To ask the Minister for Communities whether his Department has any plans to upskill the voluntary and community sector to ensure that they can access Financial Transactions Capital funding.

Using Financial Transactions Capital, my department is making £13m available over three years to Community Finance Ireland, for social loans to organisations in the Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.

My department will continue to invest in and support the voluntary and community sector through all available funding streams, including Financial Transactions Capital, where that mechanism is appropriate.

My department is happy to engage with the Sector where new proposals for use of Financial Transactions Capital funds are submitted. We will work collaboratively to assess, and where appropriate, develop proposals.