Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 December 2012
139. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there will be guaranteed multi-annual core funding for local development companies after 2013 in view of proposals in Putting People First which suggest that the new socio-economic committees will be the decision making body for local development funding including LEADER and LCDP from 2014 onwards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57299/12]
View answer140. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the way he intends to retain the experience and expertise of local development companies in the delivery of services for their communities in view of the fact that local development companies will not be viable entities if their core funding is given to the Socio-Economic Committee from 2014 onwards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57300/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 140 together.
It is my intention that the expertise and experience of local development companies will be retained in the new structures outlined in The Action Programme for Effective Local Government - Putting People First. In their report , the Alignment Steering Group recognised the key strengths of local development companies, in areas such as service planning and delivery.
Programme administration funding will continue to be available to local development companies in respect of their continued involvement in such work. The exact arrangements in this regard are significantly dependent on the scale of future programmes, including decisions yet to be taken at EU level.
Alignment will see local development and local government working in partnership with each other, and their communities. The recommendations of the Alignment Steering Group highlight the need to improve efficiency across the local and community development sector, for example through shared service arrangements between local development companies and with local authorities. The alignment process should facilitate the best use of the resources, experience and expertise available at local level to deliver better services in the most cost effective and efficient way possible. These and other new arrangements should place local development structures on a more sustainable footing, and they will be the focus of the implementation arrangements that my Department is putting in place for these reforms. In particular, the key stakeholders have been invited to participate on an alignment implementation group to assist and advise on the implementation of the alignment recommendations and I look forward to progress in a spirit of co-operation, trust and respect between the sectors.
