Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 119: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the extent, on a county basis, to which he has awarded funding in 2005 to various eligible groups under the CLÁR programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16847/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 120: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his plans to broaden or extend eligibility for assistance under the CLÁR programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16848/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of applications for financial aid he has received under the CLÁR programme, on a county basis; the number to which he has responded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16850/05]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 119, 120 and 122 together.

Areas in 18 counties, with a population of 362,000, are included under the CLÁR programme. All of these areas are eligible for funding under the various measures in the programme.

Some measures are demand led while, in other cases, the projects, by and large, are selected or recommended by the relevant Departments, State agencies, local authorities and Leader groups in consultation with my Department. In the case of the non-national roads measure, allocations are made to each local authority based on the county's percentage of the total CLÁR population. Also, some of the measures may have more relevance to particular CLÁR areas, for example, small sewerage schemes in the tax incentive areas of the upper Shannon, forestry access roads co-funded with Coillte and the local authority housing estate enhancement scheme.

I am satisfied with the eligibility criteria that currently apply for assistance under the measures. However, I keep the operations of the measures under review to ensure their continued efficient and effective operation.

The following table details the applications received to date in 2005 and their status. To date in 2005, 32 applications at a cost of nearly €2.8 million to CLÁR have been approved under the various measures. Of the further 506 applications on hand some 340 are projects submitted for funding by the local authorities from the €6 million non-national roads measure co-funded with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the €1 million similar measure co-funded with Coillte; 94 are proposals received from the local authorities for projects to be funded under the second CLÁR local authority housing estate enhancement scheme; and 23 are proposals received from primary schools under the third phase of the CLÁR primary schools outdoor play facilities enhancement scheme. These remaining applications are being examined as regards their eligibility for funding under the criteria applying to the measures concerned.

I expect, very shortly, to announce the roads projects, the allocations under the second CLÁR local authority housing estate enhancement scheme and the third phase of the CLÁR primary schools outdoor play facilities enhancement scheme.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will consider broadening or extending the eligibility for persons for assistance under the RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16849/05]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I have no plans at present to extend the eligibility for funding under the RAPID programme, to people outside the RAPID areas. However, some anomalies relating to the existing RAPID areas have been brought to my attention. These are being examined in my Department.