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Departmental Programmes.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 March 2004

Tuesday, 9 March 2004

Questions (342, 343, 344, 345, 346)

Seymour Crawford

Question:

429 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason Clones town was not included in the RAPID programme; if he will accept that Clones has suffered more than any other town in the county as, for over 30 years, up to two thirds of its service area was cut off due to spiked and closed roads and Border taxes closed all of its petrol stations and many of its other businesses; when he will reassess its needs and bring it under the RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7746/04]

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Written answers

Clones was not among the 20 towns selected for inclusion under strand II of the RAPID programme. These towns were identified on the basis of objective criteria, including educational attainment and social housing. Area Development Management Limited, ADM, managed the identification process on behalf on the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Denis Naughten

Question:

430 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs further to Question No. 276 of 3 March 2004, the progress he has made to date to develop the community facilities concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7851/04]

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When I met the groups, I explained the type of support available to such groups and projects and suggested possible avenues of progress. It is now a matter for each of the groups concerned to consider and advance matters.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

431 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the headings under which he has given financial support to community or other groups and on what basis to date in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7877/04]

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I refer the Deputy to Question No. 54 of 27 November 2003 in which I provided details of the many schemes and initiatives operated by my Department. With regard to financial support provided to date in 2004, the following are the details requested by the Deputy.

My Department administers the community development programme which provides core funding to voluntary groups to empower local communities to address the issues that affect them. A sum of €20.6 million has been allocated to this programme in 2004. The total expenditure on the programme to date is €4.375 million. My Department also administers the scheme for the reintegration of ex-prisoners and €0.136 million has been allocated to this scheme in 2004. Total expenditure to date is €0.034 million.

A total of €8.59 million, €2.148 million from the Exchequer, has been allocated to the administration of the PEACE II programme in 2004. The programme is administered by the Combat Poverty Agency in Monaghan on behalf of my Department. To date a total of €2.05 million, €0.5 million from Exchequer, has been allocated to the Combat Poverty Agency. My Department administers funding under the programme for support for national anti-poverty networks. A sum of €1,430,650 has been allocated under this scheme in 2004. The total expenditure on the scheme to date is €643,792. My Department is also responsible for grants entitled "funding to support volunteering". A sum of €271,998 has been allocated under this scheme in 2004. The total expenditure on the scheme to date is €98,739.

There is provision of €42.144 million in my Department's Vote for the local development social inclusion programme, LDSIP, which aims to promote social inclusion. Funding is allocated to partnerships and community groups and territorial employment pacts to deliver the local development social inclusion programme under three measures — services for the unemployed, community based youth initiatives and community development. Area Development Management Limited manages the local development social inclusion programme on behalf of my Department and €9.438 million has been expended by my Department to end of February.

A new dedicated fund of €4.5 million capital funding is being made available in my Department's Vote in 2004 to support small scale localised actions in RAPID areas through co-funding with the relevant Department or agency. I propose to announce full details of how this money will be spent shortly.

There is an amount of €10.615 million provided for the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. This aims to address the legacy of conflict and to take opportunities arising from peace through developing measures that focus on the following priorities: economic renewal, social integration, inclusion and reconciliation and cross-Border co-operation. The programme operates in Northern Ireland and the Border region of Ireland — Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan, Sligo — and is managed by ADM/CPA on behalf of the Department. A total of €2.4 million has been drawn down to date in 2004 to facilitate payments to projects.

A sum of €26.756 million has been has been provided in my Department's Vote for expenditure in the drugs area in 2004. This funding will primarily be spent on projects and initiatives funded through the local drugs task forces and the young persons facilities and services fund, YPFSF. Total expenditure to date in 2004 amounts to €1.045 million.

Funding of almost €150 million has been allocated to 38 local action groups countrywide under the Leader programmes for the period 2000-2006: Leader+, €73.6 million, and national rural development programme, €75.7 million. Funding is available to both private promoters and community groups through the local action groups for innovative rural enterprise projects, agricultural and fishery related projects, social and cultural projects and small scale environmentally friendly initiatives. The decision making process for the allocation of funding to promoters is devolved to the boards of each local action group. Funding of €21.27 million — Leader+ €11.812 million and NRDP €9.460 million — has been allocated for 2004. Expenditure to date in 2004 totals €2,666,780.

The areas targeted under the CLÁR programme will continue to benefit from assistance in 2004 under the range of measures operated. These areas are parts of Counties Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath and all of County Leitrim. Measures with a particular community focus are the group water scheme and group sewerage schemes. CLÁR provides funding, through the local authority, to householders in the group schemes by way of limited top up grants. As these schemes are demand led, there is no specific allocation. To date in 2004, approximately €380,000 of CLÁR funding for six schemes has been approved. Community based projects attracting less than 50% public funding under Leader may qualify for CLÁR top up funding subject to the certain conditions. As this scheme is demand led, there is no specific allocation. To date in 2004, approximately €254,000 of CLÁR funding for five projects has been approved.

