Written answers

Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

RAPID Programme

Photo of Séamus KirkSéamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of RAPID AITs that have full time coordinators in view of the importance of this programme and the importance of their having full time coordinators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20465/13]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development) covers urban areas designated as disadvantaged by reference to a range of socio-economic criteria including the levels of early school leaving; the proportion of one parent households; the unemployment rate; the proportion of social housing; and the age dependency rate. The RAPID programme aims to ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion in RAPID areas nationally. The programme has made substantial progress in identifying the needs of disadvantaged communities and in bringing forward appropriate local projects in response to those needs.

I have provided funding for 2013 of €2 million for RAPID, which will be used to meet the Department's existing contractual commitments on RAPID projects throughout the country, mainly Sports Capital top-ups and CCTV systems, jointly funded with the Departments of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Justice and Equality respectively.

My Department is not in a position separately to meet the salary costs, for 2013, of RAPID coordinators, who are local authority employees , and information on the current number of coordinators employed by local authorities is not available to me. In 2011 and 2012 Local Authorities received funding for 50% of the salaries of 46 RAPID co-ordinators, totalling €1.58m in 2011 and €1.62m in 2012. The Local Government Fund continues to provide significant general purpose funding to local authorities to assist in meeting day-to-day operational costs. The RAPID programme like other community development programmes will now be taken forward in the context of alignment of Local Government and Local Development as part of the Local Government Reform Programme Putting People First .

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