Written Answers Nos. 287-290
287. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development what her Department has done in relation to the provision of multi annual funding for meals on wheels service providers to allow for planned growth in line with increasing demand; and the progress that has been made to date in relation to standardisation of funding across the sector. [14318/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's mission is to support vibrant and sustainable communities across this country, and in doing so to deliver on a wide range of strategic interventions, funding programmes and policies to support urban and rural communities.
Funding for meals-on-wheels providers may be available, subject to meeting eligibility criteria, through various funding strands managed by my Department as set out below:
- The Community Services Programme (CSP) supports over 2,000 positions in more than 420 community organisations to provide a vast range of local services through a social enterprise model. The CSP supports a range of services and activities that enhance the quality of life of older people and those most vulnerable within our communities, including the provision of meals within centres and via a meals-on-wheels service.
The CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager, focusing on communities where public and private sector services are lacking, either through geographical or social isolation or because demand levels are not sufficient.
A new call for applications under the Programme was announced on March 6th last. Pre-application support workshops are being rolled out to ensure organisations are fully equipped with the information that they need to apply for this funding. Organisations that wish to be notified about the workshops should contact csp@pobal.ie.
- The Community Enhancement Programme provides vital supports to community groups in disadvantaged areas across Ireland. The programme has provided over €43 million in funding for over 17,000 projects since 2018, with small grants for the improvement of facilities.
On 18th November last year, I launched the Community Support Fund with funding of €10 million. This fund, under the Community Enhancement Programme, is designed to assist community groups across the country with their energy/running costs, and will also provide funding for small capital works projects.
The Community Support Fund is being administered on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development locally by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority. Groups should contact their local LCDC for further details on the application process.
- LÁR : The 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.
The CLÁR 2022 programme awarded more than €12 million in funding for 292 projects. The 2023 Programme will be announced shortly and information in respect of the Measures to be funded will be published on my Department's website.
- Social Enterprise: Many community organisations and meals-on-wheels providers are social enterprises and may apply for any scheme run by my Department under the Dormant Accounts Fund (DAF) Social Enterprise Measure.
Past DAF schemes include small capital grants schemes and the Scaling-up Scheme for Social Enterprise. The DAF schemes are not currently open to applications however details of any forthcoming schemes will published on the DRCD website.
- LEADER : Funding may be available through the LEADER Programme which is a multi-annual programme delivered through 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) around the country.
Support under the LEADER programme is provided under a broad range of themes. In order for a project to be eligible for LEADER funding, it must be compatible with the actions outlined in the approved Local Development Strategy for the relevant LEADER area, and it must comply with the Operating Rules and EU Regulations in place for the programme.
Prospective applicants should, in the first instance, contact their relevant LAG, through its Implementing Partner, to discuss the eligibility of the project and the funding that may be available. The list of all Local Action Groups, their Implementing Partners and their contact details, is available on the Gov.ie website.
Queries relating to the application process for any of the programmes listed above can be forwarded directly to my Department and contact details can be found on the website gov.ie.
I would also encourage interested parties to stay in touch with their Local Development Company, their Local Community Development Committee and their Local Authority so that they are aware of grant schemes from across Government Departments and state agencies, as they become available.
288. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of meals on wheels services that were excluded from any measures introduced by this Government to meet the exceptional growth in the cost of electricity overheads. [14319/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Community and Voluntary Energy Support Scheme (CVESS), administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department, is providing once-off support to incorporated organisations and registered charities within the community and voluntary sector which fall outside the parameters of other energy support schemes being delivered by Government.
While Phase One of the CVESS closed on 2nd December, Phase two is now open with a streamlined application process. The closing date for the scheme is Friday, 24th March 2023. Further details are available on Pobal’s website.
I am pleased to have announced the first three tranches of successful applicants under Phase One, awarding over €705k to 552 organisations across the country. Payments have been issued directly into successful applicants' bank accounts, and a full list of recipients is available on Gov.ie. Further announcements of successful applicants will follow.
Applicant organisations are not required to specify service or programmes delivered in order to qualify for funding. Meals on Wheels services are not excluded from consideration and are eligible to apply for CVESS subject to meeting published criteria.
