Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the funding awarded by his Department to various groups in County Kildare in each of the past five years; his expected expenditure in 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37297/06]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the grants allocated by my Department to various eligible groups in County Kildare are set out below.

My Department provides funding to projects under the Community Development Programme (CDP). This Programme supports locally-based groups involved in anti-poverty and social inclusion initiatives in their communities so that they can contribute to a process of change in their areas and improve the quality of life of their communities. At present, some 182 projects are currently supported under the programme. These are located in recognised disadvantaged areas nationwide, in both urban and rural areas. Funding of €23.947m has been allocated to the programme for 2006. In addition to core funding, applications are invited each year from Community Development Projects for once-off grants towards limited capital costs, purchase of equipment, and towards programme activities. Decisions on such applications are taken on the basis of resources available.

Specifically, in Co. Kildare the following three CDP's are funded:

This Department, through its Community Services Programme (CSP) which is administered by POBAL, currently funds 5 Projects in Co. Kildare and expenditure in 2006 is expected to be €565,858. This Programme transferred from Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment on 1st January 2006. It was previously called the Social Economy Programme and was administered by FÁS.

In addition this Department provides annual funding of €50,000 to Kildare Volunteer Bureau to employ a full-time Development Worker. This funding is in place since 2005.

Expenditure in the 5 year period to end Sept 2006 on the LEADER Programmes in Kildare has amounted to €3,860,869: comprising €3,146,913 for LEADER + and €713,956 for the Area Based Rural Development Initiative, to the end of September 2006. Details on individual projects are available from the organisation delivering the Programmes in the county, Kildare European LEADER Teo.

Decisions on the disbursements of funds from dormant accounts under the initial round of funding were a matter for the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursements Board, an independent body established under the Dormant Accounts Acts. Under this round, the Board approved 521 projects for funding totalling over €60 million. Details of these allocations are included in Appendix A of the Board's 2005 Annual Report, copies of which were laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas on 31st August 2006 and subsequently circulated to all Oireachtas members on 8th September 2006. 12 of the projects approved by the Board, involving the allocation of €2.7 million, are based in Co. Kildare. A breakdown of the approved projects in Co. Kildare is provided in the table.

Following the enactment of the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005, the Government approved a series of funding measures providing for the allocation of a further €60 million from the Fund in 2006. These measures are being rolled-out on a phased basis as the operational arrangements are finalised. To date in 2006, details of the specific projects approved in respect of the first €13.4 million of this 2006 allocation have been announced. These allocations are in respect of funding for priority projects in RAPID areas (€11.35 million), supports for vulnerable immigrants (€574,989), projects supporting suicide prevention (€999,889) and also measures providing support for prisoners/ex-prisoners (€502,722.00). Included in these allocations was one project in Athy, Co. Kildare, which was approved for a grant of €200,000 (details in the table).

It is anticipated that Government will make further decisions in relation to a number of other measures over the coming months as roll-out continues with regard to the 2006 round of funding.

The RAPID Leverage Fund was initiated in 2004. The above figures represent this Departments allocation to the Athy RAPID area. The Local Authority Housing Estate Enhancement, Playground, Traffic Measures and Health Sector Co-fund schemes receive matching funding from other Departments. Under the RAPID Programme, the Athy Area Implementation Team (AIT) received support budget funding. Total allocation under the support and communications budget:

The Local Development Social Inclusion Programme (LDSIP) provides a series of Measures, funded under the National Development Plan 2000-2006, that are designed to tackle social exclusion, deliver a more sustainable economy, improve employment prospects and balance regional development. These Measures are particularly targeted at the areas of greatest need throughout the country. Funding under LDSIP has been provided to both Oak Partnership (Oak Partnership provides services which are roughly evenly split between Kildare and Offaly) and Action South Kildare (The Kildare Community Partnership) in each of the past five years. Details are as follows:

The Cohesion Process has the aim of streamlining local and community development agencies throughout the country. Details of cohesion funding provided in Kildare since the inception of fund in 2004 are in the table.

The Scheme of Community Support for Older People (CSOP) encourages and assists local support for older people by means of a community based grant scheme to improve the security of its older members. Funding is provided by way of grant aid to voluntary groups and organisations, which identify those elderly people in need of assistance under the scheme.

The following payments have been made from the Rural Social Scheme to Kildare European LEADER II Teo. for the administration of the scheme in the County: