Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The community enhancement programme, which I launched in 2018, provided €13 million to community groups to enhance facilities in their areas. The new programme does not ring-fence funding for specific locations. Instead funding is allocated to each local authority area, taking into account the relative deprivation levels. Local community development committees, LCDCs, administer the programme locally to ensure that funding is provided to groups and areas that need it most in order to address disadvantage.

The LCDCs monitor the problem closely using local knowledge to ensure that funding is benefitting communities in the fairest way possible. Over 3,000 projects have been approved to date and a list of all approved projects is available on my Department's website.

RAPID areas were identified a significant number of years ago. Over time, demographic changes meant that it is no longer appropriate to ring-fence funding to these areas. Instead my Department takes into account the relative disadvantage of each local authority area when allocating funding and LCDCs then administer these funds at local level.

The 2019 programme has not yet been finalised, as it currently being considered by my Department.

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