Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 February 2006
126 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the works which will qualify for grant aid through his Department from the dormant accounts fund; the amount of moneys to date in 2006 expended from this source and the projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4364/06]
Amharc ar fhreagra132 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs when funding announcements for the two remaining categories to be funded under the dormant accounts funds will be announced and allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4374/06]
Amharc ar fhreagra151 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the details of the €24 million package of funding for economic and social disadvantage projects that was raised from money from the dormant accounts fund; the projects that are being funded and their location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4427/06]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 126, 132 and 151 together.
Disbursements from the dormant accounts fund are designed to assist three broad categories of persons: those who are socially or economically disadvantaged; those who are educationally disadvantaged; and persons with a disability.
The Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005 provided for significant changes in relation to the disbursement of funds from dormant accounts. Under this new legislation, the Minister is required to consult with appropriate Ministers for the purpose of developing a proposal for submission to Government for approval. This proposal will include the programmes and types of projects in relation to which applications for disbursements will be invited, as well as the criteria to be applied in assessing applications made in response to the invitation.
After consulting with the appropriate Ministers and having obtained the approval of Government, I announced details on 4 January 2006 concerning the allocation of €24 million in 2006 for the purpose of supporting programmes and types of projects tackling social and economic disadvantage. Details of the announcement are available on the website of my Department at www.pobail.ie. and are set out below in Appendix 1 for the Deputies’ information.
The rollout of the measures announced on 4 January has now commenced. In this regard, an invitation to the 45 RAPID area implementation teams, AITs, issued at the end of January requesting them to submit their priority projects for consideration. This measure provides for the ring-fencing of €11.5 million for priority projects identified by the RAPID AITs. In relation to the other measures proposed, it is anticipated that they will be rolled out on a phased basis over the coming months as the specific operational arrangements are finalised.
With regard to the other two categories — educational disadvantage and persons with a disability — the Government has approved the allocation of an amount of €18 million for each category from the dormant accounts fund. The consultation process required under the legislation will be completed shortly. It is anticipated that further announcements will be made shortly in relation to proposals under these headings when work ongoing in both the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children is completed and subject to specific measures being submitted and approved by Government.
Appendix 1
Press Release04 January 2006
€24 MILLION DORMANT ACCOUNTS FUNDING
TO BE TARGETED AT SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE
Noel Ahern, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and Éamon Ó Cuív T.D. Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs today announced that the Government has approved the categories under which €24 million from dormant accounts will be spent in 2006 on programmes and projects tackling social and economic disadvantage.
The Dormant Accounts legislation targets three broad categories of persons for support from the Dormant Accounts Fund:
·those affected by economic and social disadvantage;
·those affected by educational disadvantage; and
·persons with a disability.
Today's announcement relates solely to the Social and Economic Category. The programmes and types of projects in this category will aim to ensure that particular priority is given to the areas designated by Government as most disadvantaged i.e. RAPID, CLÁR and Drugs Task Force areas (see Editor's note).
The funding announced today will focus on:
·RAPID Programme — up to 50% of the overall funding will be ring-fenced to provide additional supports for priority projects in RAPID areas;
·Support for Priority Themes — funding for specific measures supporting youth, older people and other priority themes — including suicide prevention; alcohol misuse; supports for immigrant families; supports for offenders/ex-offenders;
·Support for Jointly Funded Flagship Projects — funding for innovative measures addressing matters of major public concern, which also involve substantial funding from private, philanthropic or community sources.
"I am very pleased that a significant level of spending will go directly towards projects in areas designated by Government as suffering particular disadvantage. I also believe that the money aimed at jointly funded flagship projects will lever significant additional funding from private and other sources."
Noel Ahern T.D., Minister of State, Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
Éamon Ó Cuív, T.D., Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, strongly welcomed the Government decision. He indicated his intention to bring proposals to Government soon in relation to additional Dormant Accounts funding under the Educational Disadvantage Category and the Disability Category.
Editor's Note;
RAPID
RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning Investment and Development) is a focused initiative designed to prioritise and target Government expenditure, over a number of Departments, on the most concentrated centres of disadvantage in the country. Strand 1 targets 25 urban centres while Strand II targets 20 provincial towns.
CLÁR
CLÁR (Ceantair Laga Ard-Riachtanais) is a similar type initiative targeting rural areas and the islands. It funds and provides co-funding for measures designed to support physical, community and social infrastructure.
