Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 October 2025
129. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the progress which has been made to establish a rural communities initiative, similar to the previous RAPID Thriving Communities Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55998/25]
View answerRAPID stands for Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development. It was a focused initiative by the Government to target the 25 most concentrated areas of disadvantage in the country. The original RAPID programme ran from 2001 and closed to new applications in 2011.
In line with the current Programme for Government commitment, I was delighted to announce funding for the introduction of a “RAPID-style” scheme in the budget for 2026. My Department is now examining the potential formulation of this new initiative. Considerations that will inform the development of the new RAPID scheme will include, but are not limited to, the changed demographic and socio economic landscape since the previous programme, potential geographical areas to be considered for targeted support and the levels of funding already available through other schemes in my department. I hope to be able to launch the scheme in the first half of next year.
