Written answers

Wednesday, 4 March 2009

Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

Departmental Programmes

9:00 pm

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the amount of funding drawn down in regard to the RAPID areas for an area (details supplied); the number of projects funded for each year since the commencement of the programme; the number of projects awaiting funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8960/09]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon 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. 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. 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 — and the Deputy may find it useful to access this information.

I initiated the RAPID 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, community closed-circuit television, health and sports facilities, and the provision of playgrounds and multi-use games areas. In 2007 I agreed to co-fund the provision of facilities in schools located in, or mainly servicing children from, RAPID areas.

I can confirm that since the start of the RAPID Leverage Scheme in 2004, 30 projects in this RAPID area attracted €807,874 in funding. So far, €503,588 has been drawn down. The remainder, €304,286 will be provided to individual projects as they are completed, subject to submission of a valid claim. Table 1 below gives a breakdown of projects by year.

Table 1: Number of RAPID Leverage Scheme projects by year
YearNumber of Projects
20045
200510
20063
20076
20086
Total30

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