David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 352: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 92 of 14 June 2006 in which he referred this Deputy to [i]www.pobail.ie[/i] the support schemes for the voluntary and community sector that have been developed to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23919/06]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 353: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 92 of 14 June 2006 in which he referred this Deputy to [i]www.pobail.ie[/i] with reference to economic and social development in rural and disadvantaged areas, the number of community groups in targeted areas participating in the decision making process. [23920/06]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 352 and 353 together.

The following are the support schemes for the voluntary and community sector provided by my Department. Community Services Programme The Social Economy Programme transferred to my Department on 1st January 2006. I have re-named this Programme the Community Services Programme, to reflect the fact that I have changed the nature of the programme from a labour market training scheme to a scheme to provide support for essential community services. I have also secured an additional €5 million to fund new projects in 2006. Eligible activities include:

—Community Childcare Services

—Community Services for the Elderly (Excluding Health Care Provision)

—Community Services for People with Disabilities (Excluding Health Care Provision)

—Supervising Community Halls & Facilities in disadvantaged communities (RAPID etc.)

—Island Projects

—Rural Tourism-Heritage Centres and Managed Walks

—Community Radio

The overall budget for 2006 is now €42 million.

White Paper funding

Funding under the White Paper on a Framework for Supporting Voluntary Activity and for Developing the Relationship between the State and the Community and Voluntary Sector was published in September 2000. It sets out the rationale for developing the relationship between the State and the sector and the principles, which should underpin this relationship. The White Paper included a wide range of cross-cutting recommendations and a number of funding initiatives detailed as follows:

∙Funding Scheme to Support the Role of Federations, Networks and Umbrella Bodies in the Community and Voluntary Sector

The White Paper provided for an allocation of funding over a three-year period to end of 2006 for a scheme to support the role of federations, networks and umbrella bodies in providing support services to their member groups and in representing their interests. There are currently 32 groups being funded in 2006 at an annual cost of €2.6m.

∙Funding Scheme for Training and Supports in the Community and Voluntary Sector

The White Paper on Supporting Voluntary Activity recognised that the growth of the Community and Voluntary Sector in recent years has created increased needs for training and supports for the Sector. The White Paper provided for multi-annual Training and Supports Grants. There are currently 20 groups being funded in 2006 at an annual cost of €600,000.

The Department is engaged in a review of funding provided under the White Paper. It is expected that a new Scheme will be advertised later this year.

National Anti-Poverty Networks

The National Anti-Poverty Networks scheme assists National Anti-Poverty Networks to develop their capacities to contribute to policy development at national level and to develop the capacities of the National Anti-Poverty Networks members to draw policy from the experiences at local and national levels. 9 groups are currently being funded at a cost of €1.4m in 2006.

Supporting Volunteering

In 2005 the Department decided to fund an interim three-year package of volunteering initiatives to promote and develop volunteering in Ireland at the local level. Funding in 2006 totalling €954,594 is being provided to 8 Volunteer Bureaux, Volunteer Centres Ireland, Focus Ireland, Boardmatch, Young Social Innovators, and the Community Learning Programme Project. Under the LDSIP, €500,000 has been ringfenced for a range of local volunteering initiatives by Partnership Companies. In addition, €1.4m from the Department's Volunteering Cohesion Fund was provided to County Development Boards (CDBs) in December 2005 for a range of volunteering initiatives; €70,000 from the volunteering Cohesion Fund has also been provided to Carlow CDB in 2006 to date.

Philanthropy

My Department has committed funding to Philanthropy Ireland totalling €300,000 over three years to 2008 for the promotion of philanthropic giving.

Community Development Programme (CDP)

The Community Development Programme (CDP) is designed to reduce poverty and social exclusion in both urban and rural areas through targeting support at disadvantaged and socially excluded communities. €23.95 million has been allocated to the programme in 2006, providing funding to 182 community development projects nationwide.

Funded projects:

∙have an anti-poverty focus and promote the participation of people experiencing poverty and exclusion at all levels of the project

∙act as a resource within the communities of which they are a part

∙are managed by local voluntary management committees made up predominantly of people from the local area/target groups who themselves have experience of disadvantage and social exclusion

∙promote co-ordination and co-operation between community, voluntary and statutory groups in their areas.

Some 30,000 people use the services and resources of their local CDP on an annual basis, with 15,000 of these participating in CDP-based training and education courses. CDPs also provide resources/facilities for over 700 local community organisations. These include groups representing lone parents, people with disabilities, the elderly, youth groups, childcare groups and other miscellaneous groups working with disadvantaged communities.

Programme of Grants for Locally-Based Community and Voluntary Organisations

The Programme of Grants for Locally-Based Community and Voluntary Organisations is funded by this Department and operates throughout the country, supporting the activities of local voluntary and community groups who are addressing disadvantage in their community.

The Programme makes funds available for small-scale refurbishment of premises, for the purchase of essential equipment, including I.T. equipment, and for education, training and research. The maximum grant for refurbishment under the 2005 Scheme was €40,000; equipment €10,000; and for training, education and research also €10,000.

The 2006 Programme will be advertised in the coming weeks in the national and provincial newspapers and a copy of the guidelines and application form will be available on the Department's website at that time.

Scheme of Community Support for Older People (CSOP)

The CSOP Scheme is also funded by this Department and aims to encourage and assist the community's support for vulnerable older people, aged 65 years and older, by means of a community-based grant scheme. This Scheme provides funding for door locks, window locks, door chains, security lighting, smoke alarms and towards the once-off cost of installing socially-monitored alarm systems. Any local voluntary or community-based organisation in any part of the country, especially those working with or providing support for older people, can apply to the Department for funding under the Scheme.

RAPID programme

The RAPID programme 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 (AIT), and are incorporated into a plan for each area. Each of the nine Departments represented on the RAPID National Monitoring Committee, which I chair reports on a quarterly basis on progress in relation to the proposals from these plans that fall within their remit.

It is estimated that over €337m has been invested in extra infrastructure in RAPID areas in social provision under the NDP since the programme's inception. In 2004 a new funding mechanism, RAPID Leverage Fund, was introduced which supports small-scale local actions through co-funding with other Departments/Local Agencies. This fund which is administered by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs allows many small-scale actions to be dealt with more effectively at local level. In 2006 a sum of €7.8m was allocated by my Department for these schemes.

LDSIP (Local Development Social Inclusion Programme)

The LDSIP is a series of measures designed to counter disadvantage and to promote equality and social and economic inclusion. The programme is delivered at local level by 38 area partnerships, 31 community partnerships and 2 employment pacts. The following groups are specifically targeted: long-term unemployed, socially and economically disadvantaged women, young people at risk, travellers, people with disabilities, homeless people, ethnic minorities, lone parents, ex-prisoners, low income households.

€48.8 million is being spent on this Programme in 2006.

Dormant Accounts

Disbursements from the Dormant Accounts Fund are designed to tackle economic, social and educational disadvantage and to assist persons with a disability. In line with the commitment in the Dormant Accounts Disbursement Plan, allocations from the Fund are prioritised towards those areas designated as most disadvantaged (i.e. RAPID, Local Drugs Task Force and CLÁR areas). Under the initial round of funding, 521 projects were approved involving a total allocation of approximately €60 million. 84 of these projects are based in CLÁR areas and the allocation in respect of these projects exceeds €10 million.

All of the various programmes, measures and schemes outlined above make due provision for the participation of the communities or targeted groups or individuals in the relevant decision making processes.