Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

And my own. There was a fund of approximately €3 million and we amalgamated the community enhancement programme and RAPID programmes. Last year, although the Deputies did not give me credit for this, while there was €4.5 million in the budget, I finished up putting €12 million into it because we had savings in the Department which I put into the community enhancement programme. The LCDCs felt this was the best way to deliver this money. Who knows best about local needs and local areas but local people? If the Deputy thinks this is not working, we will review it again, and if he wants to bring it back to giving €2 million from the RAPID programme again, we can do that. However, that is not the best way of spending money. If the Deputy thinks the local people do not know the areas that need most funding, it is him who has a problem.

See this speech in context