I congratulate Deputy Clendennen on his election. The local enhancement programme is targeted towards enhancing facilities in disadvantaged communities identified in local economic and community plans. The programme seeks to provide small grants to a wide and diverse range of local community groups, to assist with the purchase of equipment and improvements or repairs to their facilities. Deputy Clendennen, as a former chair of the LCDC in his county, and being centrally leading in the administration of the LEP in Offaly, will recognise that 113 projects and 13 women's organisation to the tune of €186,553 were approved last year in Offaly. I thank Deputy Clendennen for his work on that. The funding is administered locally by local community development committees across the country, with support from their local authorities. As Minister of State with responsibility for community, along with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, we fully understand and recognise that community and voluntary organisations are at the heart of our country. We see it every day and we look at our Members across these Houses who advocate and support our community groups, and it is very important to what we do. Since 2018, €65.9 million has been provided in funding for the programme, under various iterations, supporting over 23,000 community groups and organisations. The 2025 local enhancement programme is a €7 million fund launched in November of last year. The funding consists of €6 million in capital supports and a further €1 million in current funding for community groups to assist with their energy and running costs. The funding can be used to support parish halls, community centres, local development associations, social clubs, senior citizens' groups, men's sheds, women's sheds and much more. The local enhancement programme is designed to ensure that local priorities are identified and met. Given the local focus of the programme, the local community development committees are best placed to assess whether projects address local priorities and are targeted at addressing areas of disadvantage.
Sentiment score: 0.33
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an mhéid a dúirt sé mar gheall ar an Roinn. My Department provides guidance to the local community development committees on the eligibility criteria. The guidelines require projects to be in keeping with the ethos of the programme. The Government is very much aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary groups and we are very much committed to supporting them. Both the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I will work with community development committees to ensure that they qualify but also that we support them because, as I said, they are at the core of what we do in our towns and villages and in our rural and urban areas and they play a critical role. We would be lost without them as a country.
Sentiment score: 0.17
Pobal has, as the Deputy knows, independently assessed the community centre investment fund. Information will be given back to the community centres in question and I will talk to the Deputy further after that. As regards Deputy Clendennen's point, the idea of the portal is a good idea. He is right that people move on and there is a lacuna then and a burden of administration placed on the voluntary effort. I will talk to Deputy Clendennen with the Minister, Deputy Calleary, about the suggestion of the online portal because it is good and deserves merit.
Sentiment score: 0.14