Colm Burke
Question:975. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide a detailed breakdown of the funding allocation for cardiovascular services in Budget 2026, in tabular form. [17236/26]
View answerDepartmental Funding
Questions (975)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware, cardiovascular health was prioritised in Budget 2025, which allocated over €9 million in full-year funding to support vital cardiovascular initiatives. From 2026 onwards, the HSE’s planning framework will centre on region led operational planning. The management of total staff allocations and payroll budget within the various Health Regions has devolved to the Regional Executive Officers (REOs). The HSE has published its National Service Plan for 2026, setting out how the HSE will operationalise the Department’s priorities funded in Budget 2026. As outlined in the NSP 2026, a key priority action for the HSE is to progress the implementation of the National Review of Cardiac Services 2023, including the strengthening and expansion of Cardiac Rehabilitation services. In line with the annual estimates and service planning process specific operational detail and budgetary management of allocated funds is a matter for the HSE, and as such I have referred query to the HSE for direct response.
Departmental Policies
Questions (976)
Colm Burke
Question:976. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the details of her Departments plans on keeping up with predicted rising demographics in stroke rate; the way in which the €13 million allocated in 2022 has been used to ensure that services are care-ready for those in need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17237/26]
View answerWritten answers
The HSE National Stroke Strategy 2022-2027 aims to modernise and reform stroke services in line with Sláintecare policy and address the challenges facing Ireland from population ageing and the predicted increase in the total number of strokes right across Europe, including Ireland. The strategy provides a blueprint for investment in stroke services over the five-year period from 2022 to 2027.
Recent modelling by the RCSI found that as it stands, new cases of stroke are expected to rise by 28% over the next two decades. Alternative scenarios predict that cases could rise by up to 59% or be mitigated to as low as 5% depending on our national efforts to prevent the rise in incidence. The predicted increase in stroke is owing to our ageing demography but also the presence of significant preventable risk factors for stroke across the population including obesity, high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation.
This government is fully committed to supporting improvements and advances in stroke services and will build on the €13.5m in funding allocated to the Strategy since its publication in 2022.
The funding allocated to the National Stroke Strategy to date has enabled significant new developments. Key achievements since 2022 include:
• The expansion of the GP Contract to include opportunistic case finding of High Blood Pressure for those with a GMS/GP visit card. This contract is now in place, and the service commenced in Q1 2024. This measure initially applied to over 45-year-olds but has now been expanded to include those 18 years and over and is an important preventive measure to curb the expected rise in stroke cases over the next two decades.
• The recruitment of 12 posts in 2023, to support acute stroke units, endovascular thrombectomy centres, and Early Supported Discharge (ESD) teams.
• Progress has been made in early stroke rehabilitation with the expansion of our Early Supported Discharge (ESD) teams from 6 to 13. Our target is to have 21 ESD teams nationally and it is envisaged that 15 teams will be operational by Q1 2026.
• Thrombectomy rates have grown year on year since the service commenced and are approximately 10% in Ireland, nearly three times the rate reported in the UK, reflecting Ireland’s success in this area.
• Bespoke projects in secondary prevention and rehabilitation, carried out by the Cork Stroke Support Centre and Croí have also been funded. These align with relevant areas in the strategy as well as providing support to survivors in remote regions of the country.
• On September 9th, 2025, the HSE launched a new national TV, radio and digital campaign called ‘Every Second Counts’. The campaign reinforces knowledge and understanding of stroke symptoms while focusing on the importance of contacting emergency services immediately when a stroke is suspected. It is envisaged that this measure will increase the number of people attending emergency Departments within the crucial 4.5 hour window for the most effective treatments and the impact of the campaign will be measured by the national stroke audit.
