Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The RAPID - revitalising areas by planning, investment and development - programme targets 51 of the most disadvantaged areas in the country. The programme is committed to directing State assistance towards improving quality of life and access to opportunities for communities in disadvantaged areas.

The RAPID programme is one of a number of interventions that address social exclusion and disadvantage. RAPID area implementation teams, AITs, are important implementation bodies within the county development board, CDB, process. As part of the reform of local government, CDBs are to be phased out and, in effect, replaced by socioeconomic committees. This will have implications for the RAPID programme which will be addressed in due course.

In May 2009 the following towns were included in the RAPID programme: Ballina, Dungarvan, Waterford, Enniscorthy, Mullingar and Rathkeale, but no money was provided for them. I have been able to provide €440,000 in 2012 for the five new RAPID programme towns to fund a number of projects designed to improve the infrastructure of these communities. These projects are in the process of drawing down this funding. Further moneys from the dormant accounts fund would be subject to budgetary provision in 2013 and subsequent years.

With unavoidably reduced funding available to my Department, the CLÁR programme which was targeted at tackling infrastructural and services deficits in depopulated rural areas was wound down, from an outturn of the order of €24 million in 2008 to an allocation of €500,000 in 2012. This provision in 2012 is to be used to meet existing commitments arising during the year. No funding applications have been accepted since August 2008 under the main CLÁR programme measures and, in view of the difficulties with the public finances, it is not proposed to open the programme to new applications. The capital expenditure review, prepared by the Department of Finance in July 2010, indicated that relevant investment needs should be funded in the future by the relevant Departments with primary sectoral responsibility in the areas concerned.

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