Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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33. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if his Department is involved with an interdepartmental taskforce to ensure that lower income urban areas grappling with serious issues of antisocial behaviour and crime will have adequate resources from crime prevention initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30071/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not sit on any interdepartmental taskforce in relation to crime prevention initiatives to deal with antisocial behaviour and crime in lower income urban areas and has no direct involvement in crime prevention initiatives.

My Department's mission is to support viable, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. While the Department's role is not specifically related to antisocial behaviour and crime, its Community Development programmes have a role in tackling social exclusion and addressing deprivation in all communities, both urban and rural.

SICAP 2018 to 2022 has a funding allocation nationally of €38 million in 2019 and will provide some €190 million over the five year period of the Programme. SICAP supports disadvantaged communities and individuals including unemployed people, people living in deprived areas, people with disabilities, single parent families, people on a low income, members of the Traveller and Roma community and other disadvantaged groups.

There is also €4.5m in funding for the Community Enhancement Programme this year, providing funding towards grants for Community Groups across Ireland. The allocation of funding is weighted towards those communities in most need.

I have also provided ring-fenced supports for particular areas of urban deprivation including, for example, €6.5m for initiatives in Dublin's North East Inner City, an area suffering extreme deprivation.

All of these measures play a role in making our communities better places to live in.