Written Answers. - Social Inclusion and Child Care Programme.
Derek McDowell
Question:
27
Mr. McDowell
asked the
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation
the amount of money allocated under the social inclusion and child care sub-programme of the national development plan; the amount drawn down to date; if he is satisfied at the rate at which money is being drawn down; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[16216/01]
An amount of £220 million has been provided under the social inclusion and child care sub-programme of the Regional Operational Programmes to support the local development work of area based partnerships and ADM community groups over the life of the National Development Plan 2000-2006. A sum of £122 million has also been provided for the national drugs strategy under the sub-programme for this period.
The local development measure required that local action plans were drawn up by partnership companies and ADM community groups, in consultation with the director of community and enterprise of the relevant city and county development boards. These plans were submitted to ADM Limited by December 2000 and were evaluated by ADM's appraisal committee for the southern and eastern region and for the Border, midlands and western region. The allocation of funding for the period 2000 to 2003 has now taken place.
Allocations are subject to an annual review and the amounts allocated may be varied and decreased on the basis of the effectiveness of groups in carrying out their plan.
In 2000, more than £16 million was drawn down under the new local development measure. Completion of work under the previous local development programme, OPLURD, also took place in 2000 which amounted to funding of a further £6 million. In 2001, £34.5 million has been allocated to ADM for partnerships and community groups to implement their action plans. Of this amount £15.17 million has already been drawn down by ADM between January and April 2001 in relation to the January-June period.
Under the drugs initiative more than £9 million was drawn down under the NDP in 2000. This amount relates to expenditure under the existing local drugs task force plans. The final evaluations of these action plans was completed last year as a result of which 140 projects were mainstreamed and are now being provided as part of the mainline services by relevant State agencies. The task forces are currently in the process of submitting new plans for assessment by the national drugs strategy team and for approval by the Cabinet committee on social inclusion. To date 11 plans have been approved and £6.9 million has been earmarked in respect of these plans to provide, by way of pilot, a wide variety of new initiatives in the areas of supply reduction, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention, as well as awareness and education. The remaining plans are expected later in the year. Only £60,000 has as a result, been drawn down to date, relating to administrative and operational expenses and expenditure is expected to accelerate considerably as soon as the projects provided for under the approved plans are up and running.
