Written answers
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
Local and Community Development Programme Project Funding
Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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483. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason there is a proposal to remove development funding from the non-Gaeltacht islands, that is, Inishbofin, Inishturk, Clare Island, Bere Island, Sherkin Island, Dursey Island, Whiddy Island, Long Island and Heir Island. [45116/14]
Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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500. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44900/14]
Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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518. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding funding; the steps being taken to safeguard this core funding to ensure the future of these small communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45183/14]
Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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535. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide continuity of core funding to non-Gaeltacht islands on expiry of the current local community development programme on 31 December 2014; if he will ensure the continuation of delivery of vital front-line services by the island community development companies to enable existing offices and staff on the islands engaged in addressing disadvantage, social exclusion and isolation through improving participation, representation, sustainability, equality, socioeconomic, economic infrastructure, environmental, cultural, arts heritage and administrative requirements for the islands to remain in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45338/14]
Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 483, 500, 518 and 535 together.
My Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. The current Programme officially ended at the end of 2013 having operated for four years with funding of €281 million over that period. It is being implemented on a transitional basis for 2014 with a budget of €47 million pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April 2015.
The SICAP is one of my key priorities. The Programme’s target groups are:
- Children and Families from Disadvantaged Areas;In accordance with the Public Spending Code, legal advice, good practice internationally and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of the services to clients, the Programme is subject to a public procurement process, which is currently underway.Stage one (Expression of Interest) has been completed. Stage two (Invitation to Tender), got underway on 20 October and will involve the successful applicants from Stage one being invited to apply to one or more Local Community Development Committees, in Local Authority areas, to deliver the programme. Contracts for SICAP will be determined following the outcome of the procurement process.
- Lone Parents;
- New Communities (including Refugees/Asylum Seekers);
- People living in Disadvantaged Communities;
- People with Disabilities;
- Roma;
- The Unemployed (including those not on the Live Register);
- Travellers;
- Young Unemployed People from Disadvantaged areas.
The procurement process for SICAP was open to Local Development Companies, other not-for-profit community groups, commercial firms and national organisations that can provide the services to be tendered for to deliver the new Programme.
In Stage one, joint applications were encouraged and organisations of varying sizes (for example smaller organisations working in consortia with larger organisations) were invited to submit joint applications.
A meeting was held recently between my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht in response to the issues raised regarding the continuation of funding for the Development Offices on the Islands concerned. My Department currently provides LCDP funding to five non-gaeltacht islands, Bere, Sherkin, Inis Turk, Inis Bofin and Clare Island. It was recognised that the issues relating to these, non-gaeltacht, islands in question are outside of, and separate to, SICAP. However, both Departments fully understand the importance of the community development infrastructure on these islands and will collaborate to agree a workable solution.
In the meantime, LCDP funding, for the groups concerned, will continue until the end of March 2015.
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