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Programme for Government Implementation

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018

Tuesday, 12 June 2018

Ceisteanna (1179)

Micheál Martin

Ceist:

1179. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the implementation of the Programme for A Partnership Government as it applies to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24610/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Government recently approved its second Programme for a Partnership Government annual report which provides a comprehensive update on progress since May 2017.

The report will be laid before the Oireachtas in the near future. It highlights progress on the specific plans put in place to tackle issues, in the short and longer terms.

My Department has provided updates on the status of the implementation of the Programme for Partnership Government in the areas of rural and regional development, job creation and broadband.  

Realising our Rural Potential, the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development, was published in January 2017. The Plan contains over 270 actions for delivery across a range of Government Departments, State agencies and other organisations over a three-year period.

The Second Progress Report, published in May 2018, shows a 93% implementation rate of the actions across Government which were due for delivery in 2017, initiatives which are supporting the economic and social progress of rural Ireland.

Further detailed information on individual programmes and commitments are provided below.  

- €21.6m funding was allocated to 281 rural towns and villages across the country under the 2017 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, bringing to over 450 the total number of projects supported by the Government under this scheme since the second half of 2016.

- 900 projects to the value of €15m have been approved for funding under the CLÁR programme since it was re-launched in 2016.

- €13.6m was approved for 240 projects under the 2017 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme to improve walking trails, greenways and other recreational amenities.

- The Greenway strategy is being developed by DTTAS and our Department will be meeting with DTTAS to discuss and provide OBs on the draft strategy shortly.

- €17m 2017 and 2018 Local Improvement Scheme for the improvement of non-public rural roads.

- Over 1,000 LEADER projects have been approved to date for funding in excess of €29 million towards enterprise development, job creation and the development of sustainable community infrastructure across rural Ireland.

- A comprehensive review of progress made by the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce in 2017 was published this February alongside a new 2018 work programme. Key developments highlighted in the 2017 Review include a mobile phone blackspots mapping exercise; broadband officers now in every local authority, increasing the levels of communication between local authorities and industry; identification of roadside sites for masts; and increased availability of consumer information by ComReg.

- A new SICAP Programme covering the five-year period from 2018 to 2022 is now in place.  Under the new Programme, Local Community Development Committees are now given the opportunity to identify their own emerging needs group to more efficiently target supports within their local area. 

- A new Communities Facilities Scheme was launched in 2017. A recast RAPID programme was also launched in 2017. Each of these had funding of €2m, which was channelled through Local Community Development Committees. Following a review in 2018 these schemes were amalgamated to form the Community Enhancement Programme. This programme, with an increased budget of €4.5m, provides support to disadvantaged communities in the same way as the two previous schemes but is more flexible and easier to administer.

- Following a review, a new version of the Seniors Alert Scheme was launched in November 2017. The new Scheme includes an extension of the eligibility criteria to include elderly people who live on their own for long periods during the day and the introduction of free monitoring for the first year, following which a small charge will apply. By end December 2017, over 21,000 applications have been approved and some 18,000 installations were made.  For 2018, €2.3m has been allocated for this programme, with almost 8,000 installations completed by end April 2018.  

- The Department has recently agreed a three-year contract with SIFI, which commenced on 1 June 2018, which includes a continued commitment to match philanthropic funding raised by SIFI with State funding. The Dormant Account Programme for 2018 includes an allocation for the ongoing operation of the current programme.

- In January, €3.5m was allocated under the Supports for the Community Voluntary Programme to volunteer centres in 21 counties as well as a number of national organisations, including Volunteer Ireland.

- The Atlantic Economic Corridor Taskforce is progressing areas of work relating to enterprise space, infrastructure, and communications. In March 2018 co-funding by DRCD was announced for each of the 10 City and County Councils along the corridor to support the designation of Atlantic Economic Corridor Officers who will support the work of the Taskforce.

- The Western Development Commission is represented on the Monitoring Committee for the Action Plan for Rural Development and on the Implementing Committees which oversee the delivery of the Action Plans for Jobs for the West and North-West regions.

- The Commission is also represented on the Taskforce to progress the development of an Atlantic Economic Corridor area along the western seaboard.  The Western Development Commission has been a key contributor to sub-groups of this Taskforce.

-  A Cross-Sectoral Working Group has been established to assist in the development of the implementation plan for the Framework Policy to support the community and voluntary sector and local development sectors. A new five-year multi-annual implementation plan for the Framework Policy on Local and Community Development will be submitted to Government for approval in Q3 2018.

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