Gaeltacht area concerned with Bord Snip proposals

Gaeltacht areas concerned with Bord Snip proposals


Anton McNulty

THE implementation of An Bord Snip recommendations will have grave consequences for rural and Gaeltacht areas according to a local development company.
The McCarthy report which was published earlier this month recommended the abolition of the Department of Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs and the transfer of the Údarás na Gaeltachta enterprise development function under the aegis of Enterprise Ireland. It also recommended the abolition of the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme and the Rural Transport Scheme.
These proposals were criticised by Terence Dever, the CEO of Comhlacht Forbartha Áitiúil Acla, the Achill local development company who said they were ‘gravely concerned with the sweeping recommendations of An Bord Snip Nua and their implications for the parish of Achill’.
“The implications of the recommendations across Education, Social Welfare, Health, Agriculture, Justice and so forth are far reaching and will severely impact communities such as Achill. An example of the potential impact of these cuts could be the withdrawal of the LDSIP (Local Development Social Inclusion Programme), which has been cut twice in the past six months. Over the last ten years CFAA has administered 150 direct grants but also negotiated and assisted in securing substantial funding for other groups and individuals in the Achill community.
“Another recommendation of An Bord Snip Nua is the abolition of the Rural Transport Programme, know locally as Bus Acla. Achill Rural Transport users make 9,900 journeys annually at a cost of €32,000 to the Department of Transport. With an aged population requiring access to essential services, Bus Acla plays a pivotal role in community life,” he said.
He also called for the retention of Minister Ó Cuiv’s department.