Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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46. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline his plans for the development of the community services scheme in 2018 in view of the fact that responsibility for this scheme has transferred to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1842/18]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I understand the Minister has taken over responsibility for the community services programme. The programme has major potential. The first thing the Minister will need is money to expand it. It has the potential to use many of the facilities that the State has invested in to keep them open all day every day. What are the Minister's plans to avail of this unique opportunity to expand the scheme rather than simply run it on a maintenance basis?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The community services programme was transferred to my Department on 1 January 2018. The CSP supports community organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. Funding is provided towards the costs of employing a manager and a specified number of full-time employees. The funding allocation for the programme in 2018 is €46.2 million.

My immediate priority for the community services programme is to ensure its smooth transfer to my Department and to maintain the level of service for the 425 organisations funded under the programme. Thereafter, the intention is to monitor the programme's progress over the next six months and, working closely with Pobal, undertake a thorough review, to commence in early autumn 2018. The review will consider, among other things, how the programme fits with overall Government priorities as well as my Department's other community programmes and its policy objectives. In particular, the review will consider potential crossover with my Department's forthcoming national policy on social enterprise.

In the meantime, I expect to approve total funding of €1 million in the coming weeks for social enterprises providing employment to specified disadvantaged groups. The funding will be allocated to new social enterprises selected following a call for applications issued in 2017 under strand 3 of the programme. I also expect to approve funding for additional social enterprises during the year as space and funding become available as part of the ongoing management of the programme.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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How many reviews does the Minister have going on at one time in the Department? It seems every answer to every question put to this Government involves doing a review. How many reviews is the Department carrying out at the moment?

How does the budget of €46 million compare to the budget for the same programme last year? Has it been increased or is it the same money?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Ó Cuív will have to agree that we need a review of this programme. I have only taken over this scheme in the past three weeks. I certainly need a review to see where the programme is going and what it is about.

The budget for this year is €46.2 million.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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What was it last year?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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This supports over 1,600 positions. As Deputy Ó Cuív knows more than anyone, the community services programme provides vital services for the community. I truly believe this programme is one that I need to review in the coming months to see how it fits in with other programme, as I said in my earlier reply.

There is one thing I want to do. I know Deputy Ó Cuív tried to do the same thing when he was in office. We have many schemes and programmes that involve people drawing funding from this pool, that pool and the other pool. I am keen to ensure that the communities and the people who need this money most get the funding. The scheme has come over from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. The most important thing is that there is a smooth transfer. I am keen to ensure that I can review the scheme to see how I can improve and enhance it.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I will ask the question again: how does the money provided this year compare to the money provided last year? Simply put, the Minister knows he cannot dramatically increase the scheme if the money has not increased. How does the money this year compare to last year?

Mayo would claim to have great prowess at Gaelic football. However, it seems to me that the Minister is becoming keen on rugby, because all he does with everything is kick to touch. Will the Minister explain the rocket science aspect to this programme? Surely the Minister is familiar with the programme from his work as a Deputy. It runs community centres, including the centre in Cong beside me and so on. The programme has schemes for the disadvantaged, for Travellers and so on. The people employed all need the employment. The programme creates considerable tourist revenue because many tourist facilities are loss leaders in their communities. Why is it so urgent to undertake a review rather than expand the scheme? Expansion could ensure more people could avail of working rather than drawing the dole. That is what they want to do. They are queueing to come on to these schemes.

Is the Minister not satisfied that the services being provided are, in the main, needed? Is he really going to tell people he will withdraw the scheme from them? How will the affected facilities survive afterwards?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Those involved in some of these schemes tell me that the main difficulty they have is getting people to come on to the schemes.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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That is Seetec.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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That is what they are telling me. We are near full employment. Yet, these schemes are vital to rural Ireland and to communities that need the services.

I have taken over the programme this year. I am pleased that I have taken over this programme. These are social enterprises - Deputy Ó Cuív knows that. We are giving a subsidy to these social enterprises. They are supposed to be in place, and they are. The enterprise in Connemara is doing very well. It has generated good revenue. The more of these social enterprises we have that work, the better for Deputy Ó Cuív, myself and for employment. That is what I want to see. I want us to support them. I have no wish to support the enterprises making large amounts of money or those with large amounts of money in the bank. I would prefer to support the enterprises that need the €19,000 per annum or €32,000 for the manager. Such supports assist these enterprises and enable them to operate. The supports make them good social enterprises. That is my plan and it is something I will look at in the coming year.