Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 March 2014
689. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans regarding the aligning of community projects like Waterford Traveller Community Development Project; the number of social inclusion officers that will be available to Waterford City Council to cover city and council areas (details supplied). [13488/14]
View answerThe vision and focus underpinning the enhanced alignment of local government and local development is to achieve a more joined-up approach to service delivery at local level. This will be underpinned by new local governance arrangements that will seek to enhance involvement by citizens and communities in the implementation and targeting of services. The new measures will see the establishment of Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) in each local authority area over the coming mont hs in line with the provisions of the recently enacted Local Government Reform Act 2014.
These Committees will bring together both statutory and not-statutory partners, including the community sector, to bring greater co-ordination to area-based activity in their respective areas. Each LCDC will be tasked with developing the community elements of a 6-year Local Economic and Community Plan for its area, encompassing State funded local and community development programmes and interventions, including the Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) which currently funds the Waterford Traveller Community Development Project, through the National Traveller Partnership (NTP).
I am confident that the new committees, working with a wide range of local community groups, including also with local Traveller Interagency Groups, will bring a strong, strategic focus to the implementation of the Local Economic and Community Plan as well as the LCDP. This implementation will involve local development actors including development workers engaged in Local and Community Development Programmes in the Waterford area, and, therefore, the skills and experience that has been built up will continue to be available and utilised locally.
The social inclusion unit that currently operates in Waterford City Council will be part of the new unified city and county local authority when the merger is complete. Waterford is one of 16 local authority areas with a social inclusion unit, and while the area of operation of the Waterford Social Inclusion unit will be greater following the merger, it will remain a valuable resource for the area, ensuring a continued strong focus on social inclusion.
