Vol. 551 No. 2
457 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if each Department will make the necessary funding available to finance all aspects of the Dublin northside plan submitted under the RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10158/02]
As the Deputy is aware, the RAPID programme is a focused initiative by the Government to target the 25 most concentrated areas of urban disadvantage in the country. The programme will ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion within the designated areas through targeting State resources, provided in the national development plan. The actual amount that will be available to or invested in each RAPID area will depend on the needs of the area, to be identified in an area implementation plan. It will also depend on the capacity of Departments and statutory agencies to address those needs through finances available under the national development plan.
The programme also seeks to build on the experience gained through a range of other initiatives, including the integrated services process, by facilitating closer co-ordination and better integration in the delivery of local services, thereby ensuring the best possible use of existing resources to bring about real and practical improvements for local communities. I understand the national co-ordinator received the area plan for the Dublin northside area on Friday 22 March last. He will now begin the process of submitting all of the proposals contained therein to the relevant Departments for dissemination either within the individual Departments or to the appropriate agencies under the Departments' remit. As part of the process, Departments and agencies will be asked to establish a timeframe for implementation of each proposal, which will enable the national co-ordinator to track delivery of the overall programme.
A national monitoring committee, under the chair of Ms Maureen Gaffney, has also been established to oversee the operation of the programme and will report to the Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion on progress in its implementation.
