Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 April 2022
983. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which she and her Department continue to have dialogue with urban or rural-based groups with a view to identifying deprivation or concerns which may need her intervention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18358/22]
View answerMy Department is in ongoing contact with local and community groups through the local structures such as Public Participation Network (PPN). The focus of the PPN is to empower and assist groups to participate in local decision making. This facilitates a two way flow of information between the Local Authority and community groups. We also remain in close contact with bodies that represent the local development and community and voluntary sectors.
My Department has a number of programmes that focus on improving the lives of people experiencing disadvantage, for example the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme or SICAP.
SICAP is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention. It aims to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality. It is delivered in both rural and urban areas by Local Development Companies (LDCs) who work with the most disadvantaged and the hardest to reach in communities.
To ensure that funding is adequately targeted, the HP Pobal Deprivation Index is used which identifies the relative levels of affluence or disadvantage across geographic areas, using data from the national census.
