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COMMITTEE FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT Preparation for the
Annex A5 COMMITTEE for AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE LETTER SEEKING SUBMISSION TO: 13 March 2001 I wish to inform you that the Committee agreed, during its meeting held on Friday 9 March 2001, to undertake an Inquiry into the Department’s preparation for the next phase of its Rural Development Programme. The Inquiry relates to the recent findings and recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee and Terms of Reference adopted by the Committee are attached. This decision coincides with your request, in your letter to me of 13 March, for the Committee’s views on the draft Rural Development Programme Strategy 2001-2006. I believe this consideration and the Inquiry will complement each other, and that through both, the Committee’s views may indeed be taken into account as the Strategy is implemented. I understand that you wish to reduce delays in implementing the new Programme and members agreed (at their meeting on 16 March) that they would discuss the content of the Strategy at their 30 March meeting. In order to give the matter their fullest consideration, members agreed to seek the attendance of relevant officials at that meeting and I would be grateful if you could arrange this. The exact timing of the session can be discussed between the Clerk and your officials. Members agreed that the early meeting would also offer the opportunity to address some of the issues for the Inquiry and resolved that the session should form part of the Inquiry. It will therefore be recorded by Hansard in the usual way. There is not, of course, sufficient time for officials to address all of the issues, which the Committee wishes to cover in the Inquiry, by 30 March and the closing date for submissions is 4 May. Members have agreed that the main Inquiry evidence session involving the Department should take place on Friday 25 May, a date on which you had already agreed to set aside time to meet with the Committee, and I would wish to proceed on that basis. A number of organisations, including the Rural Development Council, the Rural Community Network and the two main farmers’ representative bodies are being asked to make submissions to the Inquiry. Other interested parties may also make submissions and a public notice and press release will issue later this week inviting them to do so. Your general response to the issues raised by the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference will be valuable. There are, however, a number of specific points on which I would seek your views. Participation in the Strategy by under-represented Groups The Department’s response to PAC conclusion 4.5 states the Department’s intention to encourage participation of the under-represented groups in the new programme. It specifically mentions the LEADER + Programme in this regard. The Committee, when it considered the LEADER + Programme on 6 October, welcomed the intention to include various groups, but asked that you consider what DARD might do to assist groups, including the farming community, to bring forward their proposals under the programme. I would be grateful, therefore, for an explanation of precisely how participation is to be encouraged in each of the component parts of the new strategy. This would include a definition of "participation" i.e. are such groups or people eligible to apply directly as, for example, partnerships under the LEADER + and the Natural Resource Rural Tourism Initiative, or indirectly, as applicants to those partnerships? What help will be given to these groups to bring forward proposals, and to implement them? How will DARD assess whether the groups are participating or not? Has the Department set any targets for participation, or will it set targets for partnerships selected to deliver parts of the programme? Are the selection criteria for each component programme yet established, and if so, do they incorporate any weighting for the inclusion of under-represented groups? Appraisal of projects in the new strategy The Committee’s interest in this regard stems from PAC conclusions 4.6 – 4.12 and 4.15. These conclusions cover the appraisal requirements, including the need for marketing and management needs to be taken into account during appraisal, and the requirement for an operating manual. Given DARD’s acceptance of most of these recommendations and the fact that DARD is now embarking on a new programme, the Committee now seeks evidence that the procedures, for each component part of the programme, include the proper level of appraisal and that an operating manual has been produced for each. Can you explain the definition of "larger projects" referred to in the response to PAC conclusion 4.6? An explanation of precisely how marketing and management considerations will be taken into account during appraisal is also sought. Of particular interest to the Committee will be DARD’s proposals to use consultants in the appraisal process, particularly in light of the DARD and DFP responses to PAC conclusion 4.12. The Committee seeks evidence that DARD has, in each of the component parts of the programme, established