Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 823: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the cost of the RAPID programme in each year since its inception; the extent to which the various activities under the programme are expected to be affected by budgetary cutbacks on a county and regional basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34565/09]

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 51 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, the progress on delivery with respect to projects under their responsibility in the RAPID areas and associated costs involved in support and delivery of the Programme.

My Department, supported by Pobal, co-ordinates the implementation of the RAPID Programme and funds the cost of this support.

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.

The following table shows the expenditure under these headings since 2004.

* estimated 2009 outturn.

My Department continues to fund the co-ordination of the Programme and to process claims lodged under the different Leverage Schemes under the 2009 voted allocation.

In effect although funding for some programmes operated by my Department has been reduced, I still expect that a sufficient spend will be made in order to ensure continued positive impact across RAPID areas.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 825: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the extent of the effect of budgetary cutbacks on the CLÁR programme on a county and regional basis here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34567/09]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The CLÁR Programme continues to provide valuable support for infrastructural investment in disadvantaged rural areas. Under the Programme, expenditure of €15.86m has been provided for in 2009 and as a result, a high number of projects will continue to be implemented throughout the country.

CLÁR is demand driven and is operated as a single national Programme for areas that have suffered significant depopulation, rather than by way of allocations on a county or regional basis. Accordingly, expenditure will always vary year-on-year under the Programme between counties and regions, depending on the projects identified by those Government Departments/Agencies and Local Authorities with which the CLÁR Programme co-funds.