I can confirm that my Department has worked with the Department of Health to ensure that C&V organisations that are partly funded by the HSE/Department of Health under Section 39 (as some meals on wheels services may be) will receive the same levels of support towards energy costs as non-Section 39 organisations. Any relevant Section 39 organisation is now able to seek additional funding from the CVESS to meet any shortfall in the top-up funding they receive from the HSE or Department of Health, up to the level that is approved for other community and voluntary organisations, under the CVESS. Such organisations should apply in the normal manner.
A further support for community groups under my Department is the Community Support Fund. This fund, with funding of €10 million was launched on 18th November last. This is a new fund, under the Community Enhancement Programme, and is designed to assist community groups across the country, in light of the current rising energy costs.
The fund will deliver grants to help groups with rising energy and operational costs such as electricity bills and insurance costs. Groups can also use the funding to carry out small upgrade or refurbishment works and for the purchase of equipment which supports their activities such as laptops and printers, training equipment, tables, chairs etc.
The Community Support Fund is being administered locally by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) on behalf of my Department, with support from their Local Authority. Groups should contact their local LCDC for further details on the application process. Local authorities will be closing this fund on or before 31st March 2023.
My Department will continue to work with relevant stakeholders, including the community and voluntary sector, charities, local authorities and local development companies, to support community organisations across the country as they deal with the ongoing and emerging challenges. These Schemes are part of a range of supports introduced through Budget ’23 and everyone is encouraged to visit gov.ie/reduceyouruse to find out how they can make energy savings, where safe and possible to do so.
289. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide an update on the possibility of funding a remote working hub at Moate, County Westmeath as part of the town centre first policy. [13991/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraOur Rural Future, the Government's rural development policy for 2021-2025, places a clear emphasis on the transformative effect that remote working can have for rural communities. It also prioritises the revitalisation of rural towns and villages and recognises the importance of addressing the issue of vacant buildings in this regard.
A key deliverable under Our Rural Future was the publication in 2022 of Town Centre First - A Policy Approach for Irish Towns . This represents a whole of Government policy which aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres.
My Department operates a number of schemes which directly support the development of remote working hubs in towns and villages across rural Ireland, and significant funding has been invested to this end under schemes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
For example, last December I announced funding of €27m to a range of successful projects under the 2022 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, many of which included the development of remote working facilities. This announcement also included funding to bring the old Fire Station in Moate town centre, which has laid vacant for many years, back into use as a multi-purpose space for community use by the Moate Action Group.
In 2022 I also launched a new Building Acquisition Measure as part of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme to support local authorities to purchase vacant and derelict buildings in for future development as community facilities, including remote working.
Each year the priorities of the rural development schemes are reviewed by my officials and I expect to be in a position to announce details of the 2023 schemes shortly. I am committed to ensuring that the development of remote working hubs can continue to make a real impact in addressing issues of building vacancy and town regeneration across rural Ireland.
290. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will provide data, if available, on the qualification levels (details supplied) of civil servants in her Department as of 31 December 2022; how educational attainment levels have evolved in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14634/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is committed to building workforce capability through encouraging and supporting staff development.
One way the department supports staff is through the Refund of Fees scheme that provides financial support and special leave arrangements for staff studying for a recognised academic or professional qualification in their own time. Whilst my department holds records of those qualifications obtained under the scheme, it would not typically hold detailed information of the educational attainments of all our officers. Individual officers are not obliged to give this information but have the option to record their own qualifications on the OneLearning platform which is used by staff to manage their training needs.
My Department did conduct a skills audit in May 2021 where staff were surveyed about their work experience, training and educational qualifications. 70% of the department's staff completed the survey with 74% of respondents stating that they hold a third level qualification. The skills survey is continually open for new submissions and new entrants are requested to complete it.
The current details of NFQ (National Framework of Qualifications) levels and number of staff who hold these, based on the Department's skills audit, are detailed below.
|
NFQ Level |
No. of staff |
|
6 |
17 |
|
7 |
5 |
|
8 |
20 |
|
9 |
32 |
|
10 |
3 |
