Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department's mission is to support viable, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. In that context, it has a central role in tackling social exclusion and addressing deprivation in all communities, both urban and rural.

The Framework Policy for Local and Community Development in Ireland, published in 2015, focuses on tackling poverty, disadvantage and social exclusion and seeks to provide better ways of working with communities. A cross-sectoral group representative of all key stakeholders and chaired by my Department is developing an implementation plan for the framework policy.

I announced the second SICAP, covering the period 2018 to 2022, earlier this year. It has a funding allocation nationally of €38 million in 2018 and will provide some €190 million over its next five-year period. SICAP supports disadvantaged communities and individuals, including unemployed people, people living in deprived areas, people with disabilities, single-parent families, people on a low income, members of the Traveller and Roma community and other disadvantaged groups.

I have announced €8 million in additional funding for the community enhancement programme, which I put in place earlier this year. The programme provides funding towards grants for community groups across Ireland. The allocation of funding is weighted towards those communities in most need. I have provided ring-fenced supports for particular areas of urban deprivation including, for example, €3.5 million for initiatives in Dublin's north-east inner city, an area suffering from extreme deprivation.

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