Draft Programme for Government: The Wheel Welcomes Increased Commitments to Communities and Community-based Services

The Wheel has welcomed commitments in the draft Programme for Government to support ‘thriving communities’. The Programme's approach outlines specific steps and enhanced indicators to facilitate a comprehensive roll-out of sustainable supports over the next five years.

The Wheel strongly supports the new Government’s vision of “Ensuring our communities thrive and making our villages, towns and cities safer; to support a caring society and to continue the focus on addressing poverty and social exclusion." (p7) 

In particular, we welcome commitments to:

• Maintain a dedicated Department for Rural Affairs and strengthen its remit to become the Department of Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs (page 106) 
• Work with the voluntary sector through industrial relations mechanisms and other processes to progress pay issues that affect the delivery of disability services and the long-term viability of organisations within the sector (page 93) 
• Update the tax code to promote charitable donations and to progress Ireland’s first National Philanthropy Policy. (p 110). 
• The Wheel also acknowledges other positive commitments made while noting that they will need to be extended across all sectors and not be specific: 
• Ensuring a holistic, cross-departmental approach to homelessness prevention (p44) and children (p64)
• Developing a multiannual approach for disability services (p92).

Community Development and Collaboration  

The commitments to “retain the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the Department of An Taoiseach to break down silos between departments" (page 64), to 'ensure a holistic, cross-departmental approach to homelessness prevention" and that “all state agencies work together to implement community development” (page 107) are very welcome. This approach offers a clear template for how issues affecting sustainability of the entire sector, funded and impacted by a wide range of government departments and agencies, can best be progressed over the remainder of this decade. 

The Wheel welcomes the focus on supporting communities through an increase in funding for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) which is highlighted as “critical to addressing social exclusion and disadvantage and encouraging involvement in communities." (p109)  

Similarly, the commitment to secure permanently the Community Centre Investment Fund to upgrade, refurbish and build local community centres will be critical. (p109) 

While we welcome these positive aspects of the draft Programme for Government, we emphasise the need for further discussion and clarification on several aspects relating to the community sector. A cross-departmental approach, and sustainable multi-annual funding, in particular, will be essential to ensuring the sustainability of organisations working to provide essential services and supports across society.