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Community Development Initiatives

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 October 2019

Wednesday, 23 October 2019

Questions (191)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

191. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the way in which the expenditure Estimates in Vote 42 of Budget 2020 will enable his Department to fully implement the strategy for the community and voluntary sector in Ireland and the first national social enterprise policy for Ireland during 2020. [43721/19]

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Written answers

In August 2019, I launched Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. This followed the publication of Ireland's first National Social Enterprise Policy in July.

While I acknowledge that the delivery of some of the actions outlined in these important policy initiatives will take time, I am fully committed to achieving the objectives set out in both.

The Strategy sets out a long-term vision for our communities in Ireland and will entail far-reaching changes across Government and the community and voluntary sector. The Strategy was co-produced by Government and the Community and Voluntary Sector through a Cross Sectoral Group (CSG) established for that purpose. The implementation of actions in the Strategy is subject to an annual work planning process and my Department is currently reviewing the membership of the Cross Sectoral Group (CSG) to ensure appropriate stakeholder participation during Strategy implementation. The group will advise and support the annual work planning process and I envisage the first meeting of this CSG will take place in December next.

The National 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 has an allocation of €291 million in 2019, of which €148 million is allocated to the community development programme. Budget 2020 provided for an increase in my Department's budget of €17 million which I intend to use for targeted measures across the rural and community development areas.

The breakdown of the €308 million Budget 2020 allocation for DRCD will fall to be considered in the context of the Revised Estimates 2020 to be published in December by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. However, the funding will allow me to continue the existing level of strong support for community development programmes. Furthermore, I expect to be able to increase supports for the community development area as follows:

- an increase in funding to the PEACE programme of €2million, to €7million. This programme is particularly important given current uncertainty surrounding Brexit. It is designed to promote positive relations and social cohesion in the cross border region. The total value of the programme is approximately €270 million (85% funded by the EU).

- a €3 million package of targeted supports for the community and voluntary sector, and organisations and individuals in disadvantaged communities

- an additional €1.5 million across the SICAP and CSP (€43.2 million and €46.2 million respectively in 2019) to fund some new organisations and to provide targeted supports for disadvantaged communities.

- €1.2 million to support the implementation of measures in the Strategy for Community and Voluntary Sector development in Ireland, which will include enhanced supports for the structures which drive local engagement in decision making - the Public Participation Networks and Local Community Development Committees.

In respect of social enterprise, my Department provides ongoing support of €2 million per annum through the Social Enterprise measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund, and through the Social Enterprise Development Fund administered by Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI).  The latter 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.  

In additional to these supports, I intend to provide an additional allocation of €300,000 in 2020 for the development and implementation of the National Social Enterprise Policy and the forthcoming Rural Development policy which will succeed the Action Plan for Rural Development at the end of this year. The funding will be additional to the Dormant Accounts Fund and will support initiatives such as raising awareness of social enterprises and developing a methodology to measure the economic and social impact of social enterprises in Ireland. 

Overall, the allocation made available to me in Budget 2020 will ensure continued delivery of the strong existing suite of community development measures; and allow additional targeted resources to support further delivery of actions within both the strategy and social enterprise policy.

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