• In Budget 2025, a total of €5.0m was allocated to the Strategy. This funding will enable the recruitment of 56 new posts to support the expansion of early supported discharge teams and access to acute stroke units to support stroke services through the provision of additional consultants, psychologists and a range of health and social care professionals. As of December 2025, approximately 80% of these posts have been recruited
• Separately in Budget 2025, €600,000 has been allocated to support the Irish Heart Foundation Stroke Connect service. This service complements hospital services by supporting survivors of stroke when they are discharged, helping them make lifestyle changes to self-manage their condition and giving them a better chance of leading an independent life. The Irish National Audit of Stroke 2024/25 found that 96% of acute stroke units refer patients onto this service.
• In addition, following the success of a recent swallow screening quality improvement initiative, swallow screening rates have increased from 68% in 2021 to 81% in 2024 demonstrating the significant impact of initiatives like these that can be made with minimal investment.
Priorities for 2026 include improving Acute Stroke Unit access and further roll out of our ESD team network.
I remain fully committed to making further progress on implementing the stroke strategy and will continue to work with the HSE to ensure its successful implementation to further reduce mortality from stroke, as well as supporting survivors of stroke to live as independently as possible in their communities.
Question No. 977 answered with Question No. 974.
EU Presidency
Questions (978)
Colm Burke
Question:978. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the issues in healthcare her Department plans to champion specifically within the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union. [17239/26]
View answerWritten answers
Ireland’s Presidency Health Agenda will aim at positioning health and competitiveness as mutually reinforcing priorities.We will promote population health and wellbeing as a vital foundation for European security and competitiveness and highlight how innovation in health systems delivers better health outcomes for European citizens. We will advance the EU Life Sciences agenda and promote innovative and proactive healthcare that focusses on prevention and the roll out of digital health across the EU. Ireland's Presidency will drive progress on critical EU legislation that advances our health agenda. The Biotech Act I (published in December 2025) is a strategic priority for EU competitiveness and sovereignty. The Act streamlines regulations across clinical trials, advanced therapy medicinal products, and biomanufacturing. It mobilises €10 billion in investment funding (2026–27) via the Biotech EU initiative with the European Investment Bank. Key measures include simplified clinical trial procedures, innovation support mechanisms, and biosecurity safeguards. This flagship legislation will dominate health policy discussions during our Presidency. The Medical Devices Regulation & In Vitro Diagnostics Regulation (amendments published in December 2025) will simplify and modernise device approval while maintaining patient safety. Expected outcomes include €3–5 billion in annual cost savings for manufacturers, faster patient access to innovative devices, and reduced shortages of critical medical equipment. The EU Safe Heart Plan aims to reduce premature cardiovascular deaths by 25% by 2035 through improved prevention, screening, and treatment across all Member States. The plan emphasises shifting from treatment to prevention, and among other things calls for stronger action against tobacco and smoking. We will aim to use our Presidency to accelerate work to update the EU tobacco legislation – to include vapes and other nicotine products which have been strongly promoted by the industry over recent years. Other ongoing files expected to progress during our Presidency include the Critical Medicines Act, the WHO Pandemic Agreement Annex on Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing, and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism reform, if not completed during the Cyprus Presidency.
Health Services Staff
Questions (979)
Sorca Clarke
Question:979. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of occupational therapist posts within primary care services in Longford and Westmeath; the number of these posts that are currently vacant; the steps being taken to fill these vacancies in order to reduce waiting lists for occupational therapy services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17332/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Further and Higher Education
Questions (980)
Ryan O'Meara
Question:980. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider introducing a scheme for Irish citizens that had no opportunity to study their desired course in Ireland and travelled abroad to an EU state to complete same (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16261/26]
View answerWritten answers
The Deputy will be aware that first time students undertaking a full-time undergraduate course in the State may be eligible to have their tuition fees, exclusive of the student contribution, paid on their behalf via the Free Fees Initiative (FFI). The FFI is limited to full-time, undergraduate courses provided in the State by approved higher education institutions. Courses provided outside the State are not approved courses under the FFI. SUSI grant supports are available to qualifying students who are planning to undertake higher education studies in another EU country. To qualify for supports, a student would be required to be attending an approved course in an approved institution, and meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. Students can check their eligibility for SUSI support by clicking on the following link: www.susi.ie/eligibility-criteria. Furthermore, students who are European Citizens (including Irish nationals) are entitled to apply for, and access supports on a similar basis to the nationals of another EU Member State. If an Irish national is attending an approved higher education course in another EU Member State, then s/he should be treated in a similar manner to a citizen of that Member State with regard to the fees that apply in that State.