procedures for employing and managing consultants during the project appraisal stage, and that standards will be applied to their work. Where DARD selects partnerships to deliver aspects of the programme, will it prescribe the requirements for use of consultants by these partnerships and how does DARD propose to monitor this use? DARD’s response to PAC conclusion 4.9 contends that arrangements are in place to ensure that new and existing DARD staff receive appropriate training in appraisal. Can you provide details of the involvement of DARD staff in appraisal (for each of the component parts of the programme) and link this to the training they receive? Can you provide details of recent training provided to staff? Can you comment on the involvement in appraisal, and training, of staff who will be employed by partnerships that will deliver parts of the programme? Rationalising Programme Structures The PAC conclusion 4.23 referred to the Accounting Officer’s comments about rationalising programme structures. Can you comment on how this has been achieved in practice, given the large number of component parts of the new programme? Can you comment on the exclusivity of each part of the programme with regard to the other parts e.g. could a project be eligible for funding under more than one scheme? If so how will the promoter assess which scheme to apply to? Will any of the component schemes be ‘competing’ for projects with programmes administered by other Departments or agencies? If so, will promoters have to satisfy two, or more, different funders’ requirements? How will administrative costs be shared between agencies in such a scenario? Resources In following up the PAC conclusions, the Committee wishes to assess the resources which are to be allocated by DARD. Have you assessed the financial and human resource requirements of implementing the new Rural Development Programme? If you have, how do these compare to the resources used in the last programme and those currently available to DARD? If there are shortcomings in resource availability what effect will these have on the programme’s implementation if they are not addressed? Can you describe how DARD will assign its people to deal with each component part of the programme and confirm whether or not any changes are to be made from the arrangements in place for the previous programme? Does there remain a resource requirement in finalising the previous phase of the Rural Development Programme? If so, how will this impinge in the implementation of the new programme? In order to plan and prepare for the Committee’s oral evidence sessions for this Inquiry, it would be most helpful to have the DARD submission before 4 May, which is the closing date for written submissions. Yours sincerely, IAN R K PAISLEY Annex A6 COMMITTEE for AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT WRITTEN SUBMISSION BY: 3 May 2001 In your letter dated 13 March 2001 you invited a submission from my Department. Officials attended the Committee meeting on the Rural Development Programme Strategy 2001 to 2006 on 30 March 2001 and have provided additional information in a letter dated 3 April 2001. I also wrote to you on 24 April in response to your letter dated 6 April 2001. I now enclose our formal submission to your Committee. As well as addressing the specific points raised in your letter of 13 March 2001 it sets the Rural Development Programme and the reports of the NIAO and PAC in context and gives a brief overview of the 2001 to 2006 programme. Due to delays in getting the Structural Funds programmes agreed with the Commission we are not as far ahead with settling the detailed implementation arrangements as we would wish and consequently we are not in a position to give definitive answers on all of the points the Committee has raised. Nevertheless the submission attempts to be as fulsome as possible. Officials are available to provide clarification if the Committee considers it necessary and I look forward to contributing as appropriate to the Committee’s considerations when we meet as scheduled on Friday, 25 May 2001. BRÍD RODGERS CONTENTS 1. Summary of Submission 2. Background to the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 3. NIAO Review of the Rural Development Programme 4. PAC Report on the Rural Development Programme 5. The development of the 2001 to 2006 Rural Development Programme – the consultation process 6. Rural Development Programme 2001 to 2006 Specific areas to be considered by the Committee 7. Participation in the strategy by under-represented groups 8. Appraisal of projects in the new strategy 9. Rationalising programme structures 10. Resources (financial, people and other) to be assigned to the strategy Appendix Outline of the Participation of Women in the Rural Development Programme 1. SUMMARY Context 1.1 At the time of its inception the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme was an innovative approach to rural regeneration, which sought to ameliorate the adverse impact of market failure particularly in the most disadvantaged areas of the Province. It was unique in its genuine engagement of local people in the regeneration process. 1.2 The 1994 to 1999 programme has been acknowledged as an important vehicle in the drive towards the economic and social revitalisation of deprived rural areas. Many lessons have been learned through the administration of the programme and some of these have been highlighted in the recent NIAO report. 2001 to 2006 Programme 1.3 The 2001 to 2006 Rural Development Programme will build on the past successes. The aim is to create a flexible framework that can provide a broad range of opportunities for rural people to contribute to the regeneration of their areas. 1.4 There are five main components of the programme:
