Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív for tabling the motion and making a number of proposals in his contribution yesterday. Local development companies have played a critical role in supporting local enterprise and providing services in communities nationwide, particularly in rural areas. Many people in rural areas are concerned about the practice of placing certain programmes within the remit of local authorities and contracting out other programmes. The Dáil must defend the core community partnership ethos of the local development companies.

When Deputies raise with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government issues related to rural social schemes, the Tús scheme or community employment schemes, they receive a standard reply to the effect that the matter raised is one for the Minister for Social Protection. These schemes form part of a core group that comes within a single umbrella. Various communities have organised the schemes in such a way as to ensure they deliver significant benefits in the locality. The one-size-fits-all approach will not work in large counties such as Cork, Galway, Donegal and Mayo. Moreover, Gaeltacht areas and island communities present particular challenges.

The Great Western Greenway is a good example of a successful project that has been developed by communities which have worked together. The greenway is used by thousands of people every year and those involved are looking forward to the summer season. Communities in County Galway are considering making applications for funding for new greenways which offer great potential and scope for development. Community centres are also being provided in rural areas. In March last, the Tánaiste opened a new community centre in my parish of Caltra for which €500,000 had been allocated by the Galway Rural Development Company. These are examples of positive developments in rural areas that face many difficulties. As many of us heard during the recent elections, there has been a downturn in economic activity. Rural development companies have greatly helped to address this problem.

On the issue of alternative sources of funding, I approached the Arts Council seeking funding for various projects. Although restricted in terms of the types of projects it can fund, the Arts Council provided welcome assistance to various arts groups in Galway city. However, it did not provide any funding for various festivals held in smaller towns in County Galway. I am sure the same applies in other areas.

It is instructive that when Deputy Éamon Ó Cuiv was Minister for Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs, he provided additional funding for the CLÁR and RAPID programmes. The level of flexibility that applied to this funding reassured people. Under a special strategy, towns such as Tuam were designated hubs and health, education and transport services benefited. Communities that bought into this approach are now worried about the funding being allocated to hubs.

Sport in rural areas has benefited greatly from funding under the various programmes.

This weekend the senior football championship starts off in Galway, with ten games over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Twenty teams, through their voluntary input, will be putting their best players forward, and I would say every one of those clubs has got help through the community employment schemes, the rural social schemes, the Tús schemes and job initiative schemes. That is the kind of assistance that I like to see happening. It is happening for a co-operative mart that might need a road into its premises. It is happening for projects, such as, hopefully, "The Quiet Man" project in Ballyglunin where a railway station and a theatre is being provided, and in Barnaderg where a community fighting for its post office also has an ambitious project in under the rural development programme. That is the way to go.

It is frustrating to hear Leader companies have not enough funding, even at the start of the year, where they are told that they will be losing funding. I wonder, if something is working well, why should the Minister change it.

I cannot agree that we should have development companies in competition with each other. There are great volunteers in all of these organisations. There should be more progress made by these companies. If they were told how their applications are progressing, it would help greatly.

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