Vol. 532 No. 4
580 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the Department which is responsible for preparing guidelines for a rural RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7707/01]
Under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness the Government was committed to targeting investment under the national development plan, on a priority basis, to the 25 most disadvantaged areas in the State. Strand I of the RAPID programme was launched in February, but because the 25 RAPID areas are all located in the major urban centres, the Government has decided that there will be a second strand to this programme to target rural areas and provincial towns. This is currently being drawn up by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the Department of the Environment and Local Government, and is scheduled to be operational towards the end of the year.