Drug Task Forces
Drug Task Forces (DTFs) operate in the areas experiencing the worse levels of drug misuse, particularly heroin. The role of the DTFs is to prepare local action plans, which include a range of measures to tackle drug misuse in the areas of treatment, rehabilitation, education, prevention and curbing local supply.
|
Social & Economic Disadvantage Committee |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Programme Heading |
Programme Description |
Target Group / Area |
Application Process |
Additionality Demonstrated |
|
1. Additionality under RAPID Programme. |
Funding ring-fenced for the purpose of supporting priority projects within RAPID areas. |
Strand 1 and Strand 2 RAPID areas. |
RAPID AITs invited to apply |
Yes. The ring-fencing of funding for RAPID areas will ensure that funding for priority projects is front-loaded in 2006 |
|
€11.5 million |
||||
|
2. Specific Priority Measures: |
||||
|
€7.5 million |
||||
|
Youth Disadvantage Initiatives |
||||
|
—Supports for youth groups. |
Once-off small scale equipment grants for youth groups with a particular focus on disadvantaged and marginal groups. |
Young people. |
Public invitation to youth groups |
Yes. Existing Local Youth Club Grant scheme does not include any element of capital funding for equipment |
|
—Supports to provide enhanced access to recreational & personal development opportunities for disadvantaged young people. |
Grants to fund participation in recreational pursuits and personal development activities which are not normally available to disadvantaged children and disadvantaged young people. |
Invitation to Partnership companies |
Disadvantaged children and disadvantaged young people. |
Yes. No specific funding stream to provide such services |
|
—Supports for sports which have traditional appeal to youth in disadvantaged areas (e.g. boxing; wrestling; martial arts; weightlifting etc.). |
Grants to fund purchase of essential equipment / hire of halls etc. not funded under Sports Capital Programme. |
Young people in disadvantaged areas. |
Invitation to specified sports |
Yes. Funding under Sports Capital Programme not provided for personal equipment |
|
—IT initiatives for disadvantaged young people. |
Projects supporting disadvantaged young people to adapt to information technology with a particular focus on early school leavers. |
Disadvantaged young people. |
Targeted public invitation to groups active in this area |
Yes. No specific funding stream for this measure. |
|
Older People Initiatives |
||||
|
Enhanced interventions and supports to assist older people living in their own homes and in the community. |
Supports for community based care services for older people such as improved access to services including transport and mobility. |
Local Community and voluntary groups supporting older people. |
Public invitation to groups active in this area |
Yes. No specific funding stream for local community and voluntary groups supporting older people |
|
Programme Heading |
Programme Description |
Target Group / Area |
Application Process |
Additionality Demonstrated |
|
Social Disadvantage Measures: |
||||
|
—Supports for offenders / ex-offenders. |
Projects providing addiction counselling for prisoners / ex-prisoners. |
Prisoners / ex-prisoners. |
Targeted public invitation to groups active in this area |
Yes. No specific funding stream for such services. |
|
Projects providing employment supports for prisoners / ex-prisoners. |
Prisoners / ex-prisoners. |
Targeted public invitation to groups active in this area |
Yes. No specific funding stream for such services. |
|
|
—Supports for vulnerable immigrants. |
Supports for immigrant families who have been granted refugee status or granted leave to remain in the State. |
Immigrant families. |
Public invitation to Partnership companies. |
Yes. No specific funding stream for such services. |
|
—Suicide prevention.·supports to strengthen community based suicide prevention;·young men under 35. |
Measures tackling suicide prevention with a particular focus on |
At risk individuals. |
Public invitation to community and voluntary groups active in this area. |
Yes. No specific funding stream to provide funding for community groups. |
|
—Projects tackling alcohol misuse. |
Supports for community based responses addressing problems associated with alcohol misuse. |
At risk individuals. |
Public invitation to community and voluntary groups active in this area. |
Yes. No specific funding stream to provide funding for such services. |
|
3. Flagship Projects Jointly Funded: |
||||
|
€5 million |
||||
|
Innovative initiatives addressing issues of social and economic disadvantage. |
Innovative initiatives addressing matters of major public concern and/or headline policy interventions for which funding from private/philanthropic or community sources can be levered. |
Socially and economically disadvantaged. |
Public invitation to groups who have substantial guaranteed funding from private, philanthropic or community sources for innovative projects |
Yes. Objective is to encourage innovative projects which can lever significant funding from private, philanthropic or community sources. |
