Vol. 520 No. 2
137 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the new services or the extension of existing services contained in the national development plan, which are funded by his Department, which have commenced or will commence in County Westmeath in 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15438/00]
138 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the capital programmes contained in the national development plan and funded by his Department that have commenced or will commence in the Westmeath constituency in 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15464/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 138 together.
My Department has for a number of years operated a range of grants schemes and community development support programmes which concentrate on a wide range of support for local self-help groups, community development, welfare rights and information work, and on the provision of seed money to enable community groups to pilot initiatives identified as meeting new and emerging community needs.
The focus of these programmes is on providing support to locally-based community groups involved in anti-poverty work within their communities by supporting these communities to develop their capacity to change their situation for the better, to enable them to participate in society and have a real say in their own development.
Under Partnership 2000, my Department was committed to identifying 30 new priority areas for inclusion in the community development programme. The technical group which advises me on areas for expansion of the programmes, first gathered baseline information on levels of disadvantage and poverty. In this regard the group had available to it, the report Targeting Disadvantage under the Community Development Programme, which was commissioned at its request by the Combat Poverty Agency. The report ranked all areas of the State in terms of comparative disadvantage. Further research was undertaken by the regional support agencies funded under the community development programme to further identify the priority areas for assistance under the programmes.
This targeting exercise identified Ballincarrigy, County Westmeath, as a priority area for assistance under the programmes. The regional support agency for the midlands region will be undertaking the necessary work to establish a project in this area.
