Written Answers Nos. 410-421
411. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of funding that she has set aside for the community centre support scheme for 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63052/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and I was delighted to secure €20 million in funding under Budget 2023 to continue the Community Centres Investment Fund.
This builds on the €15 million which was announced under the fund in 2022. The huge interest in this fund shows how important community centres are for communities throughout Ireland. This Government is committed to providing funding to improve and upgrade these centres which will allow them to continue to provide services for communities to come together.
On October 12th, I announced over €12.5 million in funding for 580 successful Category 1 applicants. On December 8th, I was delighted to announce a further €33 million in funding for 278 successful Category 2 and 3 applicants. Details of the successful applicants are available on my Department’s website.
It is intended that the 2023 fund will be targeted for new build community centres. The details of this scheme are currently being developed by officials within my Department and I hope to announce further details in quarter 1 of 2023.
412. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps that she is taking to assist private sector employers to support employees working from home and digital co-working hubs in local towns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58140/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOur Rural Future, Ireland’s Rural Development Policy, was published in March 2021. The policy recognises the opportunity for rural rejuvenation that remote working presents and commits to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by 2025.
In furtherance of this commitment, my Department’s focus to date has been on strategically developing the National Hub Network, the Network's shared online booking platform connectedhubs.ie, adding capacity to Ireland's existing remote working infrastructure, and supporting the establishment of new hubs.
There are currently 298 remote and co-working facilities across the country on-boarded to the connectedhubs.ie platform. This number is growing all the time meaning we are well on track to meet our target of 400 remote working hubs nationwide by 2025. The network includes a diverse range of hubs and services, thus facilitating companies of different sizes. The attached table provides a breakdown of the 298 hubs by county (including hubs that have been mapped and identified to join the network).
My department has invested approximately €150 million to support the establishment, improvement and sustainability of hubs, through schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. Within this funding, approximately €14 million was allocated to almost 200 projects via the Connected Hubs Call in 2021 and 2022. This allowed for additional remote working capacity to be added to digital hubs (and Broadband Connection Points (BCPs)) throughout the country.
To date my focus has been on establishing the Network, on achieving this initial critical mass and on raising awareness of the Network to relevant stakeholders, including SMEs/business owners and new hub users. Following strong progress on the establishment phase of the project, my focus has now shifted to the next stage of development. To this end, officials at my department and their colleagues across government departments will begin drafting of a National Hubs Strategy.
I am also pleased to say that the connectedhubs.ie team have for some time been developing a corporate service to engage with and support corporate clients interested in using our nationwide Network to accommodate their employees, but also to gain access to the vast pool of talent that Ireland has to offer, whether those talented people live in our cities, towns, villages or rural parishes. I believe that this work represents significant opportunities for employers of all sizes to leverage the National Hub Network directly.
I have always been clear that balanced regional development, sustainable and thriving communities, and indeed the wider national economy will all benefit from workers and employers embracing the remote working revolution. Hubs, whether enterprise or community focused, draw employers and employees to areas of innovation and opportunity, including rural communities.
I am committed to ensuring that the National Hub Network will continue to make a central contribution to the achievement of the Government's vision for rural Ireland, as set out in Our Rural Future.
TABLE 1 – Connectedhubs.ie - Remote Working Hubs by County (as of the 12th of December 2022)
|
Live on the connectedhubs.ie platform |
Mapped to be invited to join the connectedhubs.ie platform |
Total |
|
|
Carlow |
5 |
8 |
13 |
|
Cavan |
7 |
7 |
14 |
|
Clare |
13 |
10 |
23 |
|
Cork |
30 |
16 |
46 |
|
Donegal |
15 |
18 |
33 |
|
Dublin |
46 |
35 |
81 |
|
Galway |
24 |
31 |
54 |
|
Kerry |
19 |
9 |
28 |
|
Kildare |
8 |
6 |
14 |
|
Kilkenny |
3 |
7 |
10 |
|
Laois |
4 |
7 |
11 |
|
Leitrim |
9 |
17 |
26 |
|
Limerick |
13 |
13 |
26 |
|
Longford |
4 |
6 |
10 |
|
Louth |
8 |
9 |
17 |
|
Mayo |
22 |
18 |
40 |
|
Meath |
6 |
17 |
23 |
|
Monaghan |
6 |
9 |
15 |
|
Offaly |
6 |
11 |
17 |
|
Roscommon |
8 |
14 |
22 |
|
Sligo |
6 |
8 |
14 |
|
Tipperary |
10 |
21 |
31 |
|
Waterford |
8 |
10 |
18 |
|
Westmeath |
3 |
10 |
13 |
|
Wexford |
7 |
10 |
17 |
|
Wicklow |
8 |
3 |
11 |
|
Total |
298 |
332 |
630 |
413. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will outline all the actions that her Department has taken across various sectors to revitalise rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56912/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department continues to play a critical role in supporting communities across the country in both rural and urban Ireland. My Department’s focus is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. This mission is set out in our Statement of Strategy 2021 to 2023.
