Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That was acknowledged in the reply and I am trying to acknowledge it again. The responsibility for the schemes that were promised that the Deputy is talking about is now in that Department. The community enhancement programme, the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and all these programmes are now within my Department and the Deputy would agree it is better to have it in one Department than having over a number of Departments. The commitment is there. The Taoiseach set up a new Department of Rural and Community Development. The operative word is "community" and what it means to me is that decisions that can be made at local level should be made there. Decisions are being made at the local level within programmes like community enhancement and SICAP. I am monitoring those. We meet on a regular basis in accordance with the action plan. People come in from different agencies. They respond and report to Government and to me, as the chair of that committee, and then we make policy decisions.

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