Parking Provision
Questions (981)
Pádraig Rice
Question:981. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the difficulties relating to parking facing university students in Cork (details supplied); if his Department has engaged with the university in relation to addressing these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16398/26]
View answerWritten answers
Cork City Council has responsibility for parking services within the environs of University College Cork. All tertiary sector public bodies are encouraged to engage with Local Authorities, in addition to regional transport stakeholders, across a range of shared issues which encompass sustainable travel initiatives for students, staff and visitors to campuses. My Department has not engaged directly with UCC as, like all HEIs, they are autonomous bodies as set out in legislation. Under the Public Sector Climate Action Strategy 2023-2025, public bodies are tasked with encouraging the use of sustainable transport modes and to acquire the NTA’s Smarter Travel Mark, to demonstrate robust communications, policies, facilities, incentives and supports in favour of sustainable commuting.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (982)
Albert Dolan
Question:982. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to list all schemes, funding programmes, capital funds, grant streams or other expenditure headings administered by his Department in 2025 and 2026 which result in allocations, awards, or spending that can be identified with a specific geographical location including county, district, town, or project site, to group these by funding stream or programme heading; to indicate, for each scheme, whether details of allocations or awards are published online; and if so, where such information may be accessed. [16552/26]
View answerWritten answers
The information you have requested is not readily available within my Department, as funding allocations are not tracked on the basis of specific geographic areas. My Department issues grants to its aegis bodies, and the largest recipients of Departmental funding, SOLAS and the HEA, then allocate funding directly to 16 Education & Training Boards and 17 Higher Education Institutions located throughout the country. These agencies may hold more detailed information on allocations at regional level. Their contact details are available [here] should you wish to contact them directly.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (983)
Albert Dolan
Question:983. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide the web link to his Department’s Q4 2025 published report of purchase orders/payments over €20,000, in line with the FOI model publication scheme requirements; the date on which this report was published; and if it has not yet been published, the planned publication date. [16570/26]
View answerWritten answers
The Payments Over €20,000 Report for Q4 2025 has not yet been published, as my department is currently collating the relevant information. I expect that the report will be published later this month. The link to the Reports of Payments Over €20,000 for my Department is available [here] www.gov.ie/en/department-of-further-and-higher-education-research-innovation-and-science/organisation-information/payments-for-goods-and-services-over-20-thousand/.
Departmental Data
Questions (984)
Albert Dolan
Question:984. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to confirm, in respect of his Department’s published quarterly reports of procurement-related payments or purchase orders over €20,000 (details supplied), where such reports are published in PDF format but originate from an Excel or similar spreadsheet file, that the underlying data was fully expanded and validated prior to conversion so that all columns including supplier names and descriptions are fully visible and readable in the published document; to clarify whether any quality assurance process is applied to ensure that data is not truncated or partially obscured in the PDF version; and where the source file exists in machine-readable format, whether his Department will make the original Excel or CSV file available alongside the PDF in the interest of transparency, accessibility and data re-use. [16587/26]
View answerWritten answers
When publishing our quarterly reports on purchase orders over €20,000, my Department makes every effort to ensure that all information provided is fully visible and readable to the user.
The Deputy should note that the preparation of these quarterly reports is a shared service between the Department of Education and Youth; and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
At present, my department publishes these reports in PDF format. However, with effect from the publication of the next quarterly report, my Department will also make these reports available in Excel format to further support transparency and ease of use.
