Niamh Smyth
Question:173. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he can provide an update on the application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38690/26]
View answerThursday, 21 May 2026
Questions (173)
Written answers
The Community Climate Action Programme (CCAP), funded through the Climate Action Fund, supports and empowers communities, in partnership with their Local Authority, to shape and build low carbon, sustainable communities in a coherent way and thereby contribute to national climate and energy targets.
The diverse initiatives made possible by the CCAP include the development of community gardens and composting systems, as well as the installation of renewable energy systems, EV chargers, bike racks, water refill stations, lighting upgrades, and rainwater harvesting systems around the country.
Between 2023 and 2026, €24 million has been provided to 650 individual projects and the fund has been utilised to directly support each local authority to engage a dedicated Community Climate Action Officer (CCAO), to facilitate the community groups. Further support has been provided to 40 cross-border projects with the addition of €3 million from the Shared Island Fund and, in October 2025, a second phase was launched, commitments to projects and to retain the CCAOs to the end of the programme (in 2027), with the Climate Action Fund as a whole already supporting over 700 innovating and emissions reducing projects in the State.
On 21 May 2026 I announced the successful projects that have been awarded funding under Phase 2 of the Community Climate Action Programme. This latest phase of the Community Climate Action Programme is providing a total of €29.5 million local authorities, including an additional €2.6 million of funding for reserve list projects, to support communities across the country in delivering locally led climate action projects.
This programme empowers communities to take meaningful local action on climate change, while also contributing to our national climate and energy goals. The scale of interest and quality of applications received demonstrates the commitment of communities nationwide to building a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Specifically, the project mentioned by the Deputy, Bailieborough Development Association has been approved for funding of €100,000. This is the maximum grant available to projects through the CCAP. Further queries should be addressed to the CCAO in the local authority.
The list of the other successful projects is available at this link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/publications/climate-action-fund/#community-climate-action-programme