Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghlacadh libh as ucht deis a thabhairt dom cur síos a dhéanamh ar an tionscnamh CLÁR agus an dul chun cinn atá déanta ag an tionscnamh seo ó tosaíodh é.
Is cuid den scéim RAPID é CLÁR, ach go bhfuil sé dírithe ar cheantracha tuaithe. Nuair a bhí na ceantair á roghnu shíl me gurb é an bealach ab fhearr le tabhairt faoi ná díriú ar na ceantracha is mó a chaill daonra ón mbliain 1926 i leith. Roghnaíodh 15 ceantair ar an mbonn sin agus cuireadh ceantar Cooley i gContae Lú leis ar an mbunús go ndearnadh dístocáil iomlán ar an gceantar sin i rith na géarchéime galar crúb agus béil a bhí ann anuraidh.
Tá codanna de cheantair ocht n-údarás déag áitiúil i gceist sa gceithre chúige. Is iad na contaetha go bhfuil páirteanna dóibh mar chuid den tionscnamh CLÁR ná: Corcaigh, Ciarraí, An Chlár, Luimneach, Tiobráid Árainn Thuaidh agus Tiobráid Árainn Theas i gCúige Mumhan; páirteanna de chuile Chontae i gCúige Chonnacht; páirt de Thír Chonaill, Cabhán agus Muineachán i gCúige Uladh; agus páirt den Mhí, Iar-Mhí, Longfort agus Contae Lú i gCúige Laighean.
Cheadaigh an Rialtas an tionscnamh ag deireadh mí Iúil 2001, agus cuireadh €25 milliúin ar fáil thar tréimhse dhá bhliain i mí Meán Fómhair. I rith an Fhómhair, thug mé cuairt ar na ceantair éagsúla agus mhínigh mé an plean agus ag an am céanna bhí cruinnithe agam leis na Ranna Rialtais éagsúla atá ag plé leis an tionscnamh. Ó thús na bliana seo, tá mé i mbun feidhmiú an tionscnaimh CLÁR agus tá dul chun cinn nach beag déanta.
I am delighted to have an opportunity to address the Seanad and to allay some of the misconceptions that seem abound in respect of the CLÁR programme. I do not know whether some of these misconceptions arise from a disease called "electionitis" or if they are genuine. As Senators are probably aware, this initiative is part of the RAPID programme that seeks to focus investment and development in areas which, through population decline or high deprivation, tended not to benefit fully from previous national development plans.
Urban areas were selected on poverty criteria, but I felt that this would be an inappropriate method of selection for rural areas and that the areas most in need of development in rural Ireland were those showing the most population decline. Senators will be aware of the syndrome of services being withdrawn from rural areas because of population decline and of population decline being caused by the withdrawal of services. This is what we are seeking to end.
I commenced work on the CLÁR initiative in March 2001 and the Government approved the scheme in principle in late July 2001. In September 2001, I was given a direct fund of €25 million over two years and an emphasis was placed on reprioritising investment under the national development plan. Some 18 local authority areas are covered by CLÁR – these were mentioned by Senators. The total population of the CLÁR area is about 285,000 people. I attended 18 public meetings in CLÁR areas to explain the initiative during the autumn. I concluded these meetings in December. These meetings were very well attended and there was great enthusiasm for the lack of bureaucracy involved or need to go round in circles, creating more plans and analysis, and the fact that we were just getting on with the job that people needed done.
The communities were very forthright at the meetings and we had very open question and answer sessions. I certainly did not curtail any suggestions or debate from the floor. I found that the communities were in tune with my thinking. They are fed up with plans and more studies. They just want things put right. Also, at that time, I had a plenary session with all the other Government Departments dealing with these areas. I also had a series of bilateral meetings to put schemes together. It is important to note that CLÁR is not a new agency. There is enough duplication and different bodies doing the same thing. Therefore, all the schemes in which I am involved must be in line fully with the policies and programmes of the various line Departments.
There are three elements to CLÁR. Rural proofing is the first. One of the most frequently mentioned points in this context pertained to community employment schemes. If they are not rural-friendly, we go to the line Department and talk to it about the problem. Planning was one issue we mentioned and I will say more about that later. That is what rural proofing is about.
Reprioritisation under the national development plan is the second element. This is what I call the invisible money. The idea is that one tries to reprioritise and frontload the developments towards the CLÁR areas. We know the tendency up to now has been to get investment to follow development. Therefore, growing cities and towns tended to get money because they were growing, but because they were getting the money they continued to grow. The areas that were dying did not get money. The whole idea of CLÁR is to try shift the money back into these areas.
