Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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9. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which he has identified suitable project support under the rural and community development programme affecting rural and or urban areas, the extent to which he expects to be in a position to address issues of urban and rural or isolation in the course thereof and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25851/18]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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224. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the steps he plans to take to address issues of isolation in communities urban or rural throughout the country; if a particular strategy is applicable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26174/18]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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My questions concerns a similar situation, namely, the extent to which the rural and community programme is likely to be rolled out in all areas throughout the country - urban and rural - identifying if possible areas of social or economic deprivation for special attention and areas where restoration can be done to enhance tourism and education and take full advantage of the situation.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 224 together.

I am leading a Department whose mission is to help build vibrant and sustainable communities across the country in both rural and urban areas. To do this requires a mix of policy initiatives and actions to improve economic development and to address gaps in meeting the social needs in these areas.

Many of these initiatives form part of the Government's published action plan for rural development and framework policy for local and community development which include a range of measures which will contribute significantly to addressing isolation and social inclusion in communities.

The Department is committed to the successful delivery of a number of programmes which will greatly benefit rural and urban communities. These include the new five-year social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, which runs from 2018 to 2022 and is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention. It is a €190 million national programme that is delivered locally to help those in the greatest need. The new community enhancement programme, which I launched last month, will provide capital grants worth €4.5 million to projects which target disadvantage. The new version of the seniors alert scheme came into effect on 1 November 2017 and has seen a surge in demand. The Leader element of the rural development programme 2014-2020 will provide €250 million in financial resources to address the challenges facing rural areas over the course of the programme period, particularly under the themes of economic development and social inclusion.

I launched CLÁR, a targeted investment programme for rural areas, in March 2018. The programme provides funding for small-scale infrastructural projects in disadvantaged rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation. The town and village renewal scheme is another initiative under the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development and is part of a package of national and local support measures to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Funding of €15 million has been earmarked for the 2018 scheme and it is hoped that up to 200 projects will be approved for funding this year. All this funding will bring benefits to rural and urban communities by addressing isolation.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for a comprehensive reply. We all recognise the important role he has to fulfil in restoring public confidence in rural Ireland and in areas suffering from social deprivation, perhaps over a long period.

I want to ask about the degree to which the Minister might direct attention to particular areas. Notwithstanding the applications that will be made by various communities throughout the country, it is also important that he identifies projects in particular areas, with a view to restoring the kind of public confidence in all areas, rural and urban, that is required. There has been a tendency in recent years to run down the morale of communities in both urban and rural settings, with obvious detrimental effects on encouraging investment. What issues might the Minister focus on to restore public confidence in those areas?

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I will allow Deputy Fitzpatrick to make a brief comment.

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister outline the amount allocated under the local improvement scheme in 2018, both nationally and in County Louth, and whether there will be an additional round of funding?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I agree with Deputy Durkan that we should not demoralise community groups and, instead, we should support and help them. If we did not have these community groups to help provide certain social services, we would have a serious problem where Government or State agencies are not providing those services. That is why, earlier this year, I looked at the situation of some of these community groups in regard to the funding I had available. Whether it is the Tidy Towns or a show, for example, these give a village or a town a lift. That is why I launched the community enhancement programme through the amalgamation of two programmes, and provided €4.5 million. I let that funding move down to the LCDCs, into the local communities, so they can identify where the local needs are. I do not want people to allocate funding to an area that does not need it. I want to make sure the people on these committees identify where the needs are, and that is why we have put the funding in place.

The seniors alert scheme has been raised by the Deputy on many occasions. While there was funding in the kitty, it was not being drawn down. I will answer a question on that scheme later.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I wish the Minister well in his important work in this area. Might it be possible to engage in a public relations programme on the restoration of pride in local areas? Restoration of pride is important, both for people living in the area and people who look at the area to live in or invest in. It would be of huge benefit if the Minister was seen to be restoring pride in local areas, whether urban or rural, and creating the aura of confidence that is necessary for business and communities to survive.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I compliment the Deputy because, while he may not believe this, I asked departmental officials this week to look at organising a community weekend. We have a problem in this country in that people living in local areas do not know one another. My neighbour came in to me on Monday just when I was leaving for Dublin, and handed me a leaflet explaining there was a get-together on Friday night in my area. There are a number of people living in the area but we do not know each other because we are all busy, moving around and working. There are young people and families with young children who do not have an opportunity to meet. We are, therefore, having a get-together on Friday night.

I have asked my officials to sit down and look at this, and we are going to have a community weekend where people will get to know one another again. They might have a street party or might go into one another's houses, and at least introduce themselves to one another. What has happened is that people are getting busier and working harder, and they sometimes do not have the time for a social life. If they met their neighbours for even half and hour or an hour, they would at least know they are there for one another. I compliment the Deputy on the question.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Heydon did not get to take his Question No. 6 earlier. He believed there would be five Priority Questions when there were only four today. I have the prerogative to allow him to ask his question now but I would like to get the agreement of the House. I intend to accommodate Deputies Willie Penrose, Maureen O'Sullivan and Niamh Smyth afterwards. Is it agreed to allow Deputy Heydon to take his Question No. 6? Agreed. I ask the Deputy to forgo his introductory remarks and to limit his contribution to one supplementary question.