1.5 The Programme is being part financed through a number of EU Structural Funds programmes, specifically:
1.6 The LEADER + and INTERREG Community initiatives are still being negotiated with the Commission. The Programme Complements for the Building Sustainable Development and PEACE II programmes are being prepared. As a consequence the implementation arrangements for the Rural Development Programme have not been finalised and procedures are still in the process of being developed. Points highlighted by the Committee 1.7 Given the current stage in setting up the Programme it is not possible to give a definitive response to all the issues raised by the Committee. Against that background this submission attempts to explain the current state of thinking in relation to the four areas of particular interest: Participation by under represented groups – It is the Department’s intention to encourage the participation of the farming community, women, young persons and the long-term unemployed in the programme at all levels. A range of approaches will be adopted to encourage wide ranging participation including publicity, making such groups a priority under LEADER + and specifically targeted sectoral programmes. Project appraisal – The Department will continue with its current policy of requiring economic appraisals to be undertaken for all projects seeking funding of more than £1000. This requirement will be included in the procedures manual, which is currently being prepared. Specific training will be made available to all Department staff, and to the staff of agents delivering the programme on the Department’s behalf, who are involved in the appraisal process. Where consultants are used to prepare the appraisal they will be appointed and monitored by the funders, rather than the project promoter. Rationalisation of programme structures – The Department has had to take account of EU requirements and separate funding lines in developing the different elements of the programme. This increases its complexity. However, the number of partnership groups will be significantly reduced. A users guide to the programme will set out the roles of the key delivery agents. Resources – In terms of staff numbers, the Rural Development Programme is relatively small and its administration costs amount to less than 2% of the Department’s running costs budget. Increased staff numbers will be required over the next two years to close the 1994 to 1999 programme and start up the 2001 to 2006 programme. This work is ongoing. 2. BACKGROUND TO THE NORTHERN IRELAND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2.1 In the 1980s, a range of Government schemes existed to support the development process in the rural areas of Northern Ireland. However, most of these schemes were focused on individual sectors of the economy and there was little or no co-ordination between them. Furthermore, the schemes were not designed to meet specifically rural needs. 2.2 In the late 1980s, work in both Northern Ireland and the European Community (as it was then called) highlighted the problems facing rural areas. ‘The Future of Rural Society’, a report published by the European Commission in 1988, accurately anticipated the pressures which traditional agriculture would face from CAP reform, the GATT negotiations and the introduction of the Single Market. It concluded that special action would be needed right across the European Union to tackle the particular problems faced by rural areas. 2.3 In Northern Ireland, a Rural Action Project, which had been supported through the European Anti-Poverty Programme, drew similar conclusions in its report, entitled ‘Rural Development – a challenge for the 1990s’ which was published in 1989. It also recommended:
2.4 The debate sparked by ‘The Future of Rural Society’ and the work of the Rural Action Project led the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to establish the Interdepartmental Committee on Rural Development in 1990. The Committee’s task was to advise the Government of "the best way of carrying forward action to tackle the social and economic problems of the most deprived rural areas of Northern Ireland." 2.5 The findings and recommendations of the Inter-Departmental Committee formed the foundations upon which the current Rural Development Programme was established in 1991. The main elements of the Programme were:
2.6 The key characteristics of the Programme were:
2.7 The three organisations which have played the biggest role in the Rural Development Programme since its establishment have been the Rural Development Division of the Department of Agriculture, the Rural Development Council and the Rural Community Network. Each has its own role in the process.
