John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of the membership of the Inter-Departmental Group on Local and Community Development established under Putting People First, the Action Programme for Effective Government; its terms of reference, role and remit; the proposed timescale for the production of its report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5579/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Final Report of the Local Government/Local Development Steering Group recommended that an Inter-Departmental Group should be established to lead and oversee the implementation of a coherent whole-of-government approach to planning, management and delivery of local and community development interventions and programmes. The Inter-Departmental Group will be small and task-focused and comprise those Government Departments (and State Agencies) with a direct local and community development programme involvement.

My Department has had on-going engagement with the key Departments in recent months around the alignment recommendations. I expect the membership of the Group to be confirmed in the coming weeks and the first meeting to be convened shortly thereafter.

The Inter-Departmental Group will be responsible for supporting the development of a national Local and Community Development Policy; the development of capacity in both the local government and local development sectors; leading and overseeing the development of common impact measurement and an assessment framework for local and community programming; considering a shared approach to the administration of local and community programmes and actions; and advising on alignment issues.