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Departmental Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 April 2019

Wednesday, 3 April 2019

Questions (210, 211)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

210. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which he expects to be in a position to support applications from County Kildare for assistance under the various schemes operated by his Department in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15627/19]

View answer

Bernard Durkan

Question:

211. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of applications received in his Department from County Kildare in respect of the various support schemes applicable to urban and rural communities directly or through the local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15628/19]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 and 211 together.

My Department is committed to the successful delivery of the following programmes which have provided financial and other supports to organisations in County Kildare.

Funding is being made available under each of these schemes in 2019 and I look forward to providing further supports to rural and urban communities in the county moving forward:

- The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, which I launched in 2018 as part of Project Ireland 2040, supports ambitious and strategic projects which have the potential to transform rural economies and communities. Three projects located in County Kildare were awarded funding of €2,865,500 from the first call to the Fund.

- The new five-year Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, which commenced at the start of 2018, is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention. This is a €190m national programme that is delivered locally, to help those in the greatest need. The funding allocation to Kildare for 2019 is €1,061,036.00.

- The Community Enhancement Programme, which I launched in 2018, has provided funding of €468,671 to projects in Kildare, including more than €26,000 to Men's Sheds groups, which provide a safe space where men can gather and  participate in their communities, develop social networks and potentially gain new skills and access information.  I launched the 2019 Community Enhancement Programme last week with an allocation of €4.5million nationally. The funding allocation to Kildare for 2019 is €148,013.00.

- The LEADER Local Action Group (LAG) in Kildare has been allocated €5,261,600 to invest in the economic and social development of County Kildare over the period of the programme to 2020. In 2019, €238,716 has so far been approved for three LEADER projects in Kildare. The LAG received funding of €127,369 in 2019  for individual projects and the administration costs of the LAG itself.

- The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is an initiative under the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development and is part of a package of  national and local support measures to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. I announced details of 224 projects that were approved for €21.3 million of funding under the 2018 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, including eight projects totalling €520,000 for Kildare. The scheme is not yet launched in 2019.

- The Digital  Innovation Programme in Kildare was awarded €41,250 in 2018.

- The Seniors Alert Scheme facilitates valuable community-based support for vulnerable older people. A total of 1,364 installations have been approved for elderly persons in Kildare since September 2015.

- The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in rural areas. The scheme is funded by my Department and is administered through the Local Authorities.  The funding allocated to Kildare is €250,000 for 2019.

- €85,684 was announced in January 2019 for the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure scheme in Kildare.

- The Community Services Programme (CSP) supports community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model with funding provided as a contribution to the cost of a manager and an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions. In 2019, the CSP provided funding of some €440,628 towards the cost of employing approximately 17.5 full-time equivalents and three managers in five community based organisations and social enterprises based in Kildare. Two of the five have received an additional support through the support fund which assists approved organisations in meeting current minimum wage requirements in 2019.

In respect of applications received from organisations or groups in County Kildare, including the local authority, the following table provides totals for 2018 and to date in 2019. 

Programme/Scheme

2018

Number of applications received

2019

Number of applications received

Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme   (SICAP)

n/a (funding provided to delivery bodies on basis of contract terms and conditions for full term of programme, subject to review)

n/a

Community Enhancement Programme (including Men’s   Shed Fund)

92

n/a

Local Improvement Scheme

12

n/a

Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme

  2

n/a

Town and Village Renewal Scheme

  8

n/a

Community Services Programme

  3

2 (1 under appraisal)

Seniors Alert Scheme (participants)

403 (1 Jan – 31 Aug 18)

n/a

LEADER

 18

3(to date)

Digital Innovation Programme 

   1

n/a

Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

 13

n/a

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