Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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120. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to provide further supports for parish and community centres in the Dublin Bay North constituency and in the Dublin region generally; and the other supports which are now available from his Department and agencies to support local community and parish centres. [21257/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Local Government Reform Act 2014 gives legislative effect to the commitments in ‘Putting People First’, including the establishment of Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) in each local authority administrative area.  A key function of each LCDC is to prepare the community elements of a 6-year Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) and to work with partners in the implementation of the plan.  LECPs are developed as part of an integrated local, regional and national planning process.  This ensures that each Plan will be consistent with County Development Plans, Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies, and Regional Action Plans for Jobs.  The purpose of the Plan is to promote the local and community development of the relevant local authority area through a more coordinated and collaborative approach to planning and service delivery. 

My Department provides funding to support social inclusion and for social cohesion in communities. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. The Programme was rolled out in April 2015, and will run until 31 December 2017. Its aim is to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment through local engagement and partnership between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations, public sector agencies and other stakeholders. SICAP is a key intervention for the harder to reach, with delivery in each area (or Lot) overseen and managed by the relevant LCDC in each local authority area.

The SICAP funding allocation for 2017 for front-line delivery nationally is €37.5m, which includes an allocation of €3m under the European Social Fund (ESF) Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020.

Furthermore, my Department recently launched the national €2 million Communities Facilities Scheme which is under the remit of my colleague, Catherine Byrne T.D., Minister of State for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy.  The Communities Facilities Scheme is targeted at both urban and rural areas and will fund projects that seek to enhance communities, address disadvantage and improve social cohesion at a local level. The Scheme is being managed at a local level by the LCDCs in conjunction with the Municipal Districts, under the remit of the local authorities.

The Programme for a Partnership Government included a commitment to launch a recast RAPID programme and my Department is currently finalising the necessary arrangements, with the intention of launching the recast programme shortly.