Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
1146. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to outline the process by which nine organisations were added to a wait list following the 2023 open call for the Community Services Programme; the way these organisations were selected; what their inclusion on the wait list means for them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14443/26]
View answer1147. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will outline any process by which applicants to the 2023 Community Services Programme who were not successful can receive feedback on their applications from his Department; whether they are able to apply for the 2026 round of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14444/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1146 and 1147 together.
My department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports 446 services nationally via 426 community organisations to provide local social, economic, and environmental services through a social enterprise model. On 17th of December last, along with my colleague, Minister Dara Calleary, I announced that nine organisations, that had been waitlisted arising from the 2023 CSP open call, were set to join the programme in early 2026. I also announced that there would be an open call in 2026 seeking applications for new organisations to join the CSP Programme.
The nine organisations in question had been placed on a reserve list in 2023 after reaching the threshold score for their application. They had not scored as high as the fourteen organisations that were selected to join the CSP Programme and could not be accommodated within the funding available at that time. In 2024 and 2025, additional funding provided to the CSP programme was allocated to existing organisations to contribute towards higher employment costs and, as a result, there were insufficient resources available to approve the nine waitlisted organisations in those intervening years.
My department received an additional €4m in Budget 2025 bringing the total CSP allocation for 2026 to €59.4m. As a result, the nine organisations which had been waitlisted were contacted to confirm their continued interest in, and suitability for, entry into the CSP programme. Pobal is currently engaging with the organisations to progress them towards programme entry, with each service receiving a support visit in January or February 2026. Each of these nine organisations is expected to be issued with a CSP contract commencing in the second quarter of 2026. This will support employment for eleven full-time posts and six managers and will bring the total number of organisations supported under the CSP Programme to 435.
Pobal, who administer the CSP Programme on behalf of my department, provided written feedback to all applicants that were not successful in their applications under the 2023 open call. There are no further organisations on the waitlist following last December's announcement.
The design of the 2026 CSP Open Call is currently underway and details, including eligible community services and organisations, will be announced in due course.
