Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 October 2021
43. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if consideration has been given or will be given to reintroducing the additional 30% grant for Rapid and CLÁR areas under the sports capital grant. [47794/21]
View answerThe CLÁR Programme provides funding for small scale projects in rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period.
I understand that in the past the CLÁR Programme was used to top-up other funding programmes, including the Sports Capital Programme. However, since it was relaunched in 2016, the programme provides funding, in its own right, for small scale projects.
The Measures funded through this year's programme are:
- Measure 1 which supports School and Community Safety projects
- Measure 2 which supports Outdoor Community Recreation Facilities; and,
- Measure 3 which funds Community Wellbeing Supports. This includes funding for Community Gardens and Allotments and funding for Mobility and Cancer Care Transport vehicles.
In addition, this year Minister Humphreys introduced a new CLÁR Innovation Measure. This funding is targeted at piloting new ideas which address specific challenges faced by communities in CLÁR areas, including rural isolation, population change, social disadvantage and marginalisation.
The Measures to be funded next year will be reviewed in advance of the launch of the 2022 Programme. There are currently no plans to reintroduce a top-up grant for other programmes such as the Sports Capital Programme.
The RAPID programme, which was launched in 2001, closed to new applications in 2011. A recast RAPID Programme was rolled out in 2017 using the Local Community Development Committees which are well placed to identify and address local disadvantage. This new approach also took into account the findings of a Value for Money Policy Review of RAPID in 2011 which recommended that any follow-on programmes should not be rolled out in the same way as the original programme.
In 2018, the Department reviewed the recast RAPID and the Communities Facilities Scheme. Following that review it was decided to launch a new Community Enhancement Programme which builds on and replaces the Communities Facilities Scheme and the RAPID programme. The Community Enhancement Programme is available in all areas, not only the areas previously identified as RAPID areas.
