A Chathaoirligh agus a chomhaltaí den choiste, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil libh as an deis a thabhairt dom ráiteas gairid a dhéanamh anseo inniu, nuair atá Cuntas Leithghabhála na bliana 2009 do Vóta Uimhir 27 - An Roinn Gnóthaí Pobail, Comhionnanais agus Gaeltachta á scrudú ag an gcoiste. Gabhaim buíochas freisin le hOifig an Ard Reachtaire Cúntas agus Ciste as an mbealach proifisiúnta a rinne a gcuid oifigeach an obair a bhí riachtanach i ndáil leis an gcuntas sin.
Members will be aware that in March 2010, as part of the restructuring of Departments and agencies announced by the Taoiseach, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs became the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs. In the context of this restructuring, responsibility for social inclusion policy and family policy was transferred to the Department from the Department of Social Protection and equality, disability, integration and human rights were transferred to it from the Department of Justice and Law Reform. Responsibility for the rural social scheme and the community services programme was transferred from the Department to the Department of Social Protection.
On foot of these changes, the Department has grown significantly and now has 387 staff located in offices in Dublin, Tubbercurry, Na Forbacha in Galway, Portlaoise and Roscrea, and at a number of smaller regional offices. A key priority for the Department over the coming period will be to create synergies across the range of functions it now holds and to build a coherent and strong new Department, acting in support of the most vulnerable members of society and of those working to make a difference right across our communities.
It may be helpful if I were to briefly update the committee on the six core areas of the Department as reviewed by the C&AG in the context of the 2009 audit. These are as follows: developing communities; tackling drug misuse; rural development; Gaeltacht and islands development; promotion and maintenance of the Irish language; and North-South co-operation.
On the local and community development front, work concluded on the redesign of the Department's programmes to support communities to ensure optimal benefit is realised from this expenditure. From 1 January 2010, the community development and the local development social inclusion programmes were replaced by the new local and community development programme, LCDP. The new programme is underpinned by four high level goals, which seek to improve outcomes and overall performance in promoting local and community development. In 2009, €71 million was provided under the predecessor programmes to the LCDP to deliver supports to counter disadvantage and to improve access to employment, training and education. In addition, support was provided under RAPID and to promote volunteerism and active citizenship.
A total of €50.4 million, an increase of almost 7% on the 2008 position, was expended on the community services programme, which assists in providing employment opportunities, while delivering valued services to communities. Some 2,700 persons were employed under the programme in 2009. Under the scheme of community support for older people, a total of €2.13 million was provided to 432 community and voluntary groups to assist 6,523 older people. The scheme was reviewed in 2009 and a revised seniors' alert scheme was introduced earlier this year.
With regard to drug misuse, the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 was approved by the Government in September 2009. The Government also approved the establishment of an Office of the Minister for Drugs, OMD, to subsume the functions previously undertaken by the national drugs strategy team and the Department's drugs strategy unit and the development of a national substance misuse strategy to incorporate drugs and alcohol. Work continues in this regard. In 2009, almost €22 million was expended to support 340 projects under two rounds of the 14 local drugs task forces plans. The projects, which focus on the areas of treatment, rehabilitation, education, prevention, awareness and curbing local supply, and employ in the region of 300 people.
With regard to the regional drugs task forces, almost €10 million was expended to support 146 projects, including targeted funding for Limerick city. These projects have a similar focus to those supported in LDTF areas.
Finally under this heading, I might mention head shops, and the work carried out in 2009 and 2010 by this Department, along with colleagues in the Departments of Health and Children and Justice and Law Reform, including the bringing forward of legislative proposals. There was widespread acceptance that the substances sold in head shops posed serious health risks and could lead to the use of illicit drugs. Following the enactment of the legislation, I understand that the number of head shops has dropped from 102 earlier in the year to 11 in mid-October.
The Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 commenced in February 2009, with funding of €425 million available over the lifetime of the programme - almost treble that of the previous programme. The main aim of the programme is to improve the quality of life in rural areas and facilitate the diversification of the rural economy. A total of 36 local action groups, formerly known as Leader companies, have been contracted to deliver the programme throughout Ireland. In 2009, the CLÁR programme invested almost €13.60 million to support physical, economic and social infrastructure across a variety of measures. The measures covered a wide variety of developments, including water and sewerage infrastructure, bilingual signage, sports capital grants, minor health projects, school play facilities and coastal projects. Total expenditure under the rural social scheme in 2009 amounted to just under €48.4 million. During the year, there were 2,600 participant places available on the scheme and 130 supervisor positions. Through the scheme, almost 2,700 community based projects were supported, which contributed to a wide range of community activities and facilities being made available throughout the country.
I refer to the Irish language, the Gaeltacht and islands. The draft 20-year strategy for Irish was published in November 2009. It is based on the objectives set out in the Government's policy statement on Irish published in December 2006. The key objective of the proposed strategy is to increase significantly the number of people who are functionally bilingual in Irish and English and to support the position of Irish as the principal community language in the Gaeltacht. The Department operates a number of schemes to improve the infrastructure in the Gaeltacht to enhance its economic fabric and attract investment to the region. A total of €4.2 million was spent in this area in 2009.
Some €19.7 million was spent on capital works on the islands during 2009. Key projects included the Inishbofin and Clifden airstrips, and the Cill Rónáin pier and harbour development. More than €5.6 million was expended in 2009 in providing passenger and cargo ferry, air and road transport services for offshore islands under 22 contracts administered by the Department. These ensure the provision of regular access for island communities to the mainland at an affordable cost to island residents. A central translations unit was established in the Department in October 2009, following a Government decision to address systematically the issue of translating statutory instruments and to take forward a review of the official standard for Irish.
Under North-South co-operation, I might mention that the Department co-funds two North-South Implementation Bodies - Waterways Ireland and An Foras Teanga, comprising Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency. In 2009 we continued to work with colleagues in Northern Ireland through the North-South Ministerial Council in support of both bodies. Co-operation also continued across a number of other areas of the Department's work.
With regard to legislation, the key development in 2009 was the passing into law of the Charities Bill. When fully commenced, this legislation is intended to provide a robust, statutory, regulatory framework for charities and enhance the accountability and transparency of charities operating in Ireland. In mid-2009, the Government noted a proposed timeframe to end-2011 for the roll-out of the key actions necessary to enable the full commencement of the legislation and work in this regard is continuing.
I refer briefly to chapter 24 of the annual report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, entitled Managing Cohesion and Integration, in which issues relating to the cohesion and integration processes, systems of evaluation, governance, performance measurement and the treatment of local development company assets are raised. Following previous discussions with this committee, as I have outlined, the Department has since brought forward a new integrated LCDP, drawing on evidence-based international practice. This addresses key concerns raised in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report and previously considered by the committee regarding programme design and performance. The new programme, which is being implemented since January 2010, features enhanced impact and outcome indicators; strengthened internal financial control and corporate governance; and targets for improved service delivery on the ground. Steps are in hand to commission a national evaluation of the programme, which will assess both its impact and effectiveness, commencing in 2011.
With regard to the assets of local development companies and other wind-up issues, a review of the treatment of assets under the cohesion process commenced on 1 September 2010, with the aim of ensuring that assets purchased by Leader and partnership companies, with the assistance of public funds, transferred appropriately to the new integrated local development companies. This review will be completed early in 2011.
I will be happy to expand on any of these areas, if the committee wishes. Is mian liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl arís as an deis a fháil chun an ráiteas tosaigh seo a chur in bhur láthair. Ta mé ag tnúth le pé eolais atá a lorg ag an gcoiste maidir le hobair na Roinne a chur ar fáil feadh mo chumais. Go raibh maith agat.