The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today (3rd August 2022) announced funding of almost €6 million to develop 200 outdoor adventure projects across Rural Ireland.
The investment, under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS), will be key to enhancing our outdoor amenities such as our walkways, cycleways, rivers, lakes and beaches.
It will also provide a major boost to local economies by attracting visitors and furthering our reputation as a destination for adventure tourism.
As part of today’s announcement, almost €4.3 million will be used to improve some 163 outdoor amenities across the country. Each project will receive up to €30,000 to support their enhancement.
Furthermore, funding will also be invested in 37 outdoor projects that are currently at the early stage of development. These projects are to receive funding of up to €50,000.
Funding for larger scale projects under Measures 2 and 3 of the scheme will be announced by Minister Humphreys in the coming weeks.
Successful applications made to Sligo LEADER Partnership Company include:
Announcing the funding, Minister Humphreys said:
“We’re at the height of the Summer and whatever the weather I know families are getting out and enjoying Ireland’s great outdoors. The funding I’m announcing today will support the further development of our greenways, blueways and hiking trails making them even more enjoyable places for families to visit. Every county will benefit from today’s announcement so if you’re a walker, a swimmer, a cyclist or even a fisherman – check out the list to see what’s happening in your county. Getting active in the fresh air outdoors can be a tonic for the body and soul and this was brought home to us all during the pandemic. Some of these amenities are often hidden gems on our doorsteps so I’m encouraging people to get out and discover them over the rest of the Summer.”
Minister Humphreys continued:
“Over the last number of years my Department has provided unprecedented investment in our outdoor amenities, underpinned by our most ambitious rural development policy in decades – ‘Our Rural Future’. Outdoor recreation tourism is a growing sector internationally, and has the potential to have major economic spin-off benefits for our rural towns and villages. My Department is at an advanced stage of developing the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy which will underpin this investment and give it a platform for further growth.”
Details of Measure 1 projects and Project Development Measures announced today are available here .
LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES CALLING FOR €19 MILLION PER YEAR INCREASE IN LEADER FUNDING AND RESTORATION OF SOCIAL INCLUSION SPENDING TO PRE-CRASH LEVELS
The country’s 49 Local Development Companies (LDCs) are calling for an extra €19 million per year for the rural development programme, LEADER, and the restoration of social inclusion spending under the SICAP programme to pre-financial crash levels. The calls were made in the Budget 2023 submission to Government by the Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) which is the representative body for the 49 LDCs around the country.
Sligo LEADER Partnership is a member of the ILDN. CEO of Sligo LEADER Partnership John Feerick said, “We fully support the call for additional investment in the SICAP Programme which has demonstrated this year more than ever how Local Development Companies can react to a real-life situation. The staff of Sligo LEADER have been to the forefront of supports in the Ukrainian Crisis. The LEADER Programme is also very important to the rural areas we support, and we fully endorse the call for additional funding. Our Tús/CE/RSS Programmes are also very valuable to the local community groups and organisations, and we would strongly support a continued review of these programmes.”
ILDN Chairperson, Jim Finn, explained that SICAP funding is now at approximately half the level it was at in 2008 even though the programme has recently won a UN Public Service Award.
“The purpose of SICAP is to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion through community development, pre-employment and social enterprise supports. Even though the programme’s target groups are experiencing intense food and fuel poverty – due to rapidly rising prices – and finding great difficulty in securing affordable homes, the current budget level for the programme is approximately half of the €85 million level in 2008.
“The budget for SICAP needs to reflect a sense of real urgency in addressing the various crises affecting those excluded from the mainstream and that is why we want to see Budget 2023 take the first significant step towards restoring the SICAP budget to pre-crash levels.”
Jim Finn said that budget for the EU LEADER programme – which supports local development in rural areas – has fallen from €55 million per year to €36 million per year for the period 2023 to 2027.
“This represents a significant shortfall on the average budget over the previous LEADER programme. This reduced income for the programme will lead to reduced funding for community infrastructure and enterprise development in rural areas – at a time of severe pressure on the rural economy due to the impact of fuel inflation – and will lead to staff lay-offs by Local Development Companies too.
“In order to mitigate the undoubted and significant impact on rural communities, ILDN is calling for a restoration of funding to the previous €55 million per year or the introduction of a National Rural Development Programme along the lines previously implemented to address shortfalls in LEADER allocations,” Jim Finn concluded.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, joined Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities, Joe O’Brien TD, today (Tuesday 12th July)to launch the ‘Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) Annual Report 2021’ at the Mansion House in Dublin.
SICAP is co-funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the European Social Fund.
It currently employs approximately 600 community workers across Ireland working to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion and equality through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies. The Programme was recently awarded the prestigious UN Award for Public Service during Covid. A ‘Learning Brief’ which examines the different experiences of men and women who have been supported by the programme was also launched today.
The SICAP 2021 Annual Report highlights the vital importance of the Programme in addressing inequality and improving outcomes for the most disadvantaged groups and individuals in the country. In 2021, 2,646 Local Community Groups and 26,483 individuals were supported by the programme. The report also acknowledges the role of the Local Development Companies (LDCs) and Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) who deliver the Programme at County and local area level.
Speaking at today’s launch, Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy said:
“I am delighted today to welcome colleagues and friends from Dublin’s community and local development sector who partner with Dublin City Council in delivering the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP). It’s success is attributable to the hard work and commitment of all delivery partners working at local and central government and especially to the programme participants themselves. “We are busy in July expanding SICAP actions across Dublin to include dedicated service responses to meet the needs of recently arrived Ukrainian refugees. “This effort supports our wider Community Forum response in helping meet presenting and urgent needs. “I want to thank our Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and its staff team for the ongoing and important work overseeing all aspects of SICAP in Dublin and ensuring it has gone from strength to strength since it’s inception in 2018. “SICAP is a proven success for Dublin. Going forward I support an enhanced resource commitment across all aspects of its delivery so that it success is maintained as SICAP continues to adapt and meet the needs of households.”
Launching the report, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD said:
“I am delighted to launch the SICAP Annual Report here in the Mansion House today. This report clearly shows the importance of the Programme in addressing inequality and improving outcomes for the most disadvantaged groups and individuals in the country.” “I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Minister O’Brien and his Department on winning the prestigious 2022 UN Public Service Award for the social inclusion programme. “This international award is a wonderful acknowledgement of the immense work of the programme, particularly over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We cannot underestimate the importance of this programme and its impact in communities
around the country.”
Minister O’Brien said:
“I am very pleased to have Minister McGrath join me today to help raise awareness of the important work of SICAP. “This programme is the State’s primary social inclusion tool and in addition to working daily to target poverty and disadvantage, the programme workers were also hugely responsive to both the Covid crisis and more recently the Ukrainian crisis.” “Minister McGrath’s presence here today is testament to this programme’s importance in overall Government policy and I am delighted that last year’s Budget provided significant additional funding to SICAP in recognition of that important role it plays in communities across Ireland.”
The Governments Social Inclusion Progress Report was researched, written and produced by Pobal who administer the Programme on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Pobal’s CEO, Ms Anna Shakespeare, said:
“Pobal is very pleased to work with and on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), Local Development Companies (LDCs) and other stakeholders towards a common aim of reducing disadvantage, poverty and promoting greater social inclusion and equality” “I very much welcome the launch of a ‘Learning Brief’ produced by Pobal which is the first detailed gender analysis of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP). “It analyses and compares the different experiences of men and women, who have engaged with the Programme. It is important to understand these differences, what drives them and to examine what can be done to address the existing barriers”
The SICAP 2021 Annual Report can be downloaded here
The ‘Learn Brief’ can be downloaded here
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