Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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290. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which he envisages his Department engaging in a supportive role to communities seeking assistance nationally in the coming year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44124/19]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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293. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which his Department or bodies under his aegis are proactive in their engagement with local community groups with regard to the determination of the extent to which assistance is available or can be made available in various cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44127/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 290 and 293 together.

My Department is committed to the successful delivery of a wide range of programmes and supports to communities seeking assistance.

These schemes include large-scale investments in rural regeneration and renewal of our towns and villages, in rural development, and in community supports such as the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme and the Community Services Programme.  In 2019 these had an allocation of €43.2 million and €46.2 million respectively. For 2020 this funding is being maintained – with an additional €1.5 million being provided for use across these two programmes to fund some new organisations and to provide targeted supports for disadvantaged communities.

These targeted investments for community development will assist organisations, communities and individuals right across the country. This builds on strong existing funding – including €12.6 million for supports for the community and development sector and €12.5 million in dormant accounts funding for a range of measures.

There are also small-scale financial grants and supports available through schemes like the Community Enhancement Programme (€4.5 million in 2019), the CLÁR Programme (€5 million in 2019) and the various supports to local community and voluntary groups and social enterprises. 

€1.2 million is being provided to support the implementation of measures in the “Strategy for Community and Voluntary Sector development in Ireland”. This will include enhanced supports for the structures which drive local engagement in decision making – the Public Participation Networks and the Local Community Development Committees. A further €300,000 is being allocated to support delivery of the recently published “National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland”. 

I am delighted with the impacts these investments have had and are having in communities, however, I know that there are some groups or community organisations that may not have considered seeking funding because they do not have the experience of submitting funding applications or lack understanding of the criteria in place.

To help these groups, my Department, in conjunction with Pobal, held a series of six 'Helping Hands' events nationwide earlier this year, to make groups more aware of funding programmes, and to provide practical guidance on making applications. These events provided hints and tips on how to make a better funding application and how to identify local supports that community groups can draw upon.

I was delighted with the feedback from these events, and I have asked my officials to consider running or participating in similar events into 2020.

My Department also engaged with local community groups through a series of regional ‘Rural Opportunity' information sessions during between March and May of this year to raise awareness of the extent to which assistance is available to rural communities from across Government Departments. Staff from my Department and a number of other Departments and agencies were also on hand at the events to provide further information to attendees on the range of supports available.  

My hope is that these ongoing efforts will encourage individuals and communities to take their own ideas or projects forward to ensure that our funding and supports have the broadest possible reach.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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291. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which he expects to address the socioeconomic needs of disadvantaged urban communities nationally in the coming year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44125/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department's mission is to support viable, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland.  The Department's Community Development programmes play a key role in tackling social exclusion and addressing deprivation in all communities, both urban and rural.

The Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme(SICAP) has a funding allocation nationally of €38m in 2019 and will provide €190m over the lifetime 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 in 2019, providing funding towards grants for Community Groups across Ireland. The allocation of funding is weighted towards those communities in most need.  It is hoped to continue this programme into 2020.

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 in 2019. 

All of these measures play a role in addressing the socioeconomic needs of disadvantaged urban communities nationally.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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292. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the degree to which he expects to be in a position to address the socioeconomic needs of rural areas nationally in the coming year, including issues such as isolation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44126/19]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am satisfied that my Department delivers an effective package of supports which strengthen rural communities across the country, including dealing with the issue of isolation,  and that this will continue into the coming year. Funding priorities are reviewed and monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure our supports remain targeted at those most in need socially and economically. 

Initiatives such as the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, the Community Services Programme, LEADER Programme, the Community Enhancement Programme and other funding for community groups and social enterprises provide supports that are addressing the requirements of rural communities and areas facing disadvantage and issues of isolation.

In addition, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund will provide €1 billion over the next 10 years for rural towns and villages, while the Town Centre Living Initiative, a pilot programme aimed at testing approaches to the revitalisation of towns and villages, was launched in six towns in October 2018.

My Department also continues to develop policy that can assist with the effective targeting of future funding. We are developing a new Government rural development policy to follow on from the Action Plan for Rural Development, a cross-Government plan to support economic and social development in Ireland’s rural areas, while the Strategy for the Community and Voluntary Sector and Ireland's first National Social Enterprise Policy have both been published in recent months.