Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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274. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the details of the planned changes to funding the community sector. [51958/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Budget 2014 makes provision of €102.44 million for Community and Rural Development, reflecting the Government’s commitment to the sector notwithstanding the very difficult choices which have had to be made over a number of years now to address our economic crisis. I am very aware of the great work being done in communities and the need to continue local development initiatives to the greatest extent possible. With that in mind, I have prioritised the Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) and the 2014 provision will be €47.7 million. This will allow some 14,000 people who are distanced from the labour market to receive direct one-to-one labour market training and supports. I also anticipate that in the order of €50 million will become available to carry forward into 2014 to fund LEADER projects.

There are some reductions to a number of specific budget lines within the Community vote, reflecting a range of considerations, including the scale of spending in previous years, the maturity of particular programmes, and the balance required to meet EU co-funding needs. For example, there will be reductions of between 5% and 7% to the RAPID and Supports for Community and Voluntary Sector allocations for 2014.  The Interreg programme will be reduced by 8%. The Programme for Peace and Reconciliation will have reduced current funding but its capital funding will be increased by 27%.  I am satisfied that these allocations will fully meet 2014 commitments.

In respect of the local development sector, the vision and focus underpinning the Government’s decisions is in Putting People First – Action Plan for Effective Local Government, to achieve a more joined-up approach to service delivery at local level, with responsibility for what is being done – and being spent – in the area of local and community development devolved to local level. This will be underpinned by new local governance arrangements that will seek to enhance involvement by citizens and communities in the design, implementation and targeting of services. Local Community Development Committees are being established as participative committees which will be tasked with developing a 6 year City/County Local and Community Plan for its local authority area encompassing all state-funded local and community development interventions.