Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 38: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if there will be funding towards LIS schemes in the CLÁR area in 2008; if so, when he will announce same; his views on whether to carry out a proper structuring job on such lanes would take some time to prepare them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18847/08]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To date, €2.8m. has been spent under the CLÁR LIS measure in 2008 with some €250,000 remaining to be claimed.

Regarding any further LIS measure I fully recognise that it takes time to select roads under this scheme and that it would be preferable to afford Local Authorities the opportunity to do work during the Summer months. These issues will be taken into account in any further Clár LIS measure proposed in the future.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if there is an aspect of funding under the RAPID or CLÁR programmes that will permit organisations running summer camps to draw down in order that such organisations can provide places for children of families of social welfare recipients or families on low incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18831/08]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The RAPID Programme aims to ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion within 46 designated RAPID areas nationally. While the leverage schemes, introduced by me in 2004, support small-scale capital projects identified by the Area Implementation Teams in each of the RAPID areas, summer camps are not eligible for funding given the capital nature of the funds provided.

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 Programme supports capital projects only and so does not provide funding for summer camps.

However, I should mention the Dormant Accounts Fund disbursements which are designed to assist three broad categories of persons — those who are socially or economically disadvantaged; those who are educationally disadvantaged; and persons with a disability. Following the enactment of the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005, funding was ring-fenced to support priority projects in RAPID areas.

With respect to 2007, the first year of adoption of this approach, 15% of funds or €1.1 million has been ring fenced for sport and youth related activities, including summer camps, in RAPID areas. Some €2.0 million of the Dormant Accounts was allocated under the 2006 and 2007 rounds of funding for equipment grants for youth groups with a particular focus on disadvantaged and marginal groups.

Additionally, in March of this year, the Government approved up to €1.5 million in seed funding to support interagency initiatives delivering recreation services for children and young people.