntary sector in Ireland will set a general direction of travel for Government policy in relation to community development, local development and the community and voluntary sector over the period 2019-2024.  It will be implemented in partnership with sectoral stakeholders over the strategy period and beyond.

The strategy will entail far-reaching changes across Government and the community and voluntary sector and will require an incremental building of supports over the strategy period and beyond. This will be particularly the case for those actions requiring larger scale sustained funding support.

My Department's allocations to support both of the strategies in 2020 will be considered as part of the forthcoming Estimates process.

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