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

The RAPID programme aims to ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion in RAPID areas nationally. The programme was launched in 25 urban areas in February 2001. It was extended to 20 provincial towns in February 2002. Ballyfermot was added in 2006 and in late 2009, following an independent review of the findings from the 2006 census returns, five new areas were brought into the programme, namely, Ballina, Dungarvan, Enniscorthy, Mullingar and Rathkeale. This brings the number of designated RAPID areas to 51.

RAPID seeks to bring about significant improvements in the lives of the residents in RAPID areas and does so in three main ways, namely, giving, where possible, priority access to available resources to RAPID communities, improving the delivery of public services through integration and co-ordination and improving the opportunities for communities to participate in the strategic improvement of their areas.

I have not made any changes to the RAPID programme since coming to office. My Department officials last met the RAPID chairs and co-ordinators at a conference in February 2012 and the national monitoring committee has not met in the past two years. As part of my continuing engagement with both the local development and local government sectors, I have met many of the chairs and co-ordinators at different times and in various forums.

I will circulate a table indicating the funding provided for the RAPID programme for the years from 2004 to 2012. An indicative allocation of more than €2 million will be made available for RAPID in 2013 and it will be principally used to meet my Department's existing contractual commitments on RAPID projects throughout the country. These are mainly sports capital top-ups and CCTV systems, jointly funded by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Justice and Equality respectively.

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