Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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220. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the local community development committee in each local authority territory will be accorded the role promised to it of playing a key role in decision making on EU and national funded programmes and interventions as promised in the Government’s White Paper, Putting People First, in terms of delivering the action plan for rural development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7148/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The role of Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs ) is to secure a more joined-up delivery of public-funded local development and community development programmes in both urban and rural areas. This will be achieved primarily through the community elements of the 6-year Local Economic and Community Plans prepared by each LCDC. It will also be progressed through the LCDCs’ oversight and management of public-funded local and community development programmes.

In this regard, LCDCs have assumed oversight and management responsibility for a number of programmes since 2015. This includes, for example, LEADER and the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, significant interventions that contribute to the delivery of key objectives in the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development.

The aim is to expand the LCDC’s role over time, bringing a gr eater number of interventions within the Local Economic and Community Plan framework and securing unity of purpose across those interventions. My Department continues to work towards this aim with other Government Departments and agencies through bilateral engagements, as well as through the Inter-Departmental Group on Local and Community Development.