Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his proposed expenditure in 2008 under the RAPID and CLÁR programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5541/08]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if a review of the effectiveness of the CLÁR and RAPID programmes is envisaged or proposed; the number of areas that have received funding under any aspects of the two programmes over each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5572/08]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 54 together.

€21.2 million has been provided on my Department's Vote for the CLÁR programme for 2008. The position in respect of the RAPID Programme is that €1.5 million for current and a capital allocation of €7.8 million in 2008 has been provided. The provision in my Department's Vote funds the community support and administrative costs of RAPID Area Implementation Teams (AIT) and Pobal and the capital cost of the RAPID Leverage schemes. As I have indicated to the House on a number of occasions, it is a matter for individual Departments to report on the provision of funding and progress on delivery with respect to projects under their responsibility in the RAPID areas.

An independent evaluation of the RAPID Programme, commissioned by Pobal at my request, was published in June 2006. This report is available on Pobal's website at http://www.pobal/media/Publications. The recommendations of this evaluation are currently being implemented. A Value for Money review of the RAPID and CLÁR leverage schemes operated by my Department in co-operation with a range of other Departments and Agencies is planned for 2008. I am providing further details on the programmes in the appendices to my reply.

Appendix 1 — RAPID

The RAPID Programme aims to ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion within the 46 designated RAPID areas. As I have indicated to the House on a number of occasions, it is a matter for individual Departments to report progress under the RAPID programme. In support, 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 2007 will not be collected until early 2008.

I initiated the leverage schemes in 2004 in order to support small-scale projects identified locally by the Area Implementation Teams in each of the RAPID areas. These schemes are co-funded by the relevant agencies and fund projects that focus on estate enhancement, graffiti removal, traffic calming, CCTV, health and sports facilities, and the provision of playgrounds. Earlier this year I agreed to co-fund the provision of facilities in schools located in, or mainly servicing children from, RAPID areas. Each of the 46 RAPID areas are allocated €66,000 under the playgrounds leverage scheme, €100,000 under the traffic calming measures leverage scheme and €100,000 under the Housing Estate Enhancement Leverage scheme. Differing levels of funding are allocated in each RAPID area under the Health Co-fund and Sports Capital Programme. The total allocation by my Department for each County is set out in the table below:

Total capital expenditure by my Department in all RAPID areas under the leverage schemes for each of the years 2004 to 2007 amount to 16.264m as set out in the table below:

In addition, I have provided €2m to support initiatives in RAPID areas undertaken by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to install community CCTV and remove graffiti.

Under the initial round of funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund approximately €32m was approved for projects based within RAPID areas. Following enactment of the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005, funding totalling over €19m has been ring-fenced to support priority projects in RAPID areas in 2006 and 2007.

In addition, I have provided €2m to support initiatives in RAPID areas undertaken by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to install community CCTV and remove graffiti. Under the initial round of funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund approximately €32m was approved for projects based within RAPID areas. Following enactment of the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005, funding totalling over €19m has been ring-fenced to support priority projects in RAPID areas in 2006 and 2007.

Appendix 2 — CLÁR

CLÁR

The CLÁR Programme provides funding and co-funding to Government Departments, State Agencies and Local Authorities to accelerate investment in selected priority developments. These investments support physical, economic and social infrastructure across a variety of measures. The measures introduced under the Programme reflect the priorities identified by the communities in the selected areas. A budget of approx €21.2 million has been allocated to the programme for 2008. The table below sets out the expenditure by county from 2002 to 2007 under the CLÁR programme.