Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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29. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the funds in place for county councils for the development of community centres and other social facilities in growing towns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25029/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The importance of creating sustainable communities is recognised in the National Planning Policy Statement published in 2015. In addition, national-level policy approaches in relation to residential densities in urban areas are set out in my Department’s Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas. These place a heavy emphasis on the importance of provision of public infrastructure, such as public transport, community and sports facilities.

Furthermore, progression of the forthcoming National Planning Framework, to be titled "Ireland 2040: Our Plan", will further clarify and enhance urban development policy in this area, including in relation to identifying the potential to sustainably build up the economic vitality, population levels and supporting social and physical infrastructure of town centre and inner urban areas.  These areas have, in many cases, witnessed a sustained movement of people outwards to suburban and wider settings.

In terms of funded programmes, 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 Local Community Development Committee (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 which will provide €2 million this year, in capital funding, for projects in disadvantaged urban areas and provincial towns.  My Colleague, Damien English, T.D., Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, intends launching the recast programme shortly.