Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 February 2013
186. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the programmes he intends running under the dormant accounts programme in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5585/13]
View answer190. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to provide funding for urban community centres under the dormant accounts scheme or other programmes in view of the fact that centres in urban areas cannot access schemes such as Leader; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5082/13]
View answer205. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the grants or funding available to urban community centres under programmes administered by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5081/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 190, 186 and 205 together.
Axes 3 & 4 (LEADER) of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013 have funding of €314m for allocation to qualifying projects up to the end of 2013. One of the objectives of the RDP is to identify and provide appropriate amenity and leisure facilities to local communities not otherwise available to them, including Community Centres. Accordingly, it may be possible to obtain funding under the RDP for the type of community facilities referred to in Questions [5081 and 5082].
For the purposes of implementing Axes 3 & 4 of the Rural Development Programme (RDP), the following areas are excluded;
- The City Council boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick;
- The Borough Council boundaries of Kilkenny, Sligo and Wexford;
- The Town Council boundaries of Athlone, Ballina, Castlebar, Cavan, Dundalk, Ennis, Killarney, Letterkenny, Mallow, Monaghan, Mullingar, Tralee, Tuam and Tullamore.
There are 35 Local Action Groups contracted, on my Department’s behalf, to deliver the RDP throughout the country and these groups are the principal decision-makers in relation to the allocation of project funding. Such decisions are made in the context of the local development strategy of the individual groups and in line with Departmental operating rules and EU regulations. Contact details for these groups can be found on my Department’s website at www.environ.ie.
In regard to Dormant Accounts, the Disbursement Plan of 2009, put in place by the Dormant Accounts Board, will be replaced by a new disbursement scheme to be created in 2013 in accordance with the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2012. This legislation also provides for the preparation of an action plan following the making of a scheme. Consideration of funding for Dormant Accounts measures, including urban community centres, will fall to be considered in the context of such disbursement schemes and action plans.