The third element concerns the direct fund. Everyone is focusing on the direct fund because it is the visible part of the scheme. In view of comments made by Deputies and others, it is very important to stress the methodology being used in the expenditure of the direct fund of €25,400,000, which is available to me over a two year period. I have heard at least two Opposition Deputies describe this as a slush fund. They also made complaints that there are no application forms available for communities. I am disappointed that they have not taken the time to find out how this programme will work and why no application forms are needed. The reason is that I am operating through the existing agencies and not setting up a parallel system, thus not creating duplication and unnecessary bureaucracy. If I learned one thing in my long years as a community development officer and co-operative manager – I worked both voluntarily and professionally in rural development – it is that the more complication and agencies that exist, the harder it is for the people on the ground.
Earlier, a Senator spoke of providing funding to community groups to try access the system. We could also do a lot to make the system more accessible to people without having to spend millions of pounds on employing people to do so. At the moment, we have a chaotic system that even I find difficult to keep up with at times.
I will try to outline briefly the steps I have taken. It is no good dealing with the big issues if we still have houses in this country with no roads or water mains leading to them. Anybody who tells me that addressing the latter issue is not dealing with rural deprivation is talking poppycock because they are not talking about deprivation. A person without a decent water supply and a decent road to their house is highly deprived. We do not need sociologists to tell us that. The people tell one that themselves because the first thing they mention is: "Minister, I do not have a road" or "Minister, I do not have water. Forget about everything else until I have a road and water – I do not want anything else." I empathise very much with what Senator Jackman said in that regard.
There are two elements to the roads programme, the first of which was made public, namely that the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, when making a decision on the roads programme this year, was able to finance 93% of the projects from the CLÁR areas proposed to him. Some counties have questioned this but the reason they got their figures wrong was because some counties insist on applying for more than they want. If they want €4 million, they apply for €8 million. Then it has to be cut back to €4 million. Based on the final submissions made by the counties in line with the request from the Department of the Environment and Local Government, I am assured that 93% of the applications for roads under the non-national, EU co-financed funding were funded this year. The average for the rest of the country is 75%. It is calculated that this is worth €4 million extra to the CLÁR areas.
However we have gone further. We have put together a special fund of €4 million, €2 million coming from the CLÁR programme and €2 million which the Minister for the Environment and Local Government held back when he was giving out the rest of the money. I have written to the local authorities and have asked them to submit proposals. I have asked Limerick County Council for a proposal for 100% funding on €40,000 this year. That should solve Senator Jackman's problem.
There are some Senators here from County Mayo. I have asked the local authorities there for proposals to spend €650,000 and if they are not telling the Senators what I am asking for, it is about time they did. This is extra money and if the people in Mayo cannot spend it there, they should send it back to Galway because Senator Jarlath McDonagh and I will spend it there without a problem. When people are crying out for money, €650,000 over and above all the other increases should make a significant impression in these areas in Mayo.
Coillte Teoranta has also agreed to make €500,000 available. By shopping around, my €2 million has become €4.5 million which of course shows that my contention was always well based. The initial funding of €12.5 million will attract huge amounts of extra funding if the homework is done properly. The problem in these areas was that unlike bigger growing areas, they could not provide the added element to attract additional money. There is now €4.5 million and I am waiting for specific projects to be agreed between Coillte and the local authorities to be presented to me so that they can commence.
Many of the Senators are also members of local authorities. I call on those Senators to ask their local authorities to do two simple things for me. First, they should reply quickly to simple letters we send looking for information because the quicker we get it the quicker we will answer. Second, if I write asking for proposals for €600,000, €300,000 or €40,000 they should send back proposals for whatever amount I ask, not twice or three times that. The letters specify that if they ask for more we will write back and ask them to cut it down, which leaves the choice with the local authorities.
Many Senators have rightly mentioned LIS roads and from my travels around the country I have found this to be one of the biggest issues raised. There are still people who do not enjoy the luxury of a road to their house. I have allocated considerable money to try to deal with this problem. Subject to final approval from my colleague in the Department of the Environment and Local Government – and there will be no problem with that – for every €2 spent by a local authority on local improvement schemes in a CLÁR area, I will provide another €1 for more roads in that area. If a council thinks I will fund all the roads in the CLÁR area and decides to put all its LIS money into the non-CLÁR areas, it will receive nothing from me.
