Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

The Minister of State and I were delighted to have secured funding of €5 million in budget 2026 for the introduction of a new programme for urban areas in line with the programme for Government commitment. RAPID stands for revitalising areas by planning, investment and development. Established in 2001, it was an area-based approach to disadvantage representing a focused initiative to target the 25 most concentrated areas of disadvantage in the country. The original RAPID programme closed to new applications in 2011, although it should be noted that my Department has continued to honour legacy commitments. These included my Department’s contractual commitments under previous RAPID projects, predominantly under the sports capital scheme.

A number of guiding principles underpinned the old RAPID programme and its activity. These are community participation and local ownership, which were crucial, promotion of strategic planning, co-ordination of provision of State services, building on existing structures, complementing existing initiatives, flexibility, and targeting of additional services, investment and facilities.

RAPID leverage schemes were previously introduced to support small-scale projects identified locally. These schemes were co-funded by other Departments and agencies and funded projects that focused on estate enhancement, graffiti removal, traffic calming, community closed-circuit television, health and sports facilities and the provision of recreational facilities. The schemes were also extended to co-fund the provision of facilities in schools located in RAPID areas.

The Minister of State and I are working with departmental officials on the potential formulation of a new scheme similar to the RAPID scheme. Considerations will include the changed demographic and socioeconomic landscape since the previous programme, potential geographical areas to be considered for targeted support and the levels of funding already available through other schemes in my Department. We have both been engaging with communities around the country in towns and cities in recent months to get an understanding of what communities want from such a programme.

See this speech in context