Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
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213. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the grants available for local community groups to apply for funding to build a bench; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9494/15]

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 and is being implemented on a transitional basis until the end of March 2015, pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) on 1 April 2015. There is no funding available under LCDP or SICAP for the provision of benches. However, my Department has funded benches and other village enhancement infrastructure under the LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013. Funding under that Programme however, is now fully committed but I expect that the LEADER element of the successor 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme will commence during 2015 and there will be potential under that Programme to fund such facilities if identified as a priority in the Local Development Strategy for the area concerned.