Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

These committees, comprising public-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, to which the Senator refers. They will develop, co-ordinate and implement a more coherent and integrated approach to local and community development than existed heretofore with the aim of reducing duplication and overlap and optimising the use of available resources for the benefit of citizens and communities.

There was a tendering process. In accordance with the public spending code, legal advice, good practice internationally and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, SICAP was subject to a public procurement process, which is in its final stages. In stage 1, 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. The closing date for stage 2, invitation to tender, was 19 December 2014. Tenderers have now been informed of the outcome of their tender and local and community development committees are in the process of finalising contracts with the successful tenderers.

LCDCs have managed and implemented stage 2, invitation to tender, of the SICAP tendering process. SICAP was tendered for on the basis of lots. In most areas, this was one lot per local authority area. This reflects Government policy and the alignment process. In some areas, a decision was taken by the LCDC to divide the lot into smaller units. That was a decision of the LCDC in each case. The LCDC and not the Minister made this decision.

The LCDC is independent of the local authority in the performance of its functions. This independence is provided for explicitly in sections 49A(2) and 128B(8) of the Local Government Act 2001. Any decisions made by an LCDC when carrying out its functions is solely a matter for that LCDC. That said, my Department advised in a letter to all LCDCs in July 2014 that in order to reduce the administrative burden for each LCDC, it would be prudent to have one lot only for each LCDC. I am satisfied that the decision of Galway LCDC to tender on the basis of one lot was taken with probity.