Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 March 2017
158. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason the age profile of an area is not factored into SICAP provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14400/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) aims to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment through local engagement and partnership between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations, public sector agencies and other stakeholders.
The SICAP target groups are:
- Children and Families from Disadvantaged Areas
- Lone Parents
- New Communities (including Refugees/Asylum Seekers)
- People living in Disadvantaged Communities
- People with Disabilities
- Roma
- The Unemployed (including those not on the Live Register)
- Travellers
- Young Unemployed People from Disadvantaged areas (including young people aged 15-24 who are not in employment, education or training)
- Low income workers and families.
SICAP allocations are informed by a number of factors including the general exchequer allocation to the Programme and the application of the Resource Allocation Model (RAM) for each area.
The Resource Allocation Model (RAM) allows the population and deprivation levels of all Local Community Development Committee areas to be examined in a consistent manner across the country. This model is based on the Pobal HP Deprivation Index which defines the relative disadvantage of a particular geographic area using data compiled from the 2011 Census. There are approximately 18,400 small areas across the country, which consist of 100 households, and each area is given a relative index score to indicate its level of affluence or deprivation. The index provides a score which allows the direct comparison of all census areas, down to the smallest CSO component. Three sets of data are used to calculate the relative index score – demographic profile, which includes indicators such as the percentage of the population aged under 15 or over 64 years of age, as well as social class composition and labour market situation. However, in general, SICAP is focussed on providing supports to people of working age, to assist them to get a foothold in the labour market.
