Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the amount of funding provided by his Department through the Rapid, CLÁR and LEADER programmes to County Donegal over the past three years; the way this funding compares to amounts allocated to other counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32608/07]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The following table provides details of the funding provided under the CLÁR and LEADER Programmes in County Donegal over the past three years. There was no expenditure under the RAPID Programme as there are no RAPID areas within County Donegal.

I am satisfied that the allocations under the two Programmes compare favourably with that of other counties.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 64: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his proposals for changes to the development sector, in particular LEADER and partnership companies; the consultations there have been with the development sector in regard to the proposed changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32602/07]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Arising from the joint Ministerial initiative on the review of local and community development structures the Government agreed a series of measures in January 2004 to improve arrangements under which community and local development initiatives are delivered and to improve cohesion and focus across various measures. This process is informed by the following guiding principles:

improving on the ground services

streamlining structures so as to avoid overlaps, duplication and undue administrative overheads

bringing transparency, co-ordination and improved control to the funding and operation of local and community development measures; and

strengthening the democratic accountability of agencies and providers in this area.

The core objective of the process is to simplify and improve local delivery of programmes operated by my Department through the integration and alignment of local delivery structures. The intention is that for the future there will be one local development company in any given area and fewer local development companies overall. This will provide full county coverage and eliminate overlaps and previous fragmented arrangements.

Following exhaustive consultations with and between the local agencies to develop the most suitable configurations of groups, Government decided on revised areas of coverage for local development companies in March of this year and clarified the arrangements in relation to the membership of the boards of these bodies in late July. LEADER and Partnership groups have been asked to give effect to these decisions and my Department has provided detailed guidelines to secure this outcome.

The realignment of local delivery structures will bring the overall number of local development delivery bodies to 55 comprising 38 integrated LEADER/Partnership bodies in rural areas and 17 Partnerships covering urban areas. In most cases, the Government agreed that coverage areas would be aligned with county and city boundaries with the number of structures in a county determined on the basis of population and overall geography.