John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

724. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if a process to reintroduce and integrate a RAPID type programme to support the most disadvantaged communities will be established further to his recent comments in Dáil Éireann. [29816/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department's Community Enhancement Programme provides funding to community groups to enhance facilities in their areas. The programme does not ring-fence funding for specific locations, as was the case with RAPID. Instead funding is allocated to each local authority area, taking into account the relative deprivation levels. Local community development committees, LCDCs, administer the programme locally to ensure that funding is provided to groups and areas that need it most in order to address disadvantage.

The LCDCs monitor the programme closely using local knowledge to ensure that funding is benefitting communities in the fairest way possible. The programme has been widely welcomed with over 3,000 projects approved for funding across the country in 2018. There are currently no plans to reintroduce a RAPID type programme.