Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 November 2025
601. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the total funding available through the Rural Development Programme for the years 2023 to 2025, by year; the funding planned for in Budget 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66874/25]
View answerMy Department manages its funding across three programme areas, Rural Development, Community Development, and the Gaeltacht programmes. The funding provisions for the Rural Development Programme, as detailed in the original Revised Estimate for each year for 2023 to 2025, are provided in the table below. Funding for the Rural Development Programme has increased significantly over recent years, with the funding levels comparing to an allocation of €80.4 million for the programme area when the Department was established in 2017. This additional funding is providing investment in rural areas right across the country.
|
|
Current |
Capital |
Total |
|
2023 |
34,894 |
166,716 |
201,610 |
|
2024 |
38,533 |
166,887 |
205,420 |
|
2025 |
42,330 |
170,384 |
212,714 |
With regard to funding in 2026, the provisions will be set out in the Revised Estimate 2026, which will be published by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in the coming weeks. Both historical and current documents in this regard can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-public-expenditure-infrastructure-public-service-reform-and-digitalisation/collections/the-revised-estimates-volumes-for-the-public-service/
My Department’s budget allocation for 2026 totals €611 million, with €273 million in capital funding and €338 million in current funding. This represents a 6% increase on the 2025 allocation, and builds on strong investment in recent years. The Rural Development Programme allocation in 2026 will likely be in the range of €192 million. This change reflects the fact that the Islands sub-head will be re-integrated with the Gaeltacht area from 2026. The Island sub-head has funding of €16 million in 2025, and this will increase significantly in 2026 to facilitate development of the Inis Oírr pier. The LEADER programme will also see its provision reduced for 2026, likely to €32 million from the €42 million originally provided in the Revised Estimate 2025. This reflects the stage of the programme and the resulting level of claims that Local Action Groups are projecting for 2026. The full €250 million allocation for the LEADER 2021 to 2027 Programme will be provided over the programme period, with the funding to be ramped up as demand increases.
Finally, additional funding in other programme areas will also benefit rural areas, for example, CCIF funding will be increased by €3 million in 2026, bringing investment to €20 million, benefiting both rural and urban communities - as will additional funding for both the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) and the Community Services Programme (CSP).
