Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 423: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the local development groups of the seven urban operational areas and 38 rural operational areas that have formally revised their areas of coverage in line with Government policies; the local development groups that have to do so; the electoral divisions that remain outside the coverage of local development groups; the efforts he is making to ensure that complete nationwide coverage is achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28376/08]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I refer the Deputy to my previous responses to questions on this issue in particular Question Nos. 10 and 11 of 3rd of April 2008 and Question No. 130 of 30th April. The core objective of the cohesion process is to simplify and improve local delivery of programmes through the integration and alignment of local delivery structures and to ensure complete nationwide coverage. The realignment of local delivery structures will reduce the overall number of local development bodies from 94 to 55, comprising 17 Partnerships in urban areas and 38 integrated LEADER/Partnership bodies in rural areas.

I have arranged for details of the 55 operational areas agreed by Government to be forwarded to the Deputy. My Department and I will be happy to deal with any specific questions that the Deputy may have. In a small number of areas the redrawing of boundaries has been agreed on foot of locally agreed proposals to eliminate gaps and overlaps in areas of coverage while aligning the areas of operation of the partnerships with local authority boundaries.

The revised operational areas, which will ensure full nationwide coverage, will be in place before the roll out of the new Local Development Social Inclusion Programme. Transitional arrangements are being made for 2008 to enable the new integrated structures to extend their areas of coverage and to embed their operations.