Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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933. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding local community development; his plans to address the issues raised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1745/15]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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My Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) superseded the Local Development Social Inclusion and the Community Development Programmes in 2010. 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 until March next, pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April next.

As part of the programme of reform of local government, Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) were established in all local authorities. These Committees, comprising public-private socio-economic interests, will have responsibility for local and community development programmes on an area basis. They will develop, co-ordinate and implement a more coherent and integrated approach to local and community development than heretofore, with the aim of reducing duplication and overlap and optimising the use of available resources for the benefit of citizens and communities.

The new SICAP is one of my key priorities and targets a range of groups across communities. 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 under way.

Stage one (Expression of Interest) has been completed. Stage two (Invitation to Tender), got under way on 20th October 2014 and involved 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. The closing date for receipt of tenders under stage two was noon on 19 December 2014. The tenders received are currently being evaluated and tenderers will be informed of the outcome by mid February.

It should be noted that 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.

All groups who received LCDP funding in 2014 are being funded through LCDP interim arrangements until 31 March next, pending the outcome of the SICAP competitive process.