John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. The community enhancement programme is no replacement for RAPID and it is a different programme. RAPID was designed specifically to focus on and positively discriminate in favour of our most disadvantaged communities. I remind the Minister that the programme for Government made a commitment to support schemes that support disadvantaged communities and to support the RAPID programme, which is very specific. It is also in the confidence and supply agreement. Where, along the way, did the Minister decide to close down RAPID? Was it a Government decision or the Minister's decision?

The honest truth is that the community enhancement programme that has replaced it has not provided the same level of support. I have seen the grants that have been made available and while they are welcome, they are not positively discriminating in favour of our most disadvantaged communities, and therein lies the problem. I have asked the Minister before and he has responded by mentioning SICAP and other programmes. The reality is the Department and the Government are letting down our most disadvantaged communities. We do not see the significant advances DEIS schools and additional funding, and it is the same with local and regional drugs task forces, which have not received additional funding. Where we have some of our greatest problems, we are not getting the level of support and it is being washed across the entire community under the community enhancement programme. That was not what RAPID was supposed to be about. It was a lot more than that.

See this speech in context