James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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65. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to provide additional funding under the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, the LEADER programme and other social inclusion funding programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15207/19]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to outline his plans to provide additional funding under SICAP, LEADER and other social inclusion funding programmes and I ask him to make a statement on the matter.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to reviewing all of its schemes on an ongoing basis to ensure the benefits are maximised for local communities.

In 2018, I launched the new five-year SICAP to cover the period from 2018 to 2022. I provided €38 million to the local development companies that implement SICAP in each of the years from 2018 and 2019. Over the full five years I plan to provide €190 million, but this is obviously subject to the budgetary process each year. SICAP funding supports communities to address social inclusion and equality issues and supports disadvantaged individuals in accessing the labour market and learning supports.

This year, my Department is also providing €6.5 million towards the regeneration of Dublin's north-east inner city.

The community enhancement programme, launched in 2018 to address disadvantage through grants for local projects, was allocated €4.5 million in 2019.

Under this programme, €500,000 was ring-fenced in 2018 for provision to the Men’s Sheds Association to purchase equipment or carry out minor capital works. I will consider in due course whether or not funding can be ring-fenced again in 2019.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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SICAP is extremely important to tackle poverty and exclusion. In my county of Wexford, 27 areas are designated as very disadvantaged, in which a total of 6,500 people live, while another 30,000 live in disadvantaged areas. County Wexford has considerable potential, due to its geographical location and Rosslare Europort, and it will, I hope, see the development of the university of the south east, with a strong section of the university located in County Wexford. The areas of disadvantage, however, are under severe pressure, and while Brian Keogh, the CEO of Wexford Local Development, is doing phenomenal work, there is an element of trying to feed 5,000 with a few loaves and fish. Tom Enright, CEO of Wexford County Council, is also doing his best for the county. Some €1.7 million has thus far been provided under the current programme, which is approximately half of what a similar programme provided ten years ago. The very disadvantaged areas in County Wexford need additional funding. I return to one of my bugbears, the CLÁR programme, which has not been adjusted since the census of 2002. Some areas in County Wexford have been depopulated in that time and they are losing out on CLÁR programme funding. They are not included in the CLÁR programme because it has not been updated. Only two counties, Kildare and Wexford, outside of Dublin are not on the CLÁR programme, but Wexford very much needs to be included.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The original SICAP, which ran from 2015 to 2017, came to an end on 31 December, having helped more than 110,000 individuals and assisted more than 5,000 local community groups. In 2018, SICAP exceeded its target and assisted 2,558 community groups and 1,967 individuals, under goals 1 and 2, respectively, while the targets for 2019 are 2,273 community groups and 27,313 individuals, under goals 1 and 2, respectively. As the Deputy will be aware, I am very pleased with SICAP and would like there to be more funding for it because it targets disadvantaged children, families and young people between the age of 15 and 24, disadvantaged women and Roma groups, and emerging groups with needs such as Travellers, lone parents and low-income workers, and it is important that these people are given the opportunity. Many of them have been given the opportunity and on a one-to-one basis, many of them have been assisted by SICAP. Some of them have entered the marketplace, some have employed others, some have found jobs, while others have learned to read and write. We have given them an opportunity and I welcome every opportunity we give to people in disadvantaged areas. I am pleased with SICAP. Substantial funding has been provided and the programme is working well.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I agree that SICAP is working well in respect of the ideas behind it. It is a good idea and I compliment it in that regard, but my point was that there is not enough funding to enable it to do what it very much can do. If the 27 very disadvantaged areas are divided by €1.7 million, there is approximately €60,000 per area per annum, but when one thinks of the number of people in each of those areas, it is not a lot of funding to help them. As I pointed out, it equates to approximately half of the similar funding that was provided ten years ago under a similar programme. It is a good programme that has been well thought out and I commend the Minister in that regard. Nevertheless, we need more funding to enable the programme to do what it can for disadvantaged and very disadvantaged areas.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy and he is quite correct. We will begin budgetary negotiations again soon and I will fight for funding for SICAP, the community enhancement programme and the regeneration of north-east inner city Dublin, which Deputy Curran raised earlier. Many communities throughout the country need funding and I will make no apology in that regard. At budgetary level, I will fight to try to secure as much money as possible for SICAP, the community enhancement programme and all the programmes that assist disadvantaged people. If we cannot support and help people in disadvantaged areas, what can we do? With support from my Department, I will work hard to secure funding for the schemes.