Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 10: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the progress made with regard to the commitment contained in the programme for Government to establish community development agencies as a one stop shop for advice on grants and other matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12483/08]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 11: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the position with the Leader partnership company for offshore islands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12344/08]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together.

Arising from the joint ministerial initiative on the review of local and community development structures, the Government agreed a series of measures in January 2004 to improve arrangements under which community and local development initiatives are delivered and to improve cohesion and focus across various measures. This process is informed by the following guiding principles: improving on the ground services; streamlining structures so as to avoid overlaps, duplication and undue administrative overheads; bringing transparency, co-ordination and improved control to the funding and operation of local and community development measures; and strengthening the democratic accountability of agencies and providers in this area.

The core objective of the process is to simplify and improve local delivery of programmes operated by my Department through the integration and alignment of local delivery structures. In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, the intention is that for the future, there will be one local development company in any given area and fewer local development companies overall. The new arrangements will provide full county coverage and enable communities to more readily access services and make maximum use of the funding available.

Following an extensive consultation phase, the Government decided on revised areas of coverage for local development groups and clarified the arrangements in respect of the membership of the boards of these bodies last year. Leader and partnership groups have been asked to give effect to these decisions and my Department has provided detailed guidelines to secure this outcome. The realignment of local delivery structures will reduce the overall number of local development bodies from 94 to 55, comprising 17 partnerships in urban areas and 38 integrated Leader-partnership bodies in rural areas.

My intention is to have the cohesion process completed in advance of the roll out of the new NDP programmes, including the Leader programme and the local development social inclusion programme. At this stage, local development bodies are in place in 53 of the 55 operational areas agreed by the Government. In respect of the islands, a new integrated structure was incorporated on 8 November 2007.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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The one stop shop approach certainly works in respect of the sports partnerships in the specific areas where they set out workshops in respect of providing information and setting up programmes where they work with the various sports groups to ensure the application for national lottery funding is right and proper and within the guidelines.

I do not see anything of that in respect of either the outgoing Leader programmes or the new process. The programme for Government contains exciting things relating to creating a vibrant rural community in respect of agriculture and agri-tourism. However, I see nothing that invites the people in. There has been a complete change in respect of many agri-businesses in rural Ireland and nothing seems to be coming on stream that will attract them. We talk about Leader, changes and the realignment of the system but nothing seems to be coming forward that will suddenly tell rural areas that we are now going to have a vibrant community, involve everybody, have a tourism value that will attract people to our area, use some of the facilities that farmers have and see mechanisms that will make it easy for this to happen. That does not seem to be there. Does the Minister of State believe that this is or will be there? Where do we stand in respect of the vibrant rural community that was envisaged in the programme for Government before the last election?

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The rural development programme will be delivered very much at local level. It is there and significant funding is assigned to it. For example, €16.66 million has been assigned for diversification into non-agricultural activities for farm families. A total of €48.26 million has been assigned to support business creation and development, while €45.4 million has been assigned to encourage tourism activities. Over €49 million has been assigned for basic services for the economy and rural population, €54.2 million has been assigned for village renewal and development, €51.7 million has been assigned for conservation and upgrading of the rural heritage, €29.45 million has been assigned for training and information on adapted and new skills, nearly €11 million has been assigned for implementing co-operation projects and €34.63 million has been assigned for skills acquisition and animation.

Through the local structures, which we are very close to seeing put in place, it will take very little time before we see a roll-out of very significant and interesting projects. Last week, I had an opportunity in Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Clare to look at some really interesting projects that have added hugely to what Deputy Wall describes as the vibrant rural communities. I am extremely hopeful and have a high level of expectation that we will see a considerable amount of high-quality development in the very near future once the programme begins to be rolled out.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State was very welcome in Mayo last week but it is a pity he did not tell me he was coming as I would have met him. A new Fianna Fáil policy over the past few years has been not to tell anybody that they are coming in. The only time we are told about a public meeting is when there is trouble. We are brought in to deal with the problem. I was glad to see the Minister of State's photograph in the local newspaper. I would have liked to have been with there with him but it did not happen. Something needs to be done about the one stop shop as Deputy Wall has outlined very well. We have many agencies in different counties. When people come to a particular agency for information they are told that it only deals with one area and not others. Many people do not understand about agencies and believe they are all the one. They feel they are getting the run around. It is important that we have the one-stop shops so that when people come into a building they can get the information in that office regardless of the information sought and they do not need to go down the street. They do not understand the difference between them.

My next question relates to the islands. We talk about the Irish language, rural areas and communities. I must say that the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, has supported the islands over the years. The islands should be given their own Leader programme in the next round. It is important that they be given that recognition and support. That grant aid should be available for them to try to get more people involved in the islands to create employment and get rural development up and running in the islands. In recent years the islands have issued a number of reports and it is important that the Leader programme should include them. I hope the islands will be treated independently of the Leader programmes on the mainland.

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Deputy that it is very important that a structure exists to support the islands.

I agree wholeheartedly with the Deputies that the sooner we get the one-stop shops in place the better. Some of the Deputy's county council colleagues were in Kiltimagh, which is an extremely good example of a one-stop shop. I was very impressed by the range of activities that were being delivered through, in this case, the Kiltimagh community development project. They ranged from early education right through to senior citizens. There was a wide range of activities in the area of computers. I met some young people involved in the Foróige club for example. Active retired people were also there. There is a greater willingness in rural parts or outside the large urban areas for that to happen than there is in large city areas. If necessary, we must continue to encourage and knock heads together. At the end of the day customer service is what matters. The Deputy is right. People expect to be able to get the information they seek in one location rather than going from one office to another. There is no justification for the dispersal of information that has been the practice up to now. The cohesion process will contribute towards that happening.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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In my area we have the county council, Naas Town Council and the local VEC. Regarding the one-stop shops, it is wonderful to see the move towards local authority buildings that can encompass many of these things. In the long term I hope we will see one-stop shops becoming part and parcel of that. The central focus of any town is on the local authority buildings and some magnificent buildings have been built. Without predetermining some of the initiatives and schemes, would it be possible to use the local authority mechanism to introduce another strand that would be helpful to all organisations that need to deal with local authorities?

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I believe the better local government programme was introduced when you were Minister for the Environment, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. The county and city development boards will contribute to enhancing the cohesion necessary.