582. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the cumulative funding provided under the community enhancement programme, in each county from 2020 to date in 2024, in tabular form. [37915/24]

The Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) was established in 2018 with the aim of providing funding for community groups in disadvantaged areas across Ireland. There have been a number of iterations of the CEP since then. In 2023, the CEP was replaced by the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP) which has a particular focus on small capital works/improvements, and the purchase of equipment for community use. Various community groups have benefited from the CEP and LEP with almost €59m in funding being approved for almost 27,000 projects countrywide.

The LEP is administered locally on behalf of my Department by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority. The relevant LCDC receive and appraise applications for funding under the LEP and make determinations on how the funding can best support their communities.

The LEP is now closed to applicants.

Please find attached table 1 below which provides a breakdown of the funding allocated to each County from 2020 - 2023. To date in 2024, no funding announcement has been made with regard to the LEP, and any announcement relating to the next iteration of the LEP will be considered within the context of available resources.

Table 1 PQ 37915 24