I am not asking them to make a big exception for the CLÁR areas, but if they treat them fairly and spend the money as they would have done throughout the county including the CLÁR area, then having determined how much will be spent in the CLÁR area, which could be €100,000 in a big county, they will receive €50,000 to spend on even more roads. In that way we will begin to tackle the huge waiting list of roads particularly in isolated rural areas. I do not select the roads. This will be done by the normal systems in the local authorities. I see no point in asking CDBs, vocational education committees, health boards or anybody else to select LIS roads.
As regards water and sewerage, the big things happen and the small things never happen. The waste water directives caused huge problems for small villages and towns because they meant that all the big schemes covering an area with a population greater than a certain number had to be done first to be in compliance. That meant development in many small villages and towns was stunted due to the lack of waste water facilities in particular. Furthermore, a huge amount of water schemes are needed in these areas, which cost £100,000 or £200,000. These are not getting done because the local authority claims not to have the money.
For example, County Mayo gets £700,000 for small water and sewerage schemes every year. For every €1 spent in a CLÁR area, I will give another €1. If an authority spends €400,000 in a CLÁR area this year, it will receive another €400,000 and will have €800,000 to spend. What could be fairer? I have to devise systems that stop the local authorities from being tempted to skim the money back on a no gain system. I must have a system that encourages them to take the money out to the edges. This is quite a clever device to do so. I am leaving it to the local authorities to make the decision; I am not going to make it for them.
The group water scheme was probably one of the most cost effective steps ever taken. These are isolated areas with low population density and houses scattered away from each other. We all know the syndrome where the unit cost per house is bigger because they are in isolated areas. It is unfair to ask people to pay £2,000 to £4,000 per house for the provision of a basic commodity like water. When we asked the county councils about the problem, they said a few million pounds would solve the problem nationally. A number of schemes were costing more than £6,000 or €7,618 and only a modest top up was needed.
Under the CLÁR programme it is achievable for all of these to be wiped out within five years. The current scheme allows for a maximum grant of 85% of €7,618. The balance of €1,142 is then made up by the householder. The problem was that for more expensive schemes, the householder had to pay the full amount above €6,476. To give an example in old-fashioned pounds, if a scheme cost £7,000 per house, the amount to be paid by the householder was £1,900, which is more than double what he would have to pay if the scheme was only £6,000 per house.
Subject to the local authority putting the scheme on a list to which it will allocate its normal money and provided it decides it is good value and the best way to provide these people with water – again no dictation from the top – it can make a similar claim and we will provide a 100% top up. This means that no householder will pay more than €1,142 or £900 for the provision of water. That is a demand led scheme. It is up to the local authorities to choose the schemes in their areas. In the past these schemes were always left out because it was not possible to get the local contribution. Now it will be possible provided the local people are willing to pay the £900 and the local authority is willing to give the appropriate authority to the scheme.
I am pleased that some counties have already seen the benefit of this and are moving very rapidly to cash in. There are some schemes where the top up will be only €200 or €300, but it still means a 40% or 50% saving for the householder.
I have had discussions with Leader companies and the county councils about village renewal to provide car parks at heritage sites, etc. We have run into technical difficulties due to European rules which we are trying to overcome. I hope to make an announcement about that in the near future. There have been some discussions about national roads, which is a privatisation issue. I cannot say what the outcome will be.
Module 2 relates to industry, telecommunications, gas, enterprise, technology, business units and public transport. I am in ongoing discussions with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment about telecommunications, electricity, gas and public transport as part of CLÁR. It is better to deal with this issue centrally. The methodology we are using at present is simple. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has sought bids for the provision of telecommunications. There are many bids for carriers, for example, from Mayo County Council as well as from Roscommon County Council and Galway County Council which have submitted a joint bid. The Department of Public Enterprise will be able to make a decision on those bids and it will fund it. However, some of the smaller parts may not be funded. When it makes its decision, it will then discuss with us those to which we can apply our money in the CLÁR areas.
Everyone is talking about the problem with telecommunications and the fact that there are fibres running here and there. The last mile is a difficulty. I will give the House an example. One industry in Mayo approached me about the absence of a point of presence. It would cost the company an extra £60,000 in telecommunications charges because it did not have a point of presence near it. A point of presence costs £250,000. That is what I want to concentrate on. If it saves an industry £60,000 a year, it is a good return on capital. We are doing that through a sensible system, while piggybacking on the good work being done by the Department of Public Enterprise. The money must be spent in the CLÁR areas, not in Galway city, Castlebar or Dublin.