The quarterly reports are available to read on the department website at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-further-and-higher-education-research-innovation-and-science/organisation-information/payments-for-goods-and-services-over-20-thousand/
Departmental Meetings
Questions (985)
Donna McGettigan
Question:985. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of times he met with student unions since taking office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16616/26]
View answerWritten answers
Since taking office as the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science, I have met with Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ) (previously USI) on three occasions, on 31st March 2025, 17th June 2025, 17th December 2025. I also met with individual Student Unions, from the following institutions, over a three day period from 8th to 10th September 2025:
• Maynooth University
• MTU Cork
• University of Galway
• ATU
• DkIT
• IADT
• UCD
• TUS
• MTU Kerry
• UCC
• University of Limerick
• SETU
• TU Dublin
• Trinity College Dublin,
• DCU
Further and Higher Education
Questions (986)
Donna McGettigan
Question:986. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline what the fund for students with disabilities covers; the amount that is allocated to each category across all FETs; the amount that is allocated to transport across all FETs, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16665/26]
View answerWritten answers
The Department prioritises inclusion across further and higher education, aligning with the Programme for Government, the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People (2025–2030), and the forthcoming FET Strategy.
The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) provides funding to Education and Training Boards (ETBs) to help them offer supports and services that enable eligible students to participate on an equal basis with their peers. The FSD is currently mainly available to learners on Post-Leaving Certificate courses. According to SOLAS’ guidelines, supports available through the FSD include:
• Assistive technology equipment and software
• Non-medical helpers such as personal assistants and notetakers
• Academic/learning/examination support
• Supports for students who are deaf or hard of hearing
• Transport support
• Supports for work placements.
SOLAS has advised officials that over 3,500 learners benefited from the FSD in 2024. Data for 2025 is not yet available.
My Department secured an additional €2 million for the FSD in FET as part of Budget 2026, bringing the total allocation for 2026 to €7.7 million (including Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive Schools). This increase includes dedicated funding for transport supports for learners with intellectual disabilities participating in a range of FET courses. Officials have now agreed a mechanism with SOLAS to implement this funding, and it is expected that learners will begin to benefit shortly. This new element of the FSD is called the Learners with Intellectual Disabilities Transport Fund.
The attached file sets out the FSD allocation provided by SOLAS to each ETB. Under the Education and Training Boards Act 2013, each ETB is responsible for allocating this funding across the various FSD support categories according to local needs.
Third Level Education
Questions (987)
Matt Carthy
Question:987. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has taken any actions in response to the repeated call in August 2025 by an organisation (details supplied) for a cap on the number of international students studying dentistry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17010/26]
View answerWritten answers
My Department is committed to increasing healthcare training places, including dentistry, in line with commitments in the programme for Government.
In consultation with the Department of Health, which has advised that dentistry is an area requiring additional supply of graduates, we are working to expand opportunities for Irish students, particularly given the demand for oral healthcare and the need to reduce waiting lists for dental treatment.
It is important to note that Higher Education Institutions are autonomous under the relevant legislation and manage their own administrative and academic affairs, including their enrolment policies.
My Department is actively engaging with UCC and the Department of Health on a proposal to establish a dental outreach centre in North Cork. This initiative would enable training additional undergraduate dental students each year, and my officials are engaging with UCC with a view to maximising the number of Irish and EU students this could support. It also supports a community-based model of education, giving students earlier clinical exposure in primary care settings, which enhances readiness for practice.
These developments complement the new Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland which commenced this September with 20 places for EU students. The intake in this programme will increase to 35 by 2027.
We remain committed to working with all stakeholders to maximise the number of dental training places available to Irish and EU students, and to ensure sustainable expansion of dental education to meet workforce needs. This approach aligns with the Smile agus Sláinte oral health policy and our broader commitment to a modern, accessible health system.
