Michael Ring
Question:6. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there is a specific scheme within her Department for the upgrading of playgrounds. [50030/21]
View answerThursday, 14 October 2021
Questions (6)
Oral answers (7 contributions)
I thank Deputy Canney and the Minister for their kind words. I take this opportunity to compliment the Minister for the great job she is doing in not in one or two Ministries, but in three. She is almost a third of the Government. It is fantastic to see the job she has done in the three Ministries. I have a very simple question for her. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle will understand it. Very simply, we have a number of playgrounds around the country that were a godsend to people, families and children when the pandemic was on. When they were able to go someplace, these were the places they went. Some of them need to be upgraded. I am asking the Minister to consider putting a specific scheme in place for playgrounds.
I thank the Deputy for his kind words. I genuinely mean it when I say there are some great schemes in this Department that he developed when he was there. It was a new Department he set up with Deputy Canney and people in rural Ireland are really starting to reap the benefits. He is right about the playgrounds. I am going to mention a few schemes but the Deputy is well familiar with them. Playgrounds, public green spaces and public parks are all key to community well-being and he is dead right that they were a godsend during Covid.
The community enhancement programme provides small capital grants to community groups to enhance facilities, including playgrounds, in disadvantaged areas. Funding is allocated by my Department to each local authority area. The local community development committee, with support from its local authority, administers the funding. For 2021, €4.5 million is available with €145,203 allocated to County Mayo. That funding is there to support the small playgrounds. Under measure 2 of CLÁR 2021, €2.3 million in funding was provided to support outdoor community recreation facilities, including playgrounds. Emerging from this call I recently announced funding for 20 playgrounds, including new playgrounds and upgrades to existing playgrounds. I expect to launch the next round of CLÁR funding early next year.
The LEADER programme is not a specific scheme for the upgrading of playgrounds. However, funding may be available subject to compliance with LEADER operating rules. In line with the Government's ambitious policy for rural Ireland, Our Rural Future, which was launched in March, I announced an increased allocation of €70 million for the transitional LEADER programme. This funding will support local-led projects, including by developing outdoor amenities in rural areas. This programme, covering 2021-22, came into effect in April for new project applications. It will be delivered through 28 local action groups, LAGs, around the country. The decision to approve a project, or otherwise, is a matter for the LAG administering funding in each LEADER area. Interested applicants should, in the first instance, contact the relevant LAG to discuss project eligibility and available funding. Details of LAGs, implementing partners and contact details are available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/publication/c45498-local-actiongroups. There are supports available. I take the Deputy's point that some of these playgrounds need a bit of work done to them and it is certainly something I am happy to look at.
I thank the Minister for her reply. A number of playgrounds around the country have been damaged by people who have no respect for public property. The schemes that are there are great schemes. I am sure the Minister will look at having a specific scheme especially for upgrades and for putting security cameras into some of these playgrounds. Security cameras are vital now because, as I have said, there are people out there who just want to destroy public property. I do not know what is wrong with them. When the pandemic was on, these playgrounds really came into their own for children and their parents. I compliment the Minister, her Department officials and the county councils for the playgrounds that have been built around the country. They have been a major success and I hope this will continue and the Minister will have a look at a specific scheme.
I take the Deputy's point and I will see if there is anything we can do to provide funding to upgrade the playgrounds and carry out necessary repairs. It will not cost a fortune to do a bit of work on these playgrounds, which are essential.
The Deputy is also correct about security cameras. The Department of Justice is developing community partnerships, which involve gardaí, local authorities, local agencies and communities coming together and making suggestions for their local areas. Security cameras will be sought by many of these partnerships and work is ongoing in the Department on that. The Deputy understands well the benefits of security cameras, including making people feel safer.
I am glad that the Minister also has responsibility for the Department of Justice because the previous security camera scheme that was in place did not work. There was too much red tape involved and I am glad the scheme is being reviewed. It needs to be simplified because while funding was made available, it was not drawn down. In my experience, when funding is not drawn down it is because the scheme is too difficult. To be fair, most of those involved in community groups are volunteers and they do not have the expertise for complicated schemes. They are depending on us to make schemes very simple. I am delighted that Deputy Humphreys is in the Department of Justice and that the work that needed to be done is being done.
I welcome the Minister's comments. During the summer a group of volunteers, some of whom were from UCC, carried out an audit of all of the parks and playgrounds in Cork. They discovered that the north side of Cork city has fewer parks than the south side and that the north side parks are smaller, of lower quality and have fewer amenities. Great work is being done on the south side of the city and I compliment Cork City Council on the Marina Park, the Tramore Valley Park, Regional Park Ballincollig, Bishopstown Park and other parks in the area. However, on the north side of the city, including Cork North-Central, which I represent, there is no regional park. I ask the Minister to commit to supporting Cork City Council, both financially and with staff, to upgrade John O'Callaghan Park in Glanmire and Kilmore Park. There is a disparity between the north and south sides of Cork city and I ask the Minister to support the council with funding.
As Minister for Rural and Community Development, I can only assess applications that I receive. Cork City Council needs to examine the issue the Deputy raised. Perhaps the council has a plan for the area. The best thing to do would be to map out where the deficiencies lie. We have supported local authorities with funding to produce plans for rural areas, although the Deputy is talking about a city, which is somewhat different. We have helped many towns to bring their communities together to develop a plan for their area, decide what they want, get local buy-in and then submit an application for funding. The Deputy is talking about Cork city but my focus is on rural areas. If Cork County Council wants to submit an application for funding, it will be considered by my Department.