Written Answers Nos. 128-137
128. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to outline his ambitions to support the rural road network under the LIS scheme in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55309/25]
View answerThe Local Improvement Scheme or LIS is a key support to rural communities in improving non-public rural roads and laneways that are not typically maintained by local authorities. Since 2017, the government has provided almost €184 million to local authorities under the Scheme.
On 7th August last, I was delighted to announce €14 million in additional funding for the 2025 scheme. This brings the total amount invested in LIS in 2025 to €30 million.
Cork County Council’s original allocation for 2025 was €1.163m and, following the August 2025 additional allocation, it now had a full year allocation of €2.331m. This is the second highest allocation nationally. My officials have engaged closely with local authorities to ensure this LIS funding is fully utilised.
I am committed to continuing the Local Improvement Scheme. The 2026 Scheme is expected to be launched early next year and the provisions will be reviewed in advance to ensure it is managed as fairly and efficiently as possible. This will allow local authorities to plan and manage their resources in an effective manner. Details of the 2026 LIS, including county allocations and the scheme outline, will be circulated to local authorities and published on the department's website.
129. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the progress which has been made to establish a rural communities initiative, similar to the previous RAPID Thriving Communities Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55998/25]
View answerRAPID stands for Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development. It was a focused initiative by the Government to target the 25 most concentrated areas of disadvantage in the country. The original RAPID programme ran from 2001 and closed to new applications in 2011.
In line with the current Programme for Government commitment, I was delighted to announce funding for the introduction of a “RAPID-style” scheme in the budget for 2026. My Department is now examining the potential formulation of this new initiative. Considerations that will inform the development of the new RAPID scheme will include, but are not limited to, the changed demographic and socio economic landscape since the previous programme, potential geographical areas to be considered for targeted support and the levels of funding already available through other schemes in my department. I hope to be able to launch the scheme in the first half of next year.
130. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the Budget 2026 allocation for Water Safety Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55408/25]
View answerWater Safety Ireland (WSI), which comes under the aegis of my Department, is the statutory, voluntary body established to promote water safety and reduce drownings in Ireland. WSI has statutory responsibility for the promotion of public awareness of water safety; the advancement of education related to the prevention of accidents in water; instruction in water safety; and the establishment of national standards for lifeguards.
WSI’s Strategic Development Plan 2023-2027 operates in conjunction with Ireland’s National Drowning Prevention Strategy 2018-2027. The Strategy focuses on five pillars, namely education, awareness, training, intervention and action. It sets out how Water Safety Ireland aims to reduce the number of drownings in Ireland by targeting at-risk groups.
We can see the practical application of the Strategy through a number of education programmes provided by WSI. Several of these programmes are aimed at children, from the Hold Hands programmes in early learning centres, to the PAWS programme which is on the primary school curriculum, and to the GET WISE programme for secondary schools.
These programmes and the efforts of local authority lifeguards are bringing the numbers of drownings in Ireland down. The drowning rate has been steadily declining over recent years from 144 lives lost in 2012 to 78 in 2024. Notwithstanding this, we can and must do more to reduce that number further.
Accordingly, I have secured a 20% increase in funding for WSI in 2026, rising from €2,492,000 in 2025 to €2,992,000 next year.
It is important to note that funding from my Department to Water Safety Ireland has more than doubled since 2022. WSI have used this money to establish new training and education programmes, to run large-scale and targeted awareness campaigns, and to develop partnerships and expertise. My Department will continue to support WSI as they develop their education, training and awareness raising activities.
131. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if additional funding will be provided in Budget 2026 for the local improvement scheme in order to improve non-public rural roads and local laneways in rural communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56045/25]
View answerThe Local Improvement Scheme or LIS is a key support to rural communities in improving non-public rural roads and laneways that are not typically maintained by local authorities. Since 2017, almost €184 million has been provided to local authorities under the Scheme.
On 7th August last, I was delighted to announce €14 million in additional funding for the 2025 scheme. This brings the total amount invested in LIS in 2025 alone to €30 million.
Cork County Council’s original allocation for 2025 was €1.16m and, following the August 2025 additional allocation, it now has a full year allocation of €2.33m. This is the second highest allocation nationally.
The Programme for Government commits to the provision of additional funding for the LIS. €17 million in LIS funding was recently announced as part of Budget 2026. This represents an increase in base funding announced in previous years.
The 2026 Local Improvement Scheme is expected to be launched early next year. This will allow local authorities to plan and manage their resources in an effective manner. Details of the 2026 LIS, including county allocations and the scheme outline, will be circulated to local authorities and published on the department's website.
133. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht for an update on the proposal submitted to Roinn na Gaeltachta (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55766/25]
View answerMy Department provides capital assistance to Irish Language and Gaeltacht organisations to provide or upgrade community and language facilities through its Clár Tacaíochtaí Pobail agus Teanga.
This programme aims to strengthen the Gaeltacht’s language and community infrastructure and recognises the particular importance of early years Irish medium facilities in the language planning process.