Substantial progress has been made by my Department in delivering programmes and policy interventions for communities across rural Ireland. This has ensured that our existing supports and funding is directed to best support communities, particularly in respect of the emerging challenges of Brexit, Climate Action and Covid-19.
My Department delivers a wide range of strategic interventions and funding programmes to support rural communities throughout the country. This funding includes supports for rural areas through schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, LEADER Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, Local Improvement Scheme, CLÁR Programme, Islands Capital Programme, and Connected Hubs initiative. This targeted investment supports rural regeneration, facilitates new working opportunities, and fosters regional enterprise growth.
Our Rural Future, published last year, is the Irish Government’s blueprint for a post-COVID-19 recovery and development of rural Ireland over the period 2020 - 2025. It provides the framework to achieve the vision of transforming the quality of life and opportunity for people living in rural areas. Since publication, implementation of measures continues to be strong.
Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A five-year strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland, published in August 2019, sets out how Government will support the sector in the years to come and aims to provide communities with both the means and opportunity to be involved in decisions that affect them. With actions to be implemented to 2024, the Strategy sets a general direction of travel for government policy in relation to the community development, local development and the community and voluntary sectors for the years ahead.
Ireland’s first National Social Enterprise Policy, published in July 2019, focuses on building awareness of Social Enterprise, growing and strengthening Social Enterprise, and achieving better policy alignment. Implementation of measures contained in the policy is ongoing and the 4th National Social Enterprise Conference took place last month.
Our Public Libraries 2022: Inspiring, Connecting and Empowering Communities is an ambitious strategy to develop the public library service over the period 2018 - 2022. The strategy was developed by my Department, the County and City Management Association and the Local Government Management Agency. Building on technological and service innovations of recent years, it focuses on improving access, use and visibility of the public library and establishing it as the go-to place for a range of sustainable, integrated public services.
The Town Centre First policy was launched in February 2022. It was developed jointly by my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings.
Other achievements include the National Volunteering Strategy 2021 – 2025 which sets out a long-term vision for volunteering and volunteers with a series of implementation actions underway.
Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, Ireland’s first ever National Outdoor Recreation Strategy was launched last month. It will set the stage to strengthen and support the sustainable development of the outdoor recreation sector in Ireland for years to come bringing huge economic and health benefits to communities across the country.
Work is also continuing on the development of the new Islands Policy as set out in the Programme for Government and a draft Irish National Policy on Philanthropy will be published next year for public consultation.
I am confident that the funding supports and policies provided by my Department will continue to deliver tangible benefits for both urban and rural communities, supporting economic development, and enabling the local and community development sectors to continue to provide valuable much needed services and supports to all communities throughout the country.
414. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the funding that is available for community groups for electric buses for rural communities. [62838/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe CLÁR Programme provides funding for small-scale projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. Since the programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures. CLÁR has made significant investments at community level the length and breadth of the country. Funding of over €57 million has been approved for almost 2,100 projects since its re-launch in 2016.
This year's CLÁR programme was launched in February with a total budget of €7 million. This represents an increase of €1.5 million on the budget for the 2021 CLÁR programme. The measures funded under CLÁR 2022 were:
- Measure 1: Developing Community Facilities and Amenities
- Measure 2: Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport
- Measure 3: ‘Our Islands’
The 2022 CLÁR programme is now closed for all measures. Announcements on successful applications under all three measures have been made and these details can be found on my Department’s website.
Electric buses were eligible for funding under Measures 2 and 3 of the CLÁR 2022 programme.
Measure 2 was open to established organisations and groups that operate on a voluntary basis and provide transport to and from day care, and other medical, therapy or respite services for those with significant mobility issues including requiring specialised wheelchair accessible vehicles or transport to and from designated cancer treatment hospitals or centres under the National Cancer Care Programme, Community First Response Support or Search and Rescue organisations.
