Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 188: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the expenditure by his Department under the RAPID programme in the past five years; if the funding is derived from the dormant accounts fund, the national lottery or other sources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37293/06]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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As I have indicated to the House on a number of occasions, it is a matter for individual Departments to report progress with their projects under the RAPID programme. In support of my Department, Pobal collects data from each RAPID area in respect of funding allocations received by projects from Government Departments and local state agencies. The latest data in respect of the programme is available on Pobal's website under the RAPID section (http://www.pobal.ie/live/RAPID). The Deputy may find it helpful to access this information. I understand that full data in respect of the year 2006 will not be collected until early 2007.

The Deputy will be aware that I launched the RAPID Leverage Fund in 2004 to support small-scale projects identified by the Area Implementation Schemes. The Exchequer provides the funding for these schemes. The following are the schemes, the allocations and the draw down to date under these schemes:

Local Authority Housing Estate Enhancement Scheme 2004, Allocation €1.15m, draw down to date €1.10m;

Local Authority Housing Estate Enhancement Scheme 2005/06, Allocation €2.03m, draw down to date €0.75m;

Playground 2004, Allocation €3.00m, draw down to date €2.75m;

Playground 2005, Allocation €2.97m, draw down to date €1.00m;

Traffic Measures 2005, Allocation €1.01m, draw down to date €0.63m;

Health Sector Co-Fund, Allocation €2.30m, draw down to date €0.50m;

Sports Capital 2004, Allocation €2.20m, draw down to date €0.94m;

Sports Capital 2005, Allocation €2.30m, draw down to date €0.31m.

Disbursements from the Dormant Accounts Fund are made within the overall framework of the Disbursement Plan provided for in the legislation. Under the initial round of funding, the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursements Board approved 521 projects for funding totalling over €60 million. Consistent with the direction given by Government when approving the Disbursement Plan, approximately €32 million of these approvals were in respect of projects based within RAPID areas. Following the enactment of the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005, further funding amounting to €11.35 million was ring-fenced to support 188 priority projects in RAPID areas under the 2006 round of funding.

My Department also has responsibility for the work of the 14 Local Drugs Task Forces (LDTF) and 10 Regional Drugs Task Forces. The LDTFs were established in the areas experiencing the worst levels of drug misuse, particularly heroin, and many of them have RAPID areas within them. Over €150m has been allocated to the Task Forces to implement two rounds of local action plans. A further €14.36m has been allocated to capital projects under the LDTF Premises Initiative, which is designed to meet the accommodation needs of community-based drugs projects.

Approximately €107 million has been allocated to-date to support the work of the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund in LDTF areas and four other urban centres. The main aim of the Fund is to attract "at risk" young people in disadvantaged areas into recreational facilities and activities and divert them away from the dangers of substance misuse. It is not possible to quantify the exact spend in RAPID areas.