Vol. 543 No. 2
518 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the amount of funding made available through his Department to develop community facilities such as community centres in 2001; the scheme or schemes under which such funding is available; the amount allocated to each scheme in 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26692/01]
In so far as my Department and bodies under the aegis of my Department are concerned, there are a number of schemes and ways whereby assistance may be made available for community type facilities.
The provision of open spaces, recreational facilities, amenity areas, including community and child care facilities, specifically in local authority housing schemes, is a matter for individual local authorities in the first instance. However, facilities of this kind, related to the size and nature of individual schemes, are funded as part of the overall cost of a housing scheme from my Department's capital allocations. The social housing design guidelines issued by my Department contain guidance for local authorities in this regard. In addition, the provision of £5 million by my Department in 2001 to enable local authorities to meet the capital costs of establishing child care facilities in local authority and other social housing estates may provide suitable opportunities to link the provision of such facilities with the provision of other community facilities.
Under the regional operational programmes, 2000-2006, funding will be provided by my Department to local authorities to implement a wide range of urban and village renewal projects, including, where appropriate, the provision of community facilities. Under the Peace II Operational Programme 2000-2004, funding will be made available by my Department to county council led task forces in the six Border counties for locally based regeneration, including, where appropriate, assistance towards the provision of community facilities. No funding has been provided by my Department for communal facilities under these schemes in 2001.
Under my Department's voluntary housing schemes, a grant of £4,500 per unit of accommodation being provided in a project is generally payable towards the cost of the provision of communal facilities in the project.