The provision for the rural development fund in the Vote in my Department this year is €950,000. The purpose of the fund is to finance research, evaluation and pilot actions to provide information and advice for policy makers on important rural development issues. I am supporting a number of pilot actions in rural areas this year. The groups being supported are Foscadh Community Development, Inishowen Rural Development Limited, Inishowen Partnership, Sneen, Castlecove, Caherdaniel Integrated Resource Development, the Western Development Tourism Programme, Galway East Tourism Marketing, South Kerry Tourism, the Countryside Council or Comhairle na Tuaithe and Laois Rural Employment Partnership. Expenditure to date in 2004 totals €16,220. Arrangements for the fund are currently under review.

Financial support has been provided to various community groups in the Gaeltacht under my Department's Gaeltacht schemes. This funding is provided to improve the economic, social and physical conditions in the Gaeltacht and to strengthen the Irish language as the principal community language in the region. Grants approved by me to date in 2004 total €415,000.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

432 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he intends to initiate new programmes to assist the social fabric in urban or rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7878/04]

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I wish to take this opportunity to draw the Deputy's attention to the following initiatives which are currently being advanced by my Department.

I am at present preparing detailed proposals for a rural social scheme arising from the announcement of the scheme in the context of budget 2004. Detailed guidelines for the scheme, including objectives, criteria for participation, the way it will operate and how it will be delivered at a local level are currently under consideration by my Department.

In order to strengthen the future economic viability of island communities, my Department is actively pursuing the introduction of an enterprise fund for non-Gaeltacht islands. This fund will be directed at assisting entrepreneurs to create new employment opportunities in island settings where, traditionally, communities have had to depend on tourism in addition to small scale farming and fishing to make a living. I hope to be in a position to announce details of the scheme shortly.

With regard to the Gaeltacht, my Department is continuing to study the recommendations made in the report of Coimisiún na Gaeltachta 2002 and new initiatives as necessary may be brought forward in due course. There is an amount of €10.615 million provided for the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, which aims to address the legacy of conflict and to take opportunities arising from peace through developing measures that focus, from this Departments perspective, on the following priorities: economic renewal, social integration, inclusion and reconciliation and cross-Border co-operation. The programme operates in Northern Ireland and the Border region of Ireland — Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan, Sligo — and is managed by ADM/CPA on behalf of the Department.

A new dedicated fund of €4.5 million capital funding is being made available in my Department's Vote in 2004, to support small scale localised actions in RAPID areas, through co-funding with the relevant Department or agency. I propose to announce full details of arrangements.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

433 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the extent to which he intends to support urban and rural communities negatively affected by demographic trends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7879/04]

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A sum of €21 million has been allocated to the community development support programmes, CDSPs, in 2004 to support locally based community groups involved in anti-poverty and social inclusion initiatives. Projects have been initiated in areas identified as meeting the disadvantage and social exclusion criteria for the programme. In this context, due regard is had to the demographic profile of the area, including factors such as population decline, when selecting areas for inclusion. The total number of projects supported under the programme is currently 174, of which 52 projects are in the BMW region.

I introduced the CLÁR programme in October 2001 to address depopulation as well as the decline and lack of services in rural areas. Areas in 18 counties have been selected under this programme. These areas suffered the greatest population decline from 1926 to 2002 with an average population loss of 50%. The exception is the Cooley peninsula, which was included on the basis of the serious difficulties caused there by foot and mouth disease. The measures introduced under the programme reflect the priorities identified by the communities in the selected areas that I consulted at the outset. These measures support physical, community and social infrastructure through a variety of measures such as electricity conversion, roads, water and sewerage, village enhancement, health and sports projects. They are, for the most part, operated in tandem with the lead Departments or public utilities, as appropriate, thus ensuring efficiency and impact as well as meeting the needs of the people in the CLÁR areas.

The Leader programmes are innovative EU programmes put in place to encourage the implementation of integrated, high quality strategies in rural communities with particular emphasis on community type projects. The programmes do not specifically target rural communities negatively affected by demographic trends. However, through implementing its actions to support rural communities the programme has a positive affect on these areas. The offshore islands have also been adversely affected by demographic trends and show an approximate decline of 5% over the last two censuses. A provision of €13 million is included in my Department's 2004 Estimates for current and capital expenditure on islands to help tackle this trend.

The Irish speaking population has reduced from 76.3% to 72.6% of the overall Gaeltacht population, according to the last two censuses. My Department will seek to address this negative trend through the provision of €32.193 million funding to Údarás na Gaeltachta in 2004. This is in addition to the funding provided through schemes directly administered by the Department. These measures critically serve to support the physical and economic development of the Gaeltacht as well as promoting linguistic, cultural and social development.

Finally an amount of €10.615 million is being provided for the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, which aims to address the legacy of conflict and to take opportunities arising from peace. It does this through developing measures that focus on the following priorities: economic renewal, social integration, inclusion and reconciliation and cross-Border co-operation. The programme operates in Northern Ireland and the Border region of Ireland, that is, Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo. It is managed by ADM/CPA on behalf of my Department.

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