Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 85: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the projects undertaken by his Department that would not otherwise have been developed other than for the fact they were undertaken under the RAPID scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36938/05]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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RAPID aims to ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion within the 45 designated RAPID areas. The priorities for each RAPID area are identified locally by each RAPID area implementation team, and are incorporated into a plan for each area. Each Department reports on progress in relation to the proposals from these plans that fall within their remit for the quarterly meetings of the RAPID National Monitoring Committee. These reports can be accessed at www.pobal.ie.

The Deputy will be aware of the RAPID leverage scheme that I introduced in 2004. This scheme has seen total funding in the region of €42 million —€14 million from my Department and €28 million from co-funding Departments and agencies — allocated to RAPID areas under a number of schemes that were co-funded with other Government Departments and agencies in 2004 and 2005. These schemes include local authority housing estate enhancement, traffic measures, playground grants, sports capital top-ups and community based CCTV.

I have secured an increase of 15% in my Department's provision for RAPID in 2006. The amount available from my Department for RAPID leverage schemes will be €8.8 million next year, compared with €7.5 million in 2005.