Written answers

Tuesday, 15 November 2005

Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Departmental Programmes

9:00 pm

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 420: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the grant programmes available from his Department and from agencies under his responsibility; and the deadlines of each programme. [33919/05]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that my Department operates, either directly or through bodies under its aegis, a wide range of grant schemes and projects, descriptions of which are available on my Department's website at www.pobail.ie. The headings under which applicants can qualify for grant aid from my Department or bodies under its aegis are given in the following appendix.

Expenditure up to 10 November 2005 across the three main programme areas, excluding administration, is €247.6 million, which can broadly be broken down as follows: an Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht, €60.1 million; community affairs, €118.3 million; and rural affairs, €69.2 million.

Applications for grant programmes, qualification criteria and deadlines are advertised in the media and/or on my Department's website and its links to bodies under the aegis of my Department. It is the practice of my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, and myself to make details of all announcements relating to grant approvals and other expenditure-related decisions under these programmes available on the Department's website.

Appendix

The headings under which applicants can qualify for grant aid from my Department, or bodies under its aegis.

(a) Schemes to support community development and voluntary groups.

The community development support programmes — designed to mobilise the capacity of disadvantaged communities to participate in mainstream local development, training, education and employment opportunities.

Grants for locally-based community and voluntary organisations — designed to enhance the effectiveness of local communities through the funding of voluntary and community organisations in disadvantaged areas and the promotion of community development education and training activity.

Scheme of community support for older people — designed to direct funding to initiatives to improve the security of vulnerable older people.

Funding scheme to support the role of federations, networks and umbrella bodies in the community and voluntary sector — designed to support national representative federations, networks and umbrella bodies in the community and voluntary sector in providing support to their member groups.

Funding scheme for training and supports in the community and voluntary sector — designed to develop support and training availability across the community and voluntary sector.

(b) Rural development schemes

The CLÁR programme — a targeted investment programme for disadvantaged rural areas.

The rural development fund — this provides finance for policy-oriented research, evaluations and pilot actions in rural development.

Leader — the Department oversees the delivery of the Leader programme, which promotes and supports the economic and social development of rural areas by contributing to rural development policy and implementing appropriate programmes. It comprises the Leader+ and Leader national rural development programmes — area-based initiative.

INTERREG — designed to fund actions and initiatives aimed at developing and strengthening the rural economy in the Border region.

PEACE II — promotes peace and reconciliation by funding actions and strategies which promote cross-Border Agriculture and rural development co-operation and diversification.

Rural social scheme — the rural social scheme, RSS, aims to provide income support for farmers and fishermen who are currently in receipt of long-term social welfare payments, and to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. This scheme will allow those low-income farmers and fishermen who are unable to earn an adequate living from their farm holding or fishing to earn a supplementary income. At local level, the RSS is managed on behalf of the Department by the Leader groups and in the Gaeltacht by the Leader groups in conjunction with Údarás na Gaeltachta. Although it is independent of the FÁS community employment, CE, scheme, it complements CE, in areas where both schemes are in operation.

Farm relief services — designed to finance actions aimed at the improvement and diversification of the farm relief services.

The farm electrification grant scheme, FEGS, was transferred to my Department from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on 1 January 2005. The scheme provides financial assistance to farmers in disadvantaged areas who wish to provide, or increase electricity supply, to their farms.

The Western Development Commission, WDC, a statutory body promoting economic and social development in the western region, provides risk capital by way of equity and loans on a commercial basis to projects and businesses.

Through its offices in Na Forbacha, County Galway, the Department administers a variety of schemes designed to support the social and infrastructural development of the Gaeltacht and inhabited off-shore islands as well as a number of schemes to support the Irish Language.

(c) Gaeltacht schemes

Gaeltacht infrastructural improvement schemes — these address local infrastructural issues in order to help sustain Gaeltacht populations so as to preserve and strengthen the Irish language.

(d) Inhabited off-shore island schemes

Capital grants for economic and social development on offshore islands — these fund road works, marine works, coastal protection, water schemes, community projects, feasibility studies and general improvement works.

Grants towards current costs — these fund transport services to certain islands.

(e) Irish language schemes

Schemes to support the promotion and maintenance of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht include: Gaeltacht housing grants scheme; Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge; Irish summer colleges scheme; Gaeltacht courses for adults; Scéim Spreagadh na Gaeilge; summer camps scheme; language assistants scheme; and various social and cultural support schemes in the Gaeltacht.

(f) Ciste na Gaeilge

Under Ciste na Gaeilge, which supports the promotion of the Irish language outside the Gaeltacht, the Department provides support to Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge and to certain Irish language projects outside the Gaeltacht.

Foras na Gaeilge provides a wide range of grant programmes at different intervals during the year. Some of these programmes are confined to core-funding Irish language and educational organisations, but most of the programmes are advertised in the media on an all-island basis.

The Ulster-Scots Agency provides grants for the promotion of the Ulster-Scots language and culture throughout Ireland. The agency offers financial assistance to groups and organisations for events which fall within the agency's remit and that meet relevant criteria. Grants must normally be applied for eight weeks before the date of the event in order to be fully considered.

Údarás na Gaeltachta provides a range of financial incentives for new or existing businesses and industries in Gaeltacht areas, in line with European Union regional aid guidelines and training aid guidelines. Such assistance may include the direct provision of buildings, capital grants on new buildings and equipment, employment and training grants, research and development grants in addition to feasibility grants. Assistance is available also for language, cultural and community development activities. No deadline applies to seeking assistance from Údarás na Gaeltachta and full details are availabledirectly from the organisation or online at eolas@udaras.ie.

The Department, also from its head office in Dublin, oversees or co-ordinates the delivery of the following programmes:

(g) Other programmes

The RAPID programme — targets the 45 areas with the greatest concentration of disadvantage around the country, for priority funding under the national development plan and better co-ordination of service delivery at local level.

National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 — co-ordinating the implementation of the 100 actions from the strategy, including operation of the young people's facilities and services fund, under the direction of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Social Inclusion.

Local development social inclusion programme — administered on behalf of the Department by POBAL, formerly known as ADM Limited. Designed to counter disadvantage and to promote equality and social and economic inclusion. Funds and supports partnerships, community groups and employment pacts.

Peace and Reconciliation, PEACE II — administered on behalf of the Department by POBAL-CPA aims to support economic and social projects that address the legacy of the conflict or that takes opportunities arising from peace.

Measures to improve the effectiveness and cohesion of local and community development structures are supported through my Department's cohesion fund.

The Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursements Board — unclaimed moneys in dormant accounts are used to provide additional funding for the purposes of tackling disadvantage and assisting persons with a disability. Under the initial round of funding 521 projects were successful involving total approved funding of over €60 million. I intend to make a proposal to Government shortly concerning the programmes and types of projects in relation to which applications will be invited and funded under the next phase of funding.

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