Measure 3 was open to established organisations/groups that operate on a voluntary basis on our inhabited off shore Islands.
The Measures to be included in the next CLÁR programme will be reviewed again in advance of the next iteration of the programme.
415. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when individual groups (details supplied) will receive the €2,000 grant to help with running costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62849/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn November this year, I was delighted to announce funding of €800,000 to support Men’s Sheds throughout the country.
The initiative will see grants of up to €2,000 provided to over 400 Men’s Sheds nationwide to assist them with running costs such as electricity or insurance bills.
The individual grants will be distributed to the over 400 Men’s Sheds via its representative body, the Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA). Sheds should contact the IMSA for further details.
Separately, Men's Sheds can also apply for funding under the recently announced Community Support Fund (CSF). This €10m fund was set up to help small community groups with their energy/running costs but will also provide funding for small capital works projects. The fund is being administered by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) on behalf of my Department and interested groups should contact their local LCDC directly for further information.
416. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the roll-out of free Wi-Fi in public spaces. [62503/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWiFi4EU is an initiative funded by the European Commission and co-funded in Ireland by my Department. The initiative aims to support the development of wireless broadband by providing a high-quality internet service, free of charge, in public spaces such as main streets, public parks, libraries, museums, and other public areas of high footfall.
Under the WiFi4EU scheme, local authorities applied through a competitive process to secure vouchers worth €15,000 each to install Wi-Fi hotspots within their municipalities.
Ireland’s local authorities could apply for up to 4 vouchers each throughout the lifetime of the initiative. Local authorities must install a minimum of 10 access points per voucher. Depending on the location chosen, one or more access point may be required in that location.
Our local authorities have secured 114 vouchers out of a maximum of 124 vouchers available, which makes Ireland one of the most successful countries to take part in the scheme. 30 of the 31 local authorities secured vouchers under the scheme.
My department is providing co-funding of up to €15,000 for each voucher secured by the local authorities, effectively doubling the value of the investment.
To date, my department has provided total funding of €1,131,456 to support this initiative.
It is estimated that over 1,300 WiFi hotspots could be installed at locations across the country under the WiFi4EU initiative when completed.
To date, over 1,170 hotspots are ‘live’ across 27 local authority areas.
417. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the degree to which she expects to continue to support community investment throughout County Kildare in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62984/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra427. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she expects to be in position to offer grant assistance to appropriately-qualified groups throughout County Kildare in 2023, with particular reference to the community and voluntary sectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62994/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra430. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which her Department has identified specific local initiatives in County Kildare worthy of support by her Department since its inception; her ongoing proposals in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62997/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 417, 427 and 430 together.
My Department continues to play a critical role in supporting communities across the country in both rural and urban Ireland, including in County Kildare. The mission of my Department is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. This mission is set out in our Statement of Strategy 2021 to 2023.
Local community groups and organisations in Kildare have been supported since the establishment of my Department and will continue to be able to access supports next year. Schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Local Improvement Scheme, LEADER, the Community Centre Investment Fund, the Community Services Programme and Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme will all ensure that the communities in Kildare will continue to be supported. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that to date in 2022, County Kildare has been allocated more than €8 million in supports from my Department.
Substantial progress has been made since 2020, in delivering programmes and policy interventions efficiently and effectively for rural Ireland and communities. This has ensured that our existing supports and funding is directed to best support communities. This will continue into 2023.
418. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she and her Department continue to have dialogue with urban or rural-based groups, with a view to identifying deprivation or concerns which may need her intervention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62985/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe mission of the Department of Rural and Community Development is to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. The Department is in ongoing contact with local and community groups through the local structures such as Public Participation Network (PPN). The focus of the PPN is to empower and assist groups to participate in local decision making. This facilitates a two-way flow of information between the Local Authority and community groups. The Department also remains in close and constant contact with bodies that represent the local development and community and voluntary sectors.
My Department has a number of programmes that focus on improving the lives of people experiencing disadvantage, for example the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, SICAP. This is our country’s primary social inclusion programme, providing funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion at a local level through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies. It is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies (LDCs) who work with the most disadvantaged and the hardest to reach in communities.
The current iteration of SICAP began on 1 January 2018 and will run until the end of 2023. My officials have begun the process of developing a new iteration of SICAP which will begin in 2024 which includes an independent review of the current programme and stakeholder consultation to inform the next programme iteration.
419. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the full extent of funding allocated to various groups throughout the country under the schemes available through her Department in the past three years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62986/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra425. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of community development initiatives funded by her Department throughout the country in the past twelve months; her expectations in this regard in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62992/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 419 and 425 together.