Departmental Reviews
Questions (988)
Brian Stanley
Question:988. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will initiate a review of the salary for community services programme managers, due to their current low level of income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16195/26]
View answerWritten answers
My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) 2023-2027 currently supports 426 community-based organisations, with a budget allocation of €59.4m for 2026, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. The CSP Programme 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. There are currently 350 managers supported under the Programme. The CSP contribution is not aligned with the minimum wage and is not intended to meet the full salary cost of supported posts. It is an annual contribution that must be co-funded by other sources - for example, from income received from the public for the use of their facilities and services - in order to meet, at a minimum, the national minimum wage rates that are applicable to their employees. My Department has no operational role in relation to the wage rates paid by CSP-supported organisations. These are solely matters for the Boards of those organisations to manage as the respective employers, subject to compliance with employment legislation. A review of the categorisation of organisations under the funding model for the current CSP Programme was conducted in 2025, as well as a review of funding rates in light of changes in employment costs. This resulted in 55 organisations moving to a higher funding category, with 47 managers receiving increased supports for 2026 and 2027. Further to this, an increase of €400 per annum was provided to all CSP-supported manager posts in 2026 to contribute towards increases in the costs of employment. These positive changes mean that my Department has provided increased funding to most CSP-funded organisations in each of the past four years. The current CSP Programme funding contracts run to the end of 2027. In advance of the post 2027 re-contracting process, my Department intends to review the overall funding model for the programme, which will include a review of all staff funding rates. Any organisation that requires further supports may wish to consider contacting the relevant Local Development Company or Local Authority Local Community Development Committee, which may be able to provide some guidance on other supports available at this time.
Departmental Strategies
Questions (989)
Alan Kelly
Question:989. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht his Department's strategy to expand connected hubs and remote working infrastructure including the potential for new hubs in north Tipperary. [16504/26]
View answerWritten answers
Our Rural Future, the Government's Rural Development Policy, recognises the importance of remote working and committed to establishing a comprehensive and integrated national network of 400 remote working hubs by the end of 2025. I was delighted to announce at the National Hub Summit last November that we have reached that key target, and there are now over 400 hubs on-boarded to the Connected Hubs platform. This includes 18 such hubs in County Tipperary, such as Roscrea Enterprise and Community Hub (REACH), Ballinderry Digital Hub, and Curreeny Community Hub. This is an increase from 4 when the platform was launched in 2021. My department has invested significantly in the establishment and development of remote working facilities through the range of schemes which make up my Department's Rural Development Investment Programme. Funding will continue to form part of these capital schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Scheme (RRDF) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS). Since 2020, over 200 remote working facilities have been supported by these schemes. My department also implemented targeted schemes, the Connected Hubs Calls, in 2021 and 2022 to support the development of facilities in remote working hubs across Ireland. These calls funded additional desk spaces and improved related services, such as privacy booths, technical equipment, meeting facilities and access controls. Almost €14 million was allocated across 200 projects under these schemes, which included €692,039 allocated to hubs in County Tipperary, such as Thurles Chamber Enterprise Centre and Rossmore Community Centre. In my time as Minister, significant progress has been made in the development of the first National Hub Strategy in collaboration with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. This includes extensive engagement with relevant stakeholders such as hub managers, local authorities, government departments and agencies. The draft strategy is being developed on the basis of three pillars of digital communities, hub working and enterprise development. The hub working pillar will include measures to support the continued strategic development of the Connected Hubs network over the coming years. The Enterprise development pillar will focus on government funded enterprise hubs. Finally, the digital communities pillar addresses the role the Broadband Connection Points initiative will play in the sustainability of communities using high speed broadband to access digital services locally. I am committed to ensuring that remote working infrastructure can continue to deliver real benefits for rural communities across the country.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (990)
Albert Dolan
Question:990. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to list all schemes, funding programmes, capital funds, grant streams or other expenditure headings administered by his Department in 2025 and 2026 which result in allocations, awards, or spending that can be identified with a specific geographical location including county, district, town, or project site, to group these by funding stream or programme heading; to indicate, for each scheme, whether details of allocations or awards are published online; and if so, where such information may be accessed. [16557/26]
View answerWritten answers
My Department operates a range of funding initiatives that aim to support rural development, community development and the Gaeltacht and the Irish language. Grant schemes include LEADER, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Community Centre Investment Fund (CCIF), the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), CLÁR, the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) and the Community Services Programme (CSP). 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. In the interest of transparency the details of the funding allocations my Department has provided each year, across the country, under various schemes are available on my Department’s website, in tabular form at the following link: Funding allocated by the department www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/collections/funding-allocated-by-the-department/. While the specific information differs from scheme to scheme it generally provides allocated funding, location and entity funded. The information is grouped by scheme name and by year. My Department also issues press releases for all calls and funding announcements on the relevant dates, which are also available on the website.
