Thomas P. Broughan
Question:70 Mr. Broughan asked the Taoiseach if his important initiative in extending the northside partnership to include Kilbarrack also takes in other districts of the Donaghmede Ward such as Donaghmede, Ayrfield and Edenmore.
Written Answers. - Kilbarrack (Dublin) Development Programme.
The Government has decided on the areas to be included in the local development programme and a list of these follows.
The specific operational boundaries of each partnership area will be decided following local consultation. A national coordinating team is being put in place to undertake the consultation. This is the procedure which operated in the case of the twelve pilot partnership areas. However, I can confirm that the northside partnership will be extended to include the areas mentioned in the Deputy's question.
The areas designated are as follows:
(i) The twelve areas chosen as the Programme for Economic and Social Progress pilot areas will continue with an extension to boundaries in some areas: Ballymun; Coolock/Darndale, extended to include Kilbarrack; Dublin Inner City; Finglas, extended to include Cabra; Tallaght; Cork North City, extended to include other disadvantaged areas of Cork City; Dundalk; Kerry South-West, extended to include other disadvantaged areas of rural Kerry and Killarney; Limerick City; Mayo North; Waterford West, extended to include other disadvantaged areas of rural Waterford; Wexford South-West, extended to include other disadvantaged areas of rural Wexford, Enniscorthy and Gorey.
(ii) Eleven new urban areas have been designated: Clondalkin; Ballyfermot; Blanchardstown; Crumlin / Kimmage / Walkinstown; Bray; Galway; Drogheda; Waterford City; Wexford; Tralee; Pockets of disadvantaged areas in South County Dublin and Dun Laoghaire.
(iii) Ten new rural areas have been designated: Mayo Central; Donegal; Connemara; East Galway; Limerick West; Offaly North and Kildare North West rural; Longford and Westmeath rural; Monaghan; Cavan and Leitrim.
The precise boundaries of the designated areas will be decided following local consultation.
It is intended that all of the designated rural areas will be assisted to benefit from the new Leader programme, which is currently under discussion with the European Commission. It is the Government's objective that the new Leader programme operate in all rural areas, that it should have a wider remit to include education, training, community and environmental development and capacity building at local level, and that the designated areas would operate as Leader areas.