I am also looking at the provision of DSL. I will explain what that is for those who, like myself, do not understand it. DSL is an upmarket version of ISDN, which is more powerful and has a greater range. It would be a huge boost to areas, such as Ballycastle in County Mayo and Clonbur in County Galway, which do not need fibre optics but need ISDN or its equivalent. We are in discussions about those matters and we hope to make a decision in the near future.
I will consider the issue of the provision of the gas line to places, such as Belmullet, and airstrips, such as the Clifden airstrip and Knock Airport, and the provision of funding. As regards enterprise, technology and business units, discussions are ongoing with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It is drawing up a new programme and we cannot make a decision or get involved until it rolls that out. I must work at the same pace as the Department.
The community and social aspect is important. Ongoing discussions are taking place with the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the provision of a programme for the development of necessary services in rural areas. We will do two things in the health area. We are working with the Department of Health and Children and I hope to be able to write to the health boards about it in the near future. We are working with small capital works programmes in rural areas, such as health centres, which are low on the priority list because there is not a population basis, and day care centres, which need funding but which do not seem to get to the top of the list. Members from Mayo will remember the Inishturk syndrome. It would not have got a health centre were it not for the 25% funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, which moved it to the top of the list.
Similarly, we are generating programmes to look at these issues and to roll out small but strategic projects which are important to local communities, which tend to be small, and where a small amount of money can bring big dividends. I am also looking at other strategic health initiatives which I hope the Department of Health and Children will propose. I have indicated budget levels as they are co-funded projects. Not only am I using my £1, but I am also using pounds from other Departments which would not have gone into such areas before. Some programmes have a multiplication factor of six, while others have a multiplication factor of two. The multiplication factor is three or four in terms of bringing money to these areas. That means the programme will be worth approximately €50 million a year to the CLÁR areas in extra investment. That is €250 million over five years. That means the €850 million being sought by the Western Development Commission is only three times more than that already lined up in CLÁR for these areas, which are the most peripheral areas of the Western Development Commission.
As regards education, our role is not to look after mainstream school funding. That is a role for the Department of Education and Science to which a lot of money has been given by the Government. It has provided four times more money than was provided by the previous Government. There is another role in education, such as outreach third level education, PLC and VTOS courses. I will put capital funding in that direction. If a secondary school is amalgamated, the old building should be refurbished as an outreach university or to enable PLC or VTOS courses to begin. I compliment the people in the BMW region for setting up Líonra with which we have had good discussions.
I am also in discussions with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform about the refurbishment of rural Garda stations. Communities want Garda stations kept in good repair to make them attractive for gardaí to work in because they believe a Garda presence in communities is important.
As regards the islands, there is no point reinventing the wheel. I know the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands is great because I worked there. It is staffed by great civil servants who know their jobs. Instead of sending other civil servants out to do the same job, I have given the Department an allocation of €100,000 to choose the projects in the CLÁR islands. It will nominate them and I will endorse their package.
If anything gives me a headache at community meetings it is the question of funding for community and sports facilities. This issue was raised at all the meetings, but it is almost intractable because there are a multiplicity of agencies dealing with it. Applicants must apply to seven, eight or nine different agencies to fund one small community centre. Examples of these are IFI, INTERREG, the peace and reconciliation fund, sports capital programmes, the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs, county councils, enterprise boards and Leader companies. They all seem to be short of money. I quickly solved that problem in the Gaeltacht. I said we would give a good grant and that, combined with local contributions, would mean the job would be done. It made it easy because applicants only had to go to one agency to get one good grant. It is all the State's money, it is not European money. Why do we have to have nine agencies employing civil servants to write nine cheques? It does not make sense.
I met my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Deputy McDaid, this evening. We are trying to work out a simple system which does not create more bureaucracy and another agency to tease the people but which does something to help them. I hope to be able to make an announcement about this in the near future. I am sure that if I proceed in the way we want to, the community will be pleased with the approach which will be simple and effective.
Most of the money I am talking about is capital because the national development plan is focused on capital. However, my experience is that if one gets capital development, the current money will flow. If I build a day care centre or a nursing home unit, I will get the money to run it. The lack of capital facilities in these areas often inhibits current money. I have not seen enterprise units lying idle even on the tops of mountains where they were built by Údarás na Gaeltachta. The doubting Thomases laughed, but those units were filled and they provided jobs.
I would hope that, with the indulgence of the Chair, I could address some further issues. Regarding the administration of this programme, I currently have two civil servants working on it on a day-to-day basis. I have asked for a total staff complement of five. I believe this is a sufficient number because I am getting everybody else to do the work – the local authority looks after the road works schemes—