Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 March 2004
107 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the progress made to date in regard to the implementation of the RAPID programme; the number of areas in respect of which plans have been submitted to his Department; the total projected budgets for these plans; when work on the implementation of the plans is likely to get underway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7696/04]
View answerMy Department, supported by ADM Limited, co-ordinates the implementation of the RAPID programme. It is a matter for each of the other Departments to report progress on its implementation and details of funding for the proposals that fall within their remit.
Plans have been prepared for each of the 45 RAPID areas and proposals have been forwarded by ADM Limited to relevant Departments for consideration. Proposals from 32 areas were relevant to my Department and their estimated is in the region of €65 million.
Proposals from RAPID plans relevant to my Department fall to be considered under the community development programme, funding for local drugs task forces and the young people's facilities and services fund. Details of allocations to specific proposals from RAPID plans that were relevant to my Department are as follows: €1 million was allocated under the premises initiative to a local drugs task force project in Tallaght; and six new community development projects in RAPID areas received a renewable one year contract for funding of €60,000 last year and projects in Bluebell, Dolphin House, Inchicore, Merchants Quay or Ushers Quay, Longford town and Tipperary were supported.
Funding was awarded under my Department's once-off grants scheme to 14 specific projects from RAPID plans. They were as follows: €13,500 to eight projects from the Clonmel RAPID plan; €22,000 to a project from the Ennis RAPID plan; €11,800 to four projects from the Kilkenny RAPID plan; and €2,000 to a project from the Youghal RAPID plans.
A large number of proposals from the plans fall to be considered under the YPFSF. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, hopes to announce the allocations in the near future. Since the establishment of the RAPID programme my Department has provided approximately €3.5 million by way of support to the local areas in the preparation and implementation of their plans and administration costs associated with the support team in ADM.
