Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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73. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the details of the co-ordinating unit within his Department pursuant to the programme for partnership Government that is tasked with working with communities to develop co-operative structures; when it was set up; the membership of the unit; the work programme of the unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38595/18]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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My question is very specific. I am asking for details of the co-ordinating unit within the Minister's Department pursuant to A Programme for Partnership Government. It is on page 42 of that document. Under the impact assessment heading, which is very important, there was a promise to set up a co-ordinating unit to consider the impact assessment on rural communities of various decisions. This was to work with communities and develop co-operative structures, etc. This was set out in the question. Has that been set up and what are the details?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A Programme for Partnership Government, agreed in May 2016, contains a commitment to task "a co-ordinating unit to work with communities to develop co-operative structures to keep vital local services in place and to retain and develop vibrant local enterprises." This commitment in the programme related to job creation and rural development, and it was planned at the time that the unit and its work would be situated within a new Department of regional development and rural affairs. My Department was established in July 2017 and throughout the Department as a whole, rather than in one unit, various funding programmes and schemes are delivered within communities and in co-operation with them that are supporting enterprise development and job creation in rural Ireland.

The establishment of my Department continues to drive better co-ordination and prioritisation of all Government investment in rural Ireland. Structures within the community sector are also being used to further drive rural economic development.  I can give some examples. On foot of A Programme for Partnership Government the Action Plan for Rural Development was put in place in January 2017. This sets out more than 270 actions being implemented across government to support the economic and social development of rural Ireland. Its implementation is overseen by a monitoring committee, which I chair. The committee meets regularly and publishes six-monthly progress reports.  The community policy unit in my Department has policy responsibility for cross government co-ordination of local and community development supports. It provides guidance and supports to local community development committee structures which have primary responsibility for co-ordinating, planning and overseeing local community development funding.

The framework policy for local and community development delivered by my Department is formed on a cross-government basis and seeks to ensure joined-up approach to community development at a local level. Furthermore, the local action groups through which the LEADER programme is delivered, a significant source of funding for rural Ireland, ensures community engagement in delivery of this important programme. In addition, my Department supports the public participation networks, whose main purpose is to enable the public to take an active formal role in policy making and oversight committees of the local authorities, providing an avenue for community and voluntary groups to participate in the local decision making processes.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for reading out that answer, but he has failed to answer my question. I thank the Minister for confirming there is an action plan. I welcome that and he is to be praised for that and that there is a monitoring committee. That is not what I asked. I am looking at the programme for Government and the paragraph on impact assessment. Whoever wrote the reply might look at it and simply tell me whether the co-ordinating unit has been set up. The aim of that unit was to develop co-operative structures to keep vital local services in place and to maintain and develop local enterprises and that is a good aim. Has that now been abandoned? I do not hear a reply that it has been set up. I do not hear a reply that it has been abandoned and the Minister has taken a new direction. It is a very simple question: has that gone by the board and is the Minister now looking at the other things he is talking about, or has it not gone by the board?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The question the Deputy asked related to commitments in the programme for Government. The new Department of Rural and Community Development has overtaken that. That is why, within the Department, other schemes have been set up, particularly in relation to local and community schemes, the community enhancement programme and local community development committees, LCDCs. The point of the community enhancement programme is to bring it down to a local level where local people who know the local needs and have the local knowledge want to be able to make local decisions. I have increased the funding for these programmes. Not only have I allocated money once this year, but I have done so twice because I believe the people on the ground know where the difficulties are.

The question the Deputy asked was in respect of commitments in the programme for Government. The new Department has overtaken that and my Department is leading community and rural development, particularly for libraries. That is why the funding I have allocated this year has gone down to the LCDCs, working with the county councils. Local people and local communities can identify where local problems are.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thought I had a grasp of the English language. I appreciate the Minister is doing his best but the new Department was to set up this co-ordinating unit. Whoever wrote that reply can go back and look at the paragraph in the programme for Government which states "within the new Department of ... Regional Development and Rural Affairs ..., we will task a coordinating unit to work with communities to develop co-operative structures". It is set out in black and white. Looking at a co-operative way forward is a laudable aim and a specific unit within the Minister's Department was to lead it. If I know anything from sitting on the Committee of Public Accounts it is that if there is no chain of command and responsibility, then nothing happens.

Has the idea of this unit been abandoned now? That is a simple question and I ask it in the context of impact assessment. For example, had an impact assessment been done on the issues pertaining to the recent post office closures? That is straying a bit from my question, so I will stick with my question. Has the new unit been abandoned? Is the Minister not going ahead with that?

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has asked a question about a commitment that was given in the programme for Government. When that programme was formed, the particular Department that the Deputy refers to was in the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. A new Department was set up a year ago. In that Department-----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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That was acknowledged in the reply.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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That was acknowledged in the reply and I am trying to acknowledge it again. The responsibility for the schemes that were promised that the Deputy is talking about is now in that Department. The community enhancement programme, the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and all these programmes are now within my Department and the Deputy would agree it is better to have it in one Department than having over a number of Departments. The commitment is there. The Taoiseach set up a new Department of Rural and Community Development. The operative word is "community" and what it means to me is that decisions that can be made at local level should be made there. Decisions are being made at the local level within programmes like community enhancement and SICAP. I am monitoring those. We meet on a regular basis in accordance with the action plan. People come in from different agencies. They respond and report to Government and to me, as the chair of that committee, and then we make policy decisions.