2026-02-05

14. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht his plans to reopen the shovel ready community centre scheme. [8050/26]

Will the Minister update the House on his plans to reopen the shovel-ready community centre scheme? This is a really important scheme for communities and it must be reopened.

We had a very good discussion earlier and I agree with the Deputy about the importance of the community centre investment fund, CCIF, which was introduced to provide high-quality, accessible community spaces available to all groups in communities. Some €110 million has been allocated since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of 12 new centres in areas around the country where a need was identified. The 2023 community centre investment fund was opened specifically for those groups striving to build their own community centre. That scheme provided funding of up to €6 million for new community centres on greenfield or brownfield sites. Over €30 million was approved for the construction of 12 new community centres under the scheme. These projects involve considerable levels of investment but will have a transformational impact in the communities in which they are located. I have visited and made it a priority to engage with these projects and I am delighted to say that seven of the 12 projects have received final approval. They have appointed contractors, with the remaining five progressing through tender and design stage. My priority in relation to this element of the scheme is to ensure those projects progress to completion and that communities will begin to see the real benefits of the investment. My focus for 2026 is to deliver a CCIF round to support the refurbishment work on existing community centres. There are hundreds of community groups out there that want enhancement works for their facilities. I understand that at the same time, there are areas that require a new centre. While my immediate focus is on delivering refurbishment this year, it is my intention to direct further iterations of funding towards support for new-build projects. I also note that there are substantial levels of investment under way in community facilities through LEADER and the town and village renewal scheme. I would particularly direct the Deputy there if he has projects in mind in regard to the building acquisitions measure and also the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF.

I welcome the investment in existing community centres in order to refurbish them. A lot of them are just old and need investment. I support that but I am very disappointed by the Minister's lack of commitment to reopening the shovel-ready projects scheme that was there. I have a few examples. The Fairfield community association is operating out of a house it owns in Fairfield. It deals with hundreds of children and different groups. It is an area that has been promised a community centre for 30 years. The volunteers are doing Trojan work. They have done a site survey and put plans together but their real fear, and my fear, is that when they are ready to go, the funding will not be available for this project. These are volunteers. Where is the support? There is one other thing I will ask the Minister to really take on board. Should we have supports to help communities because these are volunteers putting these plans together? I refer to, maybe, a one-stop shop where communities can come together when planning for their centres, whether it is meeting new specifications or delivering new centres. Communities need support.

There are supports available but the Deputy has given me an idea to think about in terms of centralising some of the supports there. In regard to the new-builds in particular, I am anxious to ensure the ones that were announced are up and running. We will take the lessons of those and put them into somewhere for communities to assist in bringing new builds on. The new builds programme is a priority because I understand there are many communities that need a new-build facility. I assure the Deputy it is a priority for me and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, during our term in the Department, that we will have another round of new builds. The work the Deputy just described is the kind of work that needs to be under way now to prepare for an application process in terms of getting all those pieces together. Many of the new builds we are working on have been done in association with either local authorities or local development companies, which also have the expertise to assist community groups in doing that. I can give the Deputy some information as to what local groups can support in terms of providing that skill and expertise. The Deputy has given me an idea there and we will work on that in regard to a resource for communities.

The Minister is expecting volunteers who work with kids in the community to be planners, engineers, administrators or negotiators. If they are trying to get a project over the line, it all falls on the volunteers. We have another situation in St. Joseph's Community Centre in Mayfield. That has now passed planning so this will bring a state-of-the-art library and community centre to Mayfield but there is no funding there for it. It lost out on the library capital programme, so there is no funding and now the shovel-ready projects scheme is closed. Where does St. Joseph's Community Centre in Mayfield and its library go? It is at risk of its planning running out before the money becomes available. I am not trying to be political here but the facts are that places like Fairfield and Mayfield have been underinvested in. They feel forgotten about. Will the Minister give a commitment to both Fairfield and St. Joseph's that the funding will be available when they are ready?

I cannot give commitments on the floor of the House to specific groups without seeing the detail. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, is engaging and working hard with the Mayfield community in particular. We have substantially transformed the funding opportunities available for libraries in recent years. That funding is available through local authorities and working in partnership with local authorities. I can assure the Deputy in relation to investment in community centres. The investment in the refurbishment is very important. As we discussed earlier, this has resulted in a 90% increase in usage in existing facilities. In regard to new builds, I am very focused on delivering the current plans but also on opening up a new funding round for new builds. We will work to assist communities in terms of the knowledge and work necessary to prepare for that application process. That is work that will be worthwhile when we get to opening that particular scheme. I assure the Deputy the Government and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer and I are very focused on backing and supporting community ambition.