Ó An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
I would like to thank you all for attending here today. This is one of a number of briefings across Government on Budget 2020 – and I appreciate your interest in this important area.
The Department is just over 2 years old – and in that time we have made huge progress and there has been a very significant increase in the level of funding dedicated to rural and community development.
Over the last two years we have published a number of strategies and policies – developed by working with organisations and people on the ground. These include a Libraries Strategy; a National Social Enterprise Policy; and Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities - the five year strategy to support the Community and Voluntary sector in Ireland.
The Department is also in the process of developing a new Rural Development Policy for Ireland. This will cover the period 2020 to 2025 and will build on the success of the Action Plan for Rural Development. A new “National Volunteering Strategy” is also being developed – again in close consultation with the sector.
With regard to funding for my Department, Budget 2020 has increased our total allocation from €291 million in 2019 to €308 million in 2020 – an increase of €17 million, or 6%.
Budget 2020 has increased capital funding for my Department by €12 million, from €138 million to €150 million. This capital funding will allow me to continue delivering the full range of capital investment programmes operated by my Department.
These include the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund; the Town and Village Renewal Scheme; the Outdoor Rural Recreation Scheme; the Local Improvements Scheme; the CLÁR programme; the Libraries Development Programme and the Community Enhancement Programme. These programmes are delivering on the ground and are making a real difference for our communities right across the country.
In terms of how I plan to use the increased funding for capital investment – I am pleased that the LEADER programme has seen a big ramp up in demand. This programme supports community led local development in Ireland. It supports projects across a diverse range of themes including; rural tourism; enterprise development; access to broadband, and environmental projects. At this stage almost 2,500 projects to the value of over €90 million are approved right across the country, with many more projects going through the approval process. I am therefore increasing the allocation for the LEADER programme from €30 million to €40 million for 2020.
I also plan to provide an additional €1 million for capital investment in our libraries development programme. The funding will be used for increased investment in new digital technologies in libraries and to support further roll out of the My Open Libraries scheme.
Moving to the current funding for my Department, this has increased by €5 million, from €153 million to €158 million. The current funding for my Department is particularly important for the community development area. It is used to fund the Community Services Programme; the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme; and Supports for the Community and Voluntary sector. Together these programmes provide €100 million in support for organisations and individuals most in need throughout the country.
The Community Services Programme supports community-based organisations delivering vital services through a social enterprise model and creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups. The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) provides supports for individuals and community groups to help them overcome poverty and social disadvantage.
I am using €1.5 million of the additional current funding to fund new organisations under these schemes and to provide targeted supports for disadvantaged communities.
The Community Services Programme provides ongoing support to over 400 community organisations. It currently supports over 300 manager positions and around 1,650 full time positions. The additional funding will be used to expand the programme, which is a vital resource for the community sector
SICAP works to support the most marginalised in society through both supporting community groups, and through one-to-one interventions with disadvantaged individuals. Funding is also channelled to a number of organisations who deliver local development supports.
This year, SICAP is projected to assist over 2,200 Local Community Groups and over 27,000 individuals on a one-to-one basis. The funding next year will provide an increased annual allocation to every part of the country where SICAP is being provided.
This will enable an increase in the number of individuals and groups that are supported; and will make a real difference in our most vulnerable communities.
I also plan to use €1.2 million of the additional current funding to commence the implementation of actions in “Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities - the five year strategy to support the Community and Voluntary sector in Ireland”, which I launched in August of this year. This funding will allow progress on a number of actions. In particular it will provide increased support for local delivery structures, which Minister Canney will discuss in a moment.
I am also providing an additional €300,000 to support delivery of the new Social Enterprise Policy. We already have a capital fund of €2 million for social enterprise, funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund. This current money will allow us to deliver actions in the policy around training and development in the sector, and promoting and raising awareness of social enterprise. This allocation will also be used to support the development of the new Rural Development Policy for Ireland.
Finally, and of real importance in the context of Brexit, I am providing an additional €2 million for the PEACE programme. The total allocation for this programme will therefore increase from €5 million to €7 million. It aims to improve cross-community relations and integrate divided communities in the North and in the Border region. The Peace Programme has made great strides in supporting peace and reconciliation. This success must be maintained, especially given the potential negative impacts of Brexit.
The work of my Department is more important than it has ever been. It is supporting the social and economic development of rural Ireland and helping to build resilience in communities in the face of challenges such as Brexit and climate change. The funding provided in Budget 2020 ensures we can continue to support communities right across the country.
I hope this has given you an overview of how I plan to use the funds made available to my Department in the Budget. I will now hand over to Minister of State Sean Canney to say a few words on his areas of responsibility.