Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 December 2025
67. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the measures being taken to ensure the long-term sustainability of organisations supported under the Community Services Programme, in light of increased funding allocations in Budget 2025 and Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68389/25]
View answerThe Government's five-year strategy, Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities, which has been extended to the end of this year, aims to support the community and voluntary sector.
The CSP Programme currently supports 426 community-based organisations, with a budget of €55.4m allocated for 2025, to provide 446 local services nationwide, through a social enterprise model. A new funding model was introduced for the CSP Programme in 2023 to better align the funding provided with the funding needs of organisations, based on objective criteria.
Considering the need for long-term sustainability, five-year multi-annual funding contracts were issued to over 420 organisations funded under the Community Services Programme (CSP) from 2023 to 2027.
The CSP contribution is not aligned to the minimum wage and is not intended to meet the full employment cost of supported posts. The contribution must be co-funded by other sources, for example, from income received from the public for the use of their facilities and services. While my Department has no operational role in relation to setting wage rates in CSP-supported organisations, increased funding has been provided over the past three years to the majority of CSP-funded organisations, to support increases in the costs of employment, within the CSP funding model.
Following the budget process, a provision of €59.4 has been allocated to the CSP Programme for 2026. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to hold an open call for organisations to join the CSP Programme. The scope to hold an open call is currently being reviewed, in the context of relevant considerations such as the funding needs of existing CSP-supported organisations, organisations waitlisted from the previous call and those who wish to join the Programme. The outcome of these considerations is anticipated in the coming weeks.
