Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 April 2019
58. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the impact of the €5.5 million expenditure by his Department in 2019 on the regeneration of the north-east inner city area of Dublin; his views on whether other disadvantaged communities would also benefit from significant investment in regeneration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15598/19]
View answerThis year the Department of Rural and Community Development is providing approximately €5.5 million to support projects underpinning the regeneration of the north-east inner city area of Dublin. That follows on from €3.5 million last year and €2.5 million the previous year. I ask the Minister to outline the impact that funding is having on that community. Does he believe other disadvantaged communities would also benefit from similar programmes?
In 2019 my Department is providing €6.5 million towards the regeneration of the Dublin's north-east inner city. This investment will benefit not only the local community but the city as a whole. It shows the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the recommendations of the Mulvey report are implemented.
The funding provided by my Department supports initiatives which are put forward by the Dublin north-east inner city implementation board, with the required oversight provided through Cabinet committee B. Some of the funded initiatives help families affected by addiction issues and drug-related intimidation, while others cover physical improvements to the Dublin's north-east inner city area. The investment also funds a pilot social employment scheme for 50 staff to work with childcare, youth work, care of the elderly and other projects. It is hoped that the experience from this pilot scheme will inform the development of similar initiatives in other urban areas over the coming years, as additional resources become available. Work is also under way to examine the effectiveness of the Government's investment to date.
Outside Dublin's north-east inner city, there are many examples of disadvantaged communities benefiting from significant investment from my Department. For example, last year I provided €13 million under the community enhancement programme to help groups across the country to improve facilities in disadvantaged areas. Last week I launched the 2019 programme with funding of €4.5 million. My Department also funds the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, a five-year €190 million national programme, delivered locally, to help those in the greatest need.
I thank the Minister for his reply. I acknowledge the increase of funding of €6.5 million for Dublin's north inner city. He identified some of the specific projects supported. As this is the third year of increased funding from the Department, what is the impact of that funding?
The Minister spoke about the social employment project with funding of approximately €2 million, which I welcome. Many other areas across the country suffer significantly from economic disadvantage, particularly areas in Dublin with which I am familiar. In its third year, can we build on the evidence and experience of the north inner city to transfer that to other disadvantaged communities that have been stuck in long-term economic disadvantage?
I thank the Deputy for his comments. I accept what he has said. There are many areas outside Dublin that could do with more funding to address disadvantage. What is happening is working very well. The task force is working on implementing the recommendations of the Mulvey report. It meets regularly and responds to Government. I have been to some of these places in Dublin's inner city. The Deputy has seen how the ring-fencing of funding to provide 50 positions on the employment scheme has worked. They are involved in the environment and in keeping their area tidy.
I have been in community halls that got funding from this scheme. Small amounts of money have made a difference to their lives. As the Deputy knows, wonderful community people are involved, particularly in Dublin's inner city. One could not meet nicer people. They also appreciate the funding they are getting. They see what it does for disadvantaged areas and it is working very well. I would like to be able to roll this out in other areas. We will be able to use this task force as an example, but it will, of course, all come down to funding.
I wish I had more funding, in particular for other disadvantaged areas, but this is a pilot scheme and it is working very well. The Government is committed to it.
I thank the Minister for his reply. I am very pleased to hear the positive outcome for the north inner city. That bolsters the argument I am making. If it is working for the north inner city, we must consider the other very disadvantaged communities right around the city and the country. The funding they would have received traditionally through RAPID and so on is no longer available because we now have the community enhancement programme. However, that programme is not targeted at the most vulnerable areas. I have seen the projects it supports and they are far outside the traditional RAPID areas. It is also the case that the money the Minister talks about making available for community enhancement this year is relatively small by comparison with what is going to the north inner city. On the level of support required by our most disadvantaged communities, will the Minister work to identify where those communities are? I heard the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, say on the radio this morning that he is working on next year's budget. We will gladly support the Minister, Deputy Ring, in any bid to provide additional funding to target areas of significant economic disadvantage which have endured long-term unemployment and a range of other issues. While those issues are now being addressed in the north inner city, we need to roll this out to other areas nationally.
I thank the Deputy for his offer of support, which I will take him up on. It is important. The Deputy is quite correct to say that sometimes we target areas like inner-city Dublin whereas other disadvantaged areas in other parts of the country do not have the clout they should. That is why the Department uses SICAP and the community enhancement programme. Deputy Curran referred to the level of funding. I was pleased that the €6.5 million we invested in inner-city Dublin this year included an increase of €3 million on the 2018 provision. The Deputy is right that we want to see other areas being covered too. The community enhancement programme started last year with €4.5 million and we finished up by putting €13 million into it. If there are any savings in the Department this year, that is one of the areas I will look at. One of the most important programmes is one about which we do not talk but about which I have learned a great deal more since becoming Minister, namely, SICAP, which will provide funding of €130 million over a number of years. SICAP is one of the better programmes because it identifies areas and individuals and works with them. We have had many successes in Limerick and elsewhere for individuals who have been helped to create or obtain employment through SICAP. People have been helped to read and write and groups who needed help have been dealt with. I will look for further funding for the programme of which I am very fond.
