Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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19. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will meet with the staff in Cherry Orchard Equine Centre and see the vital work they do in the Ballyfermot Community (details supplied). [3438/15]

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My Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) superseded the Local Development Social Inclusion and the Community Development Programmes in 2010.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 2015, pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April 2015.

In accordance with the Public Spending Code, legal advice, good practice internationally and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, SICAP is subject to a public procurement process, which is currently underway. 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. Contracts for SICAP will be determined following the outcome of the procurement process.

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.

Consistent with the transitional arrangements to extend the LCDP until the roll out of SICAP in April 2015 and to ensure business continuity, interim LCDP funding will be provided to the Cherry Orchard Equine, Education and Training Centre up to end March 2015, pending the outcome of the SICAP competitive process. As Stage two of the process (Invitation to Tender) is currently underway, I am not in a position to meet with the group concerned at this time.

My Department appreciates the importance of the work of the Cherry Orchard Equine, Education and Training Centre. The issues involved are broader than just those relating to SICAP. However, it is my Department’s intention to examine the position with regard to a number of groups, including the Cherry Orchard Equine, Education and Training Centre, in the near future, and will be in contact with the group at that stage.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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20. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will report on the progress of the transfer of training and community programmes from local community development programmes to the social inclusion and community activation programme; the timeframe for communication with projects on whether or not they were successful in the new tendering process; and if he will report on any transitional funding that may be made available. [3431/15]

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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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 €281m over that period. It is being implemented on a transitional basis until March 2015, pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April 2015. All groups who received LCDP funding in 2014 are being funded through LCDP interim arrangements until 31 March 2015, pending the outcome of the SICAP competitive process.

In accordance with the Public Spending Code, legal advice, good practice internationally and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, SICAP is subject to a public procurement process, which is currently underway.  Stage one (Expression of Interest) has been completed. Stage two (Invitation to Tender), commenced on 20 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. The closing date for receipt of tenders under stage two was noon on 19 December 2014. The tenders received are currently being evaluated and it is intended that tenderers will be informed of the outcome by mid February.