Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 144: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the extent to which he proposes to increase expenditure and funding to the RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5809/08]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my reply to Oral Questions Nos. 17 & 54 which I answered earlier today.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he proposes to increase funding or extend the scope of the RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5810/08]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, the CLÁR Programme is a targeted investment programme for rural areas, which was launched in October 2001. The areas covered by the Programme were reviewed in 2002 and, more recently, in 2006 and as a result, CLÁR now covers parts of 23 counties with Kildare, Wexford and Dublin now being the only counties not included in the programme. CLÁR benefits a population of nearly 727,000. I have no plans at present for a further extension of the Programme. A number of new measures are under consideration by my officials at present.

With regard to expenditure, a budget of €21 million has been allocated to the programme for 2008. Under the NDP, the CLÁR sub-programme is to be allocated in the region of €141 million in the period 2007-2013 for the on-going regeneration of rural areas suffering from population decline.