My Department delivers a wide range of strategic interventions, funding programmes, policies and initiatives to support urban and rural communities throughout the country.
My Department allocated funding of €323.3 million in 2020, €330.7 million in 2021, and €349.8 million in 2022 to date, across a wide range of funding schemes.
This funding included supports for rural areas through community based schemes such as: the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, LEADER Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, Local Improvement Scheme, CLÁR Programme, Islands Capital Programme, and Connected Hubs initiative. This targeted investment supports rural regeneration, facilitates new working opportunities, and fosters regional enterprise growth.
My Department also continues to invest in, and support, communities across the country through our wide range of schemes such as, amongst others, the Community Centres Investment Fund, the Community Services Programme, Community & Voluntary Supports programme, Community Activities Fund, Community Enhancement Programme, Empowering Communities Fund and the Scheme to Support National Organisations.
All my Department’s supports and policies are underpinned by extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. This engagement process provides important insights into issues impacting on communities and assists my Department in identifying and responding to emerging needs.
Budget 2023 provides a 4% increase in my Department’s allocation, which will deliver significant support for rural and community development next year. Funding of €393 million has been made available, with €201 million for rural development, €187 million for community development, and €5 million for the Charities Regulatory Authority.
Details of funding available for the coming year will be made available as programmes are launched in 2023, and details of funding calls will be made available on my Department’s website.
420. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which all regions throughout the country continue to be the subject matter of examination by her Department, with a view to addressing issues of deprivation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62987/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThrough extensive contact with local authorities, local development companies and community development organisations across the country, my Department seeks to be constantly aware of issues of disadvantage and delivers many programmes and schemes that target disadvantage is a targeted way.
For example, my Department has responsibility for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion programme. The programme provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion at a local level through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies.
SICAP is managed at a local level by 33 Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), with support from local authorities. It is implemented nationally by 46 Local Development Companies (LDCs) across 51 areas (Lots).
Earlier this year, my Department launched the Empowering Communities Programme (ECP), a €2 million programme aimed at specifically targeting area-based deprivation through a community development approach. The ECP focuses on 14 small areas identified throughout the country using the Pobal HP deprivation index which are experiencing significant disadvantage. The areas selected provide a broad geographic spread and the ECP programme will focus on these small areas as the target population for the intervention.
The Pobal HP Deprivation Index, informed by census data, enables Government to more effectively target resources and services to the most disadvantaged and is a vital tool for many Government Departments, including my Department. My officials work closely with Pobal to ensure the available data is used when allocating funds to schemes and programmes.
421. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which various recreational walk schemes throughout the country continue to be expanded by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62988/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Walks Scheme, which is funded by my Department, contracts landholders to undertake maintenance work on National Waymarked Ways and other priority trails that traverse their lands. The landholders receive modest payments for maintenance work undertaken in line with agreed work plans. There are currently 55 trails with 2,250 landholders being supported on the Walks Scheme.
In September 2021, I announced approval in principle of 31 new trails to join the Walks Scheme. This fulfils the commitment in the Programme for Government and Our Rural Future to double the number of trails on the Scheme to 80 trails. These trails are being formally brought onto the scheme by Local Development Companies (LDCs) who deliver the Walks Scheme locally and who are developing work plans for each of the individual landholders involved. To date 9 of the 31 new trails have been added to the Scheme and work is progressing to bring the remaining trails on.
On 28th November I was delighted to launch Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors 2023 - 2027, the new five year National Outdoor Recreation Strategy in Castlecomer Discovery Park, Co Kilkenny. The Strategy acknowledges the essential role that landowners play in facilitating permissive access to their lands while acknowledging that this goodwill and the legal rights of the landowner must be respected by all recreational users.
A key action for the Strategy is to expand the Walks Scheme to 150. I will examine this further expansion of the Scheme once all 31 trails that were approved in September 2021 are progressed.
An expression of interest process will be opened for new trails in advance of any further expansion of the scheme. Trails that are eligible for inclusion in the Walks Scheme are those that are registered with Sport Ireland and covered by the Sport Ireland trail insurance policy.
Details of the trails on the Scheme are available on my Department's website.
I also recently announced funding of almost €14m under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), which will see the development of 59 outdoor recreation amenities including walking and hiking trails. This latest investment will take cumulative ORIS funding to €106 million since the Scheme was launched in 2016.