I can confirm that an application has been received from the organisation referred to by the Deputy to build a naíonra in the North Mayo Gaeltacht Language Planning Area. This application is currently being assessed by my officials in the context of the overall aims of the programme.
Once the application has been fully assessed, a decision will be communicated to the organisation concerned.
135. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the position regarding supports provided at a local level in community centres targeted at addressing social exclusion; if he will consider increasing funding in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54870/25]
View answerThe Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention programme overseen by my Department. This is a national programme that is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies (LDCs) to help those in the greatest need.
SICAP supports individuals and community groups who face disadvantage, providing targeted supports in areas such as employment, mental health, education, and community engagement and improving the quality of life of those facing social exclusion and inequality. The supports are provided by the staff of Local Development Companies in local communities across the country often using community centres as their bases. I am delighted to have secured an additional €1.5m in Budget 2026 which brings the annual funding for SICAP to in excess of €50m in 2026.
My Department’s Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports 428 community-based organisations, with a budget of €55.4 million in 2025, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. 78 of these organisations are associated with community centres (defined as Community Hall, Sports and Resource Centres for CSP) and provide employment to a total of 535 staff, 54 managers and 481 full-time equivalents (FTEs). The total amount of funding allocated to these organisations is €34.6 million over the five-year timeframe of this programme (2023-2027).
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. Additional funding of €3 million was provided to the CSP Programme in Budget 2025 and this has been fully allocated to meet the increased employment costs of existing CSP-funded organisations in 2025. I intend to examine the scope for additional funding for the CSP Programme later this year having regard to the funding needs of existing organisations and of organisations who wish to join the programme.
137. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aindrias Moynihan den Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht cén dul chun cinn atá déanta maidir le pleanáil teanga, agus na bailte seirbhíse go háirithe; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [55993/25]
View answerTar éis phróisis chomhairliúcháin a rinneadh in 2014, aithníodh an 16 baile seo a leanas mar Bhailte Seirbhíse Gaeltachta faoi réir pleananna teanga a bheith comhaontaithe leis na pobail áitiúla i gcomhréir leis na critéir pleanála teanga faoi Acht na Gaeltachta 2012:
• Daingean Uí Chúis
• Leitir Ceanainn
• Cathair na Gaillimhe
• Cathair Chorcaí
• An Clochán Liath
• Trá Lí
• Dún Garbhán
• Baile Dhún na nGall
• Béal an Mhuirthead
• Caisleán an Bharraigh
• Baile an Róba
• An Clochán
• Cathair Saidhbhín
• Maigh Chromtha
• Baile Átha Buí
• An Uaimh
Tá Foras na Gaeilge freagrach as riar a dhéanamh ar an bPróiseas Pleanála Teanga lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht agus mar chuid de sin, tá 13 Baile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta (as an 16 ainmnithe) mar aon leis na Líonraí Gaeilge faoina scáth.
Go dáta, tá pleananna teanga faofa agus á gcur i bhfeidhm i gcúig Líonra Gaeilge (Inis, Baile Locha Riach agus Cluain Dolcáin sa dlínse ó dheas mar aon le dhá Líonra sa dlínse ó thuaidh- Iarthar Bhéal Feirste agus Carn Tóchair) agus i seacht mBaile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta (Leitir Ceanainn, Cathair na Gaillimhe, Caisleán an Bharraigh, Dún Garbhán, Cathair Saidhbhín, Trá Lí agus An Clochán).
Tá dréacht-phlean teanga Bhaile an Róba a mheas ag mo Roinn faoi láthair chomh maith.
Maidir leis na Bailte Seirbhíse Gaeltachta eile a bhfuil tús fós le cur leis an phróiseas pleanála teanga iontu, tá cead, faoi alt 9(2) d’Acht na Gaeltachta 2012, iarrtha ag Foras na Gaeilge ar mhaithe le tús a chur leis an phróiseas oifigiúil chun ceanneagraíocht a cheapadh sna bailte seo a leanas:
• An Uaimh
• Áth Buí
• Baile Dhún na nGall agus,
• Maigh Chromtha
Rachaidh Foras na Gaeilge i mbun an chéad chéim eile leis an gceithre Bhaile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta seo a luaithe is atá an cead sin tugtha ag mo Roinn.
Den trí Bhaile Seirbhíse Gaeltachta a thagann faoi chúram Údarás na Gaeltachta, is é Baile Seirbhíse Ghaeltachta Bhéal an Mhuirthead an t-aon bhaile nach bhfuil plean teanga i bhfeidhm go fóill ann. Tá tús curtha leis an obair le plean teanga a fhorbairt don bhaile seo, áfach.
Is fiú a nótáil chomh maith go bhfuil pleananna teanga ceadaithe agus á bhfeidhmiú i ngach uile ceann den 26 Limistéir Pleanála Teanga Gaeltachta atá aitheanta faoi Acht na Gaeltachta 2012.
