Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I draw attention to some of the statistics at the time the Government came into office in 2011. At the time we only had enough money for five months to pay teachers, nurses and gardaí and to try to keep public services on the road. We had an unemployment rate of 15.5%, which is now down to 9.4%. The IMF and the troika were here as the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government was walking off the stage, leaving behind it a catastrophe. We are now creating over 131,000 jobs, which is a remarkable turnaround. This is a tribute to the resilience of the people. I thank those Deputies who stayed with us and did not walk away or shirk their responsibility. They did not shirk the hard work that had to be done to find a solution to help our collapsed economy to recover. They made the tough decisions and the budget is testament to their hard work and that of the people. We did not do as the Deputy opposite did. He ran away and shirked his responsibilities and is now trying to taunt the Government for not delivering on some issues.

In his Budget Statement yesterday afternoon, my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, announced €135 million in funding to support the community and rural sector next year. Some €45 million will be invested in marginalised communities through the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and other supports in 2016. This is testament to the Government's commitment to this important front-line intervention for those harder to reach in society, including the people mentioned by Deputy Colm Keaveney. As this new programme continues to develop, the priority will be to focus on ensuring the needs of the most disadvantaged communities are protected through optimising resources at the coalface. This is in line with a rural economic development zones, REDZ, initiative we launched and to which we committed €4 million. It forms part of the CEDRA programme for which I have responsibility and which concerns the development of rural economic development zones.

I also welcome the 50% funding increase from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to support the CEDRA report.

The social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, will be achieved through supporting those workers who engage, often through very intensive supports and interventions, to make a real and meaningful difference in the lives of the marginalised and of their families. In so doing, we must continue to ensure that ancillary and administration costs are minimised and that disadvantaged communities benefit from a more focused programme and better integrated actions.

The Leader elements of the rural development programme have provided resources to support the sustainable development of rural communities since it began in 1991. Some €40 millionwill be invested in the new Leader programme in 2016 which will fund enterprise development, job creation, rural tourism and recreation. In addition, it will promote social inclusion through building community capacity, training and animation and basic services for hard to reach communities, which will also be eligible.

Other areas of possible activity include initiatives aimed at rural youth, renewable energy, the protection and sustainable use of water resources at a local level and the protection and improvement of local biodiversity. I expect that the new programme will be operational in all areas by March 2015.

A €12.65 millionallocation will provide supports towards the community and voluntary sectorand includes a range measures and schemes such as the scheme to support national organisations; the promotion of active citizenship and volunteering; the seniors alert scheme, which is so important to people who live on their own in rural areas; and supports for volunteering and citizen engagement. The seniors alert scheme aims to encourage community support for vulnerable older people to continue to live in their own homes, independently and with peace of mind by providing grant assistance towards the purchase and installation of personal monitored alarms.

I commend the budget to the House.

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