2.8 Although there has been considerable change in the rural development policy environment since 1991, the basic foundations of the Rural Development Programme – in the shape of the main elements, key characteristics and division of roles described above – have remained constant throughout its early years. 2.9 Another key point which has remained constant is the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s vision of the role of rural development in Northern Ireland’s rural areas. The Rural Development Programme has never been seen as competing with, diminishing or replacing the important role which agriculture plays in the economy, environment and society of Northern Ireland’s rural areas. Neither can it replace the work of the other public and private service providers who operate in rural areas. 2.10 Rural development has offered additional economic, environmental and social opportunities where agriculture is unable to meet all of those needs and helps to fill the gaps which other service providers cannot meet. 2.11 In the first phase of the Programme, between 1991 and 1993, Government funding for projects was supplemented by the International Fund for Ireland and the EU LEADER I and INTERREG I Programmes. These programmes combined to create a flexible funding base. 2.12 In total, 22 projects were supported during this phase. Two examples of these ‘Phase 1’ projects and the impact which they have had are:
In total, these rural development projects represent an investment of over £1.5 million into the area, resulting in the creation of 37 jobs and a community business turning over in excess of £340,000 per year. The projects listed above enjoy strong local support as well as attracting considerable inward tourism into the area. 2.13 The current phase of the Programme covers the period between 1994 and 1999. Funding has been provided by the Department of Agriculture, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development Sub-Programme of the Northern Ireland Single Programme and the EU LEADER II, INTERREG II and PESCA Initiatives. 2.14 Each of the elements has an important and logical relationship with the others.
2.15 The 1994 to 1999 Rural Development Programme has started to put in place a clear infrastructure, both within the public sector and among rural communities, to support the development of Northern Ireland’s rural areas, but the work which the Programme has started has not been completed. Each of the elements of the Programme has brought benefit to the rural areas, but each also offers lessons on how future rural development activities might be better designed and delivered. 2.16 Rural Community Development has contributed greatly to the increase in community activity in rural areas. It has also been central in developing the capabilities of rural people (and therefore community based organisations) to become involved in the development and management of regeneration programmes, strategies and projects. However, the community development process has not brought along all rural dwellers. Some groups in the rural population such as women, small farmers, the young and the long-term unemployed have been under-represented in the process and it is necessary to find new ways of promoting their participation in rural development. 2.17 Community Based Regeneration Projects have invested over £30 million into the most disadvantaged rural areas. This money has been provided by, among others, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the European Union, the International Fund for Ireland, the National Lottery and rural communities. These projects have been of enormous importance, not only in bringing direct investment, but also in raising the self-confidence and personal aspirations of rural people and thereby promoting the enterprise culture which is vital to the creation of a self-sustaining and broadly based economy in rural areas. This can be seen on a general scale in the case of the early projects which involved the renovation of derelict cottages to create self-catering tourist accommodation and in the longer term improve the vernacular housing stock. The example which these projects have set has encouraged the owners of other abandoned rural dwellings to undertake similar renovations. A more localised example is Phennick Cove Marina in Ardglass which has created a new market for local bed and breakfasts, bars and restaurants by attracting new visitors to the village. The challenge is now to find new ways of spreading these benefits to a larger proportion of Northern Ireland’s rural areas and of bringing in more private sector investment. 2.18 Area Based Strategies have focused the attention of the Government on the needs of the most disadvantaged rural areas and, in doing so, they are helping to skew resources and investment towards meeting those needs. The strategies have been particularly important in involving local people in rural development – the strategies are drawn up by local people and managed by local people for the benefit of local people. Many lessons have been learnt from the implementation of the Area Based Strategies, including the need to focus more clearly on a small number of issues in each area to maximise the impact of each strategy. 2.19 The PESCA and LEADER II Initiatives have greatly enhanced the geographical and sectoral impact of the Rural Development Programme. LEADER II has provided significant amounts of funding across Northern Ireland’s rural areas to innovative projects and programmes while PESCA is helping to diversify the economies of Northern Ireland’s four main fishing villages which are located in County Down. The work of LEADER II and PESCA, along with the Area Based Strategies, has demonstrated the need to rationalise the local development structures in Northern Ireland’s rural areas. 