Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, and I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for choosing this topical issue, which I first submitted on 30 September. It has taken a while. It was deferred from last week. We all are aware what happened yesterday.

Connemara Community Radio is a community based and run radio station broadcasting for ten hours a day, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It has two full-time administration staff and up to 90 volunteers to service its programmes. They started broadcasting on 1 July 1995. It has a franchised area of 11,500 people in Ireland. As it is a big tourism area the listenership increases during the summer. Perhaps more importantly, it has a significant Internet following because of immigration and they are able to monitor where those are listening in. They listen from America, Australia and the United Kingdom. They are able to see exactly when the peak listenership is, which is at local news time. It is interesting what they can do. They run an important local service.

Connemara Local Radio has had various funding streams over the years. Latterly, it has been funded through the local and community development programme, LCDP, where it got a contract, from 2010 to 2015, with the funding ending at the end of this year. There is growing concern within the community that this important local resource would run out of funding and they have been pursuing a number of suggestions in that regard. They have the full backing of the local community in terms of ensuring they continue with their programming. They cover local news and spread it through the different parishes in the Connemara area, from Ballyconneely to Roundstone, Cashel, Letterfrack and Renvyle, and they have a broadcast studio in Inishbofen.

They also give valuable service to young persons who are interested in learning about media and broadcasting. As a local politician, I have been interviewed on many occasions by young enthusiastic and energetic persons who were learning their trade and putting politicians under pressure, as they should do. Most importantly, as I said, it is providing that local service link.

The LCDP delivered innovated responses to social inclusion issues. With the additional support of community development programme resources, it was best placed to respond to the local needs of the community. Efficient strategies were put in place to increase social inclusion and reduce consistent poverty in the locality. The programme has delivered and this community resource has been successful since 1995.

The station has been pursuing other sources of funding. It attempted to apply for funding under the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, in the Department for Social Protection but that was not successful. I understand that recently it applied under the community services programme of the Department, through Pobal, which covers a number of different Departments. In her role as the Minister of State for with responsibility for rural affairs, Deputy Ann Phelan, would cover many Departments as well.

I understand that the station has applied under the community services programme and is receiving positive vibes in this regard.

A relatively small amount of funding is provided. Initially the amount provided was €139,000, but due to cutbacks the funding was reduced to €89,000. An excellent service was provided for such a small amount of money. Two full-time staff are employed, nine part-time staff that are on community employment, CE, and Tús schemes and 90 volunteers. It goes to show the importance of the service in the community that so many people are prepared to volunteer to keep the show on the road. A local radio station is a great resource and people want to keep it open. I hope that through a combination of the efforts of various Departments and agencies a package will be put together to keep Connemara Community Radio on air after 1 January 2015.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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I understand the Deputy's concern, as local radio services are extremely important in isolated rural areas in particular. That aspect of the matter is not lost on me. As the Deputy outlined, the group in question is currently in receipt of funding through the local and community development programme, LCDP, and has been advised that it will be funded under LCDP for the remainder of 2014.

The social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, is one of the key priorities of Government and its overall indicative budget for 2015 has been maintained close to 2014 levels. The programme's target groups are children and families from disadvantaged areas, lone parents, new communities, including refugees and asylum seekers, people living in disadvantaged communities, people with disabilities, the Roma community, the unemployed, including those not on the live register, Travellers, and young unemployed people from disadvantaged areas.

In accordance with the public spending code, legal advice, good practice internationally and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, the programme is subject to a public procurement process, which is currently under way. Stage one, which is expression of interest, has been completed by the radio station. Stage two - invitation to tender - commenced on 20 October, and will involve the successful applicants from stage one being invited to apply to one or more local community development committees, in local authority areas, to deliver the programme. Contracts for SICAP will be determined following the outcome of the procurement process.

The public procurement process is a competitive process that is open to local development companies, other not-for-profit community groups, commercial firms and national organisations that can provide the services to be tendered for to deliver the new programme. In stage one, joint applications were encouraged and organisations of varying sizes, for example, smaller organisations working in consortia with larger organisations, were invited to submit joint applications. I understand that some small groups, such as Connemara Community Radio, faced a number of challenges in competing in the stage one process. The results of stage one were released on 24 September and I can confirm that while Connemara Community Radio did submit an expression of interest, as the Deputy outlined, its application was unsuccessful.

The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, is now considering the implications of this outcome for Connemara Community Radio. I understand discussions have opened between the Department of Social Protection and the relevant parties regarding the group making an application to a more appropriate funding stream such as the community services programme. The Deputy is probably already aware of the information.

The proposals outlined in the document, Putting People First - Action Programme for Effective Local Government, seek to position local government "as the primary vehicle of governance and public service at local level - leading economic, social and community development, delivering efficient and good value services, and representing citizens and local communities effectively and accountably". As part of the programme of reform of local government, local community development committees, LCDCs, are being established in all local authority areas. The committees, comprising public and private socio-economic interests, will have responsibility for local and community development programmes on an area basis, including the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP. They will develop, co-ordinate and implement a more coherent and integrated approach to local and community development than heretofore, with the aim of reducing duplication and overlap and optimising the use of available resources for the benefit of citizens and communities.

The public procurement process is a competitive process that is open to local development companies, other not-for-profit community groups, commercial firms and national organisations that can provide the services to be tendered for, to deliver the new programme. Successful applicants to stage one had to demonstrate that they would meet the criteria for the delivery of services in the lots applied for. I am confident that supports for the most disadvantaged in society will continue under SICAP.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply. Connemara Community Radio, based in Letterfrack, has applied for the community services programme and I am hopeful we will get good news in that regard. It is important that the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, would relay to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, that the pressure should be kept on to ensure a comprehensive package is provided. Connemara Community Radio provides a hugely successful programme for €89,000. It provides an excellent service for local people and the diaspora. An overall package could be provided for a relatively small amount. I hope the provision of a small, extra amount could be found in either the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government or the Departments in which the Minister of State serves.

I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, is familiar with beautiful Connemara and Letterfrack, which has a long history, not all of it positive. In the past 40 years the community has set up initiatives such as Connemara West and forums involved in projects such as the community radio. A lovely campus is located in the Ellis Hall in Letterfrack which houses several groups, including a GMIT furniture college. As a result, the village hosts 500 students and a very successful local radio station. I hope that through the efforts of the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, we can ensure there is a package for Connemara Community Radio from January that will allow it to continue to deliver its important programme.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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I will pursue the matter with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly. I am aware of how important such services are for rural areas, in particular in Connemara. I am most familiar with Connemara West and all the good things it does. I urge the Deputy to pursue also the application through the Department of Social Protection. I am happy to provide him with any help or advice I can. I will make contact with the Minister of State in the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Kevin Humphreys, to see whether we can pursue the application in conjunction with his Department.