Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 January 2018
1550. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of funding allocated to the RAPID programme by area in each of the years 2014 to 2017; the funding planned for the RAPID programme in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1884/18]
View answerThe RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development) programme is aimed at funding projects which will enhance the lives of residents in disadvantaged urban areas.
The following table provides figures for RAPID over the years 2014 to 2016.
For the years 2014 to 2016, there was no regional allocation of funding for RAPID. A national allocation of €0.5 million was in place to honour legacy commitments. The table provides the outturn figures associated with those commitments. These cover contractual commitments under previous RAPID projects, mainly under the Sports Capital Scheme.
|
Year |
Outturn €'000s |
|
2014 |
170 |
|
2015 |
317 |
|
2016 |
32 |
In 2017, the total funding allocation for RAPID was €5 million. Of this, each of the 31 Local Authority areas received an allocation of €64,500, with €2.5 million ring fenced for the Dublin North East Inner City area. In addition, €0.5 million (of the €5 million total) was allocated to honour legacy commitments, as in previous years.
The budget available nationally for the 2018 programme is €2 million, which is equal to the amount for the 2017 programme. In addition to this €2 million, there are provisions in 2018 relating to the Dublin North East Inner City area and for legacy commitments relating to previous years.
My Department is currently reviewing the RAPID Programme to facilitate improvements for 2018. This review may result in some changes to the administration of the Programme and the criteria that applied previously. Any changes will be communicated to all stakeholders on the announcement of the 2018 scheme.