Departmental Websites
Questions (991, 992)
Albert Dolan
Question:991. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to provide the web link to his Department’s Q4 2025 published report of purchase orders/payments over €20,000, in line with the FOI model publication scheme requirements; the date on which this report was published; and if it has not yet been published, the planned publication date. [16575/26]
View answerAlbert Dolan
Question:992. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to confirm, in respect of his Department’s published quarterly reports of procurement-related payments or purchase orders over €20,000 (details supplied), where such reports are published in PDF format but originate from an Excel or similar spreadsheet file, that the underlying data was fully expanded and validated prior to conversion so that all columns including supplier names and descriptions are fully visible and readable in the published document; to clarify whether any quality assurance process is applied to ensure that data is not truncated or partially obscured in the PDF version; and where the source file exists in machine-readable format, whether his Department will make the original Excel or CSV file available alongside the PDF in the interest of transparency, accessibility and data re-use. [16592/26]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 991 and 992 together.
My Department publishes quarterly report on all payments over €20,000 at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/collections/drcd-payments-in-excess-of-20000/. The Q4 2025 report, along with previous reports, are available at this link. I would note that the FOI model publication scheme, published by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation ([foi.gov.ie/guidance/model-publication-scheme/]), details the types of information to be published with regard to financial information, but does not detail any specific data formats, other than stating particular information should be in tabular form. Notwithstanding this, the Q4 2025 report is available in both pdf and Excel file format and, as previously noted, this will be the case for future reports.
Question No. 992 answered with Question No. 991.
Library Projects
Questions (993)
Mark Wall
Question:993. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the up to date position of a new community library in County Kildare (details supplied), the projected cost of the library; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16663/26]
View answerWritten answers
The provision of library services, including the provision of library buildings, is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. Accordingly, the delivery of a new community library in Newbridge is primarily a matter for Kildare County Council. Notwithstanding this, my Department has approved funding of €3m in principle towards the project under the Libraries Capital Programme 2023-2027. The project is currently being progressed through my Department’s Four Stage Capital Management Process. This ensures that the project complies with the Public Library Standards and Benchmarks, Infrastructure Guidelines and the Capital Works Management Framework Policies. My Department issued Stage 3 Approval to Kildare County Council for the project, on 22 December 2025, which permits Kildare County Council to proceed to tender for the project. The overall project costs proposed by Kildare County Council at Stage 3 were €21.4m. My Department awaits the submission of Kildare County Council's Stage 4 Application, following the successful completion of the Council's tender process.
Library Projects
Questions (994)
Conor Sheehan
Question:994. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht for an update on funding for a new library (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17137/26]
View answerWritten answers
The provision of library services, including the provision of library buildings, is primarily a matter for local authorities in their capacity as library authorities under the Local Government Act 2001. Accordingly, the delivery of the new library project, as referred to by the Deputy, is primarily a matter for the relevant local authority. In February 2016, the former Department of Environment, Community and Local Government approved €2m towards this project under the Libraries Capital Programme 2016-2022, and this funding approval remains in place.
A condition of funding for projects approved under the Libraries Capital Programme is that they must comply with my Department’s Four Stage Capital Management Process. This process seeks to incorporate both the Infrastructure Guidelines and Capital Works Management Framework requirements, in a streamlined and easy to follow process. My Department received the Stage 4 submission from the relevant local authority on 2 December 2025. This submission is progressing through the standard review process and I am advised that a Stage 4 decision letter will issue to the local authority shortly.
Finally, I am advised that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has allocated Urban Regeneration and Development Funding (URDF) of €41.9m to the overall development project, with €5.9m being allocated to Project 4 which includes the library element.