66 Deputy Mary Upton asked the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs the funding provided to RAPID areas this year; his plans to increase this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39278/10]

The RAPID Programme aims to ensure that priority attention is given to tackling the spatial concentration of poverty and social exclusion within designated RAPID areas nationally. It is a matter for individual Departments to report on the provision of funding and progress on delivery with regard to projects under their responsibility in the different RAPID areas. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Pobal collects data from each RAPID area in respect of funding allocations received by projects from Government Departments and State agencies. The latest data in respect of the Programme is available on Pobal's website at http://www.pobal.ie/Funding%20Programmes/Rapid/Pages/Funding.aspx and the Deputy may find it useful to access this information.

My Department administers the RAPID Leverage Schemes, which are designed to support small-scale projects identified locally by Area Implementation Teams in each of the RAPID areas. These schemes are co-funded by relevant agencies and support projects that focus on estate enhancement, graffiti removal, traffic calming, community closed-circuit television, health and sports facilities and the provision of playgroups. The table lists the funding provided to RAPID areas by my Department in 2010 to date. Funding levels for 2011 for all Programme areas in my Department, including RAPID, are under consideration as part of the estimates preparation process.

67 Deputy Liz McManus asked the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs if all the areas awarded with RAPID status have a juvenile diversion programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39288/10]

The Garda Youth Diversion Programme is administered by the Department of Justice and Law Reform. I understand that the programme operates in, or adjacent to, 50 of the 51 RAPID areas. Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, which was newly designated as a RAPID area in 2009, is the sole exception at this time.