Rural Schemes Dail Éireann — 2026-02-05 ============================================================ Dara Calleary (FF), Mayo We had a very good discussion earlier and I agree with the Deputy about the importance of the community centre investment fund, CCIF, which was introduced to provide high-quality, accessible community spaces available to all groups in communities. Some €110 million has been allocated since 2022 for the enhancement and refurbishment of existing community centres and the construction of 12 new centres in areas around the country where a need was identified. The 2023 community centre investment fund was opened specifically for those groups striving to build their own community centre. That scheme provided funding of up to €6 million for new community centres on greenfield or brownfield sites. Over €30 million was approved for the construction of 12 new community centres under the scheme. These projects involve considerable levels of investment but will have a transformational impact in the communities in which they are located. I have visited and made it a priority to engage with these projects and I am delighted to say that seven of the 12 projects have received final approval. They have appointed contractors, with the remaining five progressing through tender and design stage. My priority in relation to this element of the scheme is to ensure those projects progress to completion and that communities will begin to see the real benefits of the investment. My focus for 2026 is to deliver a CCIF round to support the refurbishment work on existing community centres. There are hundreds of community groups out there that want enhancement works for their facilities. I understand that at the same time, there are areas that require a new centre. While my immediate focus is on delivering refurbishment this year, it is my intention to direct further iterations of funding towards support for new-build projects. I also note that there are substantial levels of investment under way in community facilities through LEADER and the town and village renewal scheme. I would particularly direct the Deputy there if he has projects in mind in regard to the building acquisitions measure and also the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-05/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-05