Drugs schemes and deprived areas get extra funds

FUNDING for drugs programmes and disadvantaged communities is to rise significantly next year as the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs budget rises by 19% to €330 million.

The rise in the department's estimates includes an increase of 33% in capital spending on the Government's much-criticised RAPID programme. The programme, which aims to tackle deprived areas that have missed out on Ireland's increasing prosperity, gets an additional €1.5m, bringing total funding for next year to €7.3m.

Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Eamon Ó Cuiv said the huge increase in RAPID funding was not a "post election wake-up" for the Government. Mr Ó Cuiv said that after years of being unhappy with the RAPID programme he was now confident the necessary "spadework" had been done to improve the programme.

"What we're trying to bring to RAPID is a much better systemisation of the resolution of the problems. There is massive money going into areas of deprivation but I think the big call on the ground when you look at the plans is that a lot of the things the communities want - quite modest things - never get done," he said.

Nevertheless, Mr Ó Cuiv said he was confident yesterday's increases would see disadvantaged areas experience real but incremental improvements.

"If the money is carefully spent I think it will make incremental differences. Incrementally year after year it will make a difference.

"We must obviously put in major resources but we must also make sure that those resources are targeted where the people want them targeted and where they will have the maximum impact," he said.

Other community funding such as that on community and voluntary service and local development is also being upped by 8%.

In addition, funding for drugs programmes has been increased by 18% - a clear indication that, along with social depravation, the drugs issue has become one of priority for the Government. Mr Ó Cuiv said the Government had acknowledged that more money was needed.

"There's a situation where we made a very conscious decision that the current funding in drugs needed to be augmented quite considerably," he said.

Most other areas covered by the department also saw increases in the Estimates, including 22% more for the islands and 7% more for Údarás na Gaeltachta.

The Rural Social Scheme also gets €12m for the first time next year to provide 2,500 job opportunities for persons eligible for the Farm Assist Scheme. However, Fine Gael community affairs spokesman Dinny McGinley said the Estimates did nothing more than reverse cuts.

"Unfortunately, these figures do little more than make up for lost ground.

"Mr Ó Cuiv is merely chopping and changing the level of funding from year to year.

"The reality is that the vast investment - which is needed in disadvantaged communities throughout Ireland - is not being delivered by this government," added Mr McGinley.