Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The RAPID programme aims to ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion within the 45 designated RAPID areas. My Department, with the support of Pobal, has overall responsibility for the co-ordination of the RAPID programme. It is a matter for each Department to respond to the recommendations contained in this report in respect of its specific areas of responsibility.

As already indicated to the House, following discussions with my Department Pobal commissioned a formal evaluation of the programme, the final report of which was launched on 1 June last. The report indicates that the experience of the RAPID programme has been very positive in many areas and the programme has made substantial progress in identifying the needs of disadvantaged communities and in implementing important local projects in response to those needs.

The main strengths of the programme are stated to be the facilitation of a significant number of local development projects addressing the most pressing needs of the local community. In the opinion of local stakeholders, these projects would not have progressed without the establishment of the RAPID programme. Another key strength noted was the establishment of structures that have provided a mechanism for disadvantaged communities to identify needs and influence policy. These structures allowed for the development of effective working partnerships between the key players, the levering of greater national and local government investment in RAPID areas and the development of innovative practice with regard to projects, community participation and engagement.

In terms of programme weaknesses, the evaluators identified a general weakness with regard to strategic planning in some areas that has resulted in an ad hoc and reactive approach to bringing forward projects. Another weakness identified was the variation in the level of interaction with the local implementation of the programme by representatives of key State agencies as a result of other work pressures and individual commitment to the programme. The difficulty in securing funding for particular types of projects, for example, in regard to education, training and employment, was mentioned as another weakness in the evaluation report.

I have given a commitment to consider the evaluators' findings and recommendations and intend to work with the various stakeholders at national and local level to address the findings in the report.

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