I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. I know this is not her brief, but I thank her for attending.

I welcome the opportunity to raise this important issue. I call on the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to make a statement on the community support fund and similar issues. My message today is very simple. While capital funding for community projects is welcome and important, many community groups are struggling most with their day-to-day running costs, and they need support now more than ever. As someone who has been involved with numerous groups and is regularly engaging with community groups, committees and volunteers across towns, villages and parishes, I see first-hand the pressures they are facing.

These volunteers are not involved because they are looking for recognition or reward. They do what they do because they believe in their communities. They believe in supporting their neighbours, tackling isolation, creating opportunities for young people and keeping local organisations alive. However, the reality is that volunteer numbers are falling, the demands on community groups are increasing and the costs of operating are continuing to rise.

We have seen the positive impact that schemes such as the community activities fund and the community support fund have had in recent years. Those programmes recognise something very important: community organisations cannot continue to serve their communities if they cannot afford their insurance, electricity, heating and other essential costs. These schemes provide practical supports that help to keep groups with their doors open and continuing to provide valuable services. They show an understanding that operating costs are just as important as capital investment.

While recent funding programmes, including the local enhancement programme, are very welcome, the vast majority of funding available today is focused on capital projects, equipment and facility improvement. Of course, communities welcome these investments, but many groups tell me that accessing capital funding often brings additional challenges. Matched funding requirements can be difficult to achieve, applications can be complex, and projects require a significant voluntary commitment. There was a time when voluntary hours and community effort were recognised as an element of the matched funding contribution. Today, many groups are expected to raise substantial cash contributions or arrange loans while still providing hundreds of hours of unpaid work to deliver projects.

The groups that I meet tell me they need support to pay the bills that arrive every month. Groups such as the ICA guilds, LCDCs, town teams, active retirement associations, community centres, cultural groups and many other local community organisations continue to do outstanding work. They are supporting their members and strengthening community life. Yet every year, they face increased insurance premiums, rising utility costs and growing financial pressures. We cannot take these groups for granted any longer. Every community organisation that disappears takes with it experience, volunteer capacity and a valuable social outlet that is often impossible to replace.

That is why I am calling on the Minister to consider reintroducing a dedicated operational support fund similar to the community support fund.

It would be a fund specifically designed to assist with insurance costs, utility bills and other day-to-day expenses. It would provide immediate meaningful support to the organisations that form the backbone of community life. If we are serious about supporting volunteers, strengthening communities and promoting rural and social development then we must ensure these groups have the resources they need to grow and survive. Could the Minister of State outline whether consideration has been given to the reintroduction of such a scheme and what measures can be taken to ensure that grassroots community organisations receive the practical support they need to continue serving their communities? The reality is simple: these volunteers have kept the flag flying in our communities for years and now it is our turn to do our part.

I thank Senator Scahill for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer. He is not in a position to be here himself but he asked me to take it. We all recognise that volunteers are the backbone of every community. The majority of us who end up in politics have probably come through the community system. If you are on one committee you are on five. There is no doubt that we are involved in so many things locally. That is how I ended up becoming a politician after being involved in the community sector for the majority of my life. That is why community support funds are really important.

The fund was first announced in November 2022 and it provided funding of €10 million to support community groups impacted by rising energy costs. It supported groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with their running costs such as utility or insurance bills, as well as with improvements to their facilities. Groups were also able to use the funding to carry out necessary repairs and to purchase equipment such as tables and chairs, tools and signage, laptops and printers, lawn-mowers, canopies and training equipment. They were never more important than when we had Storm Éowyn not so long ago. Community organisations and groups were able to step up and support communities that had no electricity and were not able to heat a bottle for a baby or charge a phone. We recognise how important the groups are.

The community support fund is the latest iteration of the programme, which was formerly known as the community enhancement programme and has been delivered by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht since 2018. The programme continues to be delivered today under the title of the local enhancement programme, LEP. Since 2018, the Department has provided funding of €72.9 million to support projects in more than 36,000 community groups and organisations the length and breadth of the country. The local enhancement programme is targeted towards supporting communities that are impacted by disadvantage, as identified in the local economic and community plan. It provides small capital grants to community and voluntary groups for the improvement or refurbishment of their facilities and for the purchase of equipment.

The local enhancement programme for 2026, which was announced on 5 December 2025, was welcomed by Senator Scahill. It provides €7 million in capital supports to many small community groups and organisations, particularly those which serve disadvantaged communities in rural and urban areas. The fund is administered locally on behalf of the Department by local community development committees, LCDCs, across the country, with support from the local authorities. Each LCDC received an allocation of funding under the programme, which it will distribute to eligible applicants and projects once the appraisal process has been completed. That is all very welcome. It should be noted that the LEP for 2026 provided only capital supports. That is the issue Senator Scahill raises. The Government is aware of the pressure on community groups regarding current expenditure items such as electricity bills and maintenance. This will be considered in the context of the 2027 budgetary Estimates process.

The funding allocation is calculated using a resource allocation model that takes population levels and deprivation indices into account. Using this methodology, a baseline amount of funding of €100,000 is provided to each local authority to ensure a minimum level of funding intervention in each area, sufficient to deliver tangible improvements. Senator Scahill has welcomed the funding that has been provided over many years. It is equitably distributed across all the local authorities. LCDCs do great work. The point he makes relates to the pressure on community groups due to expenditure on electricity bills and other running costs. As the Minister of State outlined in his response, this will be considered in the context of the 2027 budgetary Estimates process. I will speak to him about this.

I thank the Minister of State very much. She is right that so many people across this House have come through the voluntary sector. Last Thursday the Minister, Deputy Calleary, opened the Castlerea swimming pool. He welcomed the provision of €73,000 from the community recognition fund for the Castlerea Town Team, in conjunction with Roscommon County Council. It is an organisation of which I have been secretary for the past three years. I am a former chairperson of the organisation. I think of the Suck Valley Way. I am a former member of the LCDC in Roscommon so I am familiar with the fund for supporting those groups. I speak with the ICA groups and the community development companies, CDCs, which are keeping buildings going. They are providing support for their communities. In terms of overheads, I was talking to someone who told me the lottos are not paying now. The volunteers to sell the tickets are not there. The costs are continuing to spiral. We are in jeopardy of losing these voluntary organisations and supports within our community if we cannot come up with a fund to support them. The Minister of State spoke of €10 million in 2021 or 2022. That is the sort of money we are talking about. It would go an awfully long way with these community groups. We need to stand up and fight for them. I thank the Minister of State for her contribution today.

I thank Senator Scahill very much for raising this topic. I agree that there continues to be a need for LEP funding to support the excellent work our community groups deliver nationwide. It must be acknowledged that €72.9 million has been provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht since 2018. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, was in Waterford last Monday week and he attended 16 events. A lot of money is being delivered but I take on board what the Senator says. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, is fully committed to delivering this funding. They are his words, not mine. Every day, as Minister of State in the Department, he has the pleasure of meeting the people and groups that benefit from grants under the LEP.

I understand exactly where Senator Scahill is coming from. During Covid things changed in relation to fundraising and volunteers. People are not as keen to get on boards now because there is a lot of governance involved and a lot of forms to be signed. I thank the Senator for raising this really important issue, which affects every single constituency in Ireland.

I thank the Minister of State very much. I really appreciate her coming into the House today to deal with the first two Commencement matters.

I thank the Acting Chair.