Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 1 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 1

Written Answers - RAPID Programme.

Frances Fitzgerald

Question:

570 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the reason Ringsend has been excluded from the RAPID programme; and if he will reconsider this decision in the light of the rates of early school leaving, number of dependants, number of lone parents and unemployment in the area. [11752/01]

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Mr. E. Ryan)

The RAPID programme is committed to targeting investment under the national development plan on a priority basis to the 25 most disadvantaged areas in the State.

The 25 areas selected represent the most deprived 5%district electoral divisions in the country. Ringsend is categorised as among the most deprived 10%, which is outside the qualifying category, the most deprived 5% of DEDs.

Underpinning the selection of these 25 areas is the Trutz-Haase Index. This index uses variables drawn from the 1996 census of population data, including the percentage of the adult population leaving school early, the proportion of lone parents, the age dependency rate, and the unemployment rate in each DED. This was supported by data relating to significant incidences of rented local authority housing and by the presence of disadvantaged schools as identified by the Department of Education and Science.

The fact that Ringsend is not a designated area under the RAPID Programme does not preclude it from benefiting from the support funds available under the national development plan under which £15 billion has been provided for social inclusion measures across the whole country. As a public representative of this area I will be endeavouring to ensure that the newly established Dublin City Development Board is kept fully aware of any problems that need to be considered in the Ringsend area under the social inclusion measures.