Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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62. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of RAPID area implementation teams that have full-time co-ordinators at present in view of the importance of this programme and the importance of their having full-time co-ordinators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33731/13]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The RAPID programme covers urban areas designated as disadvantaged by reference to a range of socio-economic criteria including the level of early school leaving, the proportion of one-parent households, the unemployment rate, the proportion of social housing and the age dependency ratio. The RAPID programme aims to ensure priority attention is given to tackling the concentration of poverty and social exclusion in these areas nationally. The programme has made significant progress in identifying the needs of disadvantaged communities and introducing appropriate local projects to respond to those needs. The primary role of the co-ordinators who are employed by the local authorities where RAPID areas are located is to co-ordinate and support the local area implementation teams. This is mainly done through working with the agencies represented on the area implementation teams in developing a strategic plan that identifies key local needs and priorities for local areas and the roles and responsibilities of local agencies in delivering a response to those needs. These responses are based on developing a more co-ordinated approach to service delivery between agencies, developing service integration initiatives and accessing local and national funding streams. The Department is not in a position to make a contribution to the 2013 salary costs for RAPID co-ordinators. The local government fund continues to provide significant general purpose funding to local authorities to assist in meeting day-to-day operational costs. It is understood from information received by the Department that seven local authorities employ full-time RAPID co-ordinators. In other local authorities with RAPID areas, this role is combined with other responsibilities. It is important that a focus is maintained on all RAPID areas, through the range of local and community development interventions which are available on an area basis. Enhanced alignment between local government and local development is intended to improve the targeting of such local development activity. In that context, there will be an opportunity for a stronger collaborative focus to be put on support for RAPID areas.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to mention at the outset that the Minister of State did not answer the question I asked about whether permission has been sought from the troika, as a going-away present, to defer the billing of households until after the local and European elections. Can he confirm whether that is the case?

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Okay. No problem.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Most of the Minister of State's reply to this question involved a description of what the programme involves. Like many of my colleagues, I am well aware of what is involved. He eventually confirmed that there are just seven full-time RAPID co-ordinators throughout the country. It could easily be inferred that the Government has little or no interest in urban social deprivation. To emphasise that point, I would like to ask whether the Minister of State or any Minister has attended any national co-ordinating committee meeting this year, or indeed since this Government came into office. How many such meetings have they attended? When did they take place?

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I have no responsibility for that issue in the Department.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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That is why I asked whether the Minister of State or any Minister has attended one of these meetings.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I want to answer personally. The Minister, Deputy Hogan, would be able to give the Deputy the details he is seeking, which are not mentioned in Question No. 62.

Therefore, I cannot give him an answer. I accept there are financial difficulties but clearly the budget for RAPID is a priority budget. In 2004, it was €3.276 million while it will be €3.077 million for 2013. Notwithstanding the difficulties we are in, that is not an insignificant amount of money. Of course, I would like more money to be given. Everyone would, but that is the reality within which we must work.

In respect of the Deputy's question about the troika, I thought I made it clear in the answer that charging for water will commence from the third quarter of 2014 but the first bill will not issue before 1 January 2015 and the date for that will be set by the Government.

The question about Dublin City Council was asked earlier. More than 500,000 houses have been assessed as to whether water meters can be installed at this moment in time. I can get the Deputy the figures for Dublin city later.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I respect the Minister of State's answer in respect of his responsibility within the Department and how he is not able to answer for the Minister in this regard. However, as a matter of urgency, could he instruct his Department to furnish me with information about the national co-ordinating committee meetings of the RAPID programme and tell me about attendance, if any, by a ministerial representative since the Government came into office?

The Minister of State also gives credence to the fact that the Government's poor record regarding the RAPID programme is somehow a response to the diminishing local government fund. I might not agree with many of the measures the Government has initiated or instigated in respect of how it sees that fund being supplied into the future and how it might be increased. Considering the Government has made plans in that regard vis-à-vis the property tax, water charges and any consideration it might give to an alternative form of rates that might instigate a methodology that might be more appropriate, accountable and aligned with the current commercial realities, does the Minister of State see a mechanism by which the local government fund will be increased as opposed to the huge decreases we have seen in recent years? If that is the case, will it only be then that the Government takes a keener interest in areas like the RAPID programmes and ultimately represents them far better than through the talk and mantras made prior to the last general election?

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The messages given by certain parties were acted on by the public, which can be seen in the paltry presence of the Deputy's party in this Chamber. I wish to make clear that in 2011, funding from my Department for RAPID was €2.269 million. This year, it is €3.077 million, so notwithstanding the serious economic difficulties we all face, the fact is that money was significantly increased, although it is nothing like what we would want it to be. The priority is clear and it has an increased priority in terms of last year's budget compared with this year's. It is a matter for individual Departments to report on the provision of funding and progress in delivery with regard to projects that are their responsibility in the different RAPID areas. Funding of the programme is a highly complex issue. The central ethos of the programme is to provide priority and front-loaded access for RAPID areas to existing funds and hence no overall defined RAPID budget was put in place. I am confident the Government is doing its best to give an increased priority to funding as it did in the past 12 months.