2.20 The main impacts of the Rural Development Programme to date have been: 450 community groups have become involved in rural development – many have cross-community objectives 178 Community animation programmes undertaken Over 1200 rural people have successfully completed training and further education courses 73 Community based regeneration projects supported 60 new businesses have been created 465 full-time equivalent jobs have been created, safeguarded or maintained* 9 Area Based Strategies established in disadvantaged rural areas 15 Local Action Groups – partnerships drawn from the public bodies, private organisations and communities active in rural areas – established to implement the LEADER II Programme 8 Rural Collective Bodies have been funded to undertake projects to develop specific sectors of the rural economy 5 major research projects have been carried out into various aspects of the rural economy and rural society. *This includes 170 full-time equivalent jobs created, 180 full-time equivalent jobs safeguarded or maintained and 115 person years of temporary employment created (using EU classifications). 2.21 Independent mid-term evaluations have been carried out on the rural development measures of the Sub-Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development, the LEADER II and PESCA Initiatives and INTERREG II. Among the key recommendations of those evaluations were:
3. NIAO REVIEW OF THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 3.1 In May 1997 the Northern Ireland Audit Office initiated a review of the Rural Development Programme. The report of the review was published on 4 July 2000. [92] 3.2 The report concludes that the Rural Development Programme is an important vehicle in the drive towards the economic and social revitalisation of deprived rural areas in Northern Ireland. The report also identifies several key areas that the Department must address in order to improve the effectiveness of the programme. These areas are:
3.3 The Department welcomed this report by the Northern Ireland Audit Office on the Rural Development Programme. Its publication was timely as work on the proposals for the new 2001 to 2006 Rural Development Programme was underway but has been delayed as new detail of the Structural Funds programmes are still to be agreed. 3.4 In considering the NIAO report there are a number of important points which must be taken into account. Firstly, the report primarily focuses on the early stages of the Rural Development Programme, essentially up to 1997. At its outset it was an innovative programme with no equivalent rural regeneration programmes anywhere within the British Isles. Northern Ireland was breaking new ground. It is only within the last few years that the term ‘rural development’ has become an integral part of mainstream government policy in GB and the ROI. Northern Ireland was leading the field in the genuine engagement of local people in regeneration partnerships. This work required sensitive risk management at the interface between community demands and the necessary bureaucracy attached to grant programmes. 3.5 The remit of the programme was to tackle both social and economic problems in Northern Ireland’s most deprived rural areas. There are a number of key points here – firstly it was not simply an economic or ‘job creation’ programme, its remit was much wider and so when, for example, one attempts to compare the cost of jobs against other purely economic programmes one has to recognise that it is not comparing like with like. 3.6 The programme has always adopted a ‘bottom up’ approach. This works on the principle that local communities are best placed to judge what is needed in their areas for social and economic regeneration. The benefits of creating a sense of local involvement, commitment and ownership are invaluable in the process of sustainable rural regeneration. But working through voluntary community groups also presents considerable challenges both for the groups themselves and for government departments. There is a very fine balance to be struck between complying with the requirements of government accounting and avoiding swamping voluntary groups in bureaucracy. Accountability must, of course, always have precedence and in attempting to find the appropriate balance the Department may not have always got it right but, it was new ground and this was a learning process. As the NIAO report shows lessons were learned. 3.7 It is also important not to lose sight of the delicate social and political environment in which the programme operated during the early 1990s. The Department was attempting to engage with communities in a climate of political and social upheaval, and many of those communities felt alienated from both Government and the State and sometimes polarised locally. Against that background it is a tribute to the hard work and effort of the local Department staff that the NIAO has been able to report that ‘the Rural Development Programme is an important vehicle in the drive towards the economic and social revitalisation of deprived rural areas in Northern Ireland.’ and that ‘.considerable progress has been made.’. 3.8 The programme was targeted primarily at disadvantaged rural areas. A significant factor in that disadvantage was that the private sector would not invest in the areas because the risks were too high. If Government, through the Rural Development Programme, was to make a difference in these areas and offer a genuine hand of partnership to local people it had to take the risks which the private sector shunned. In many cases if the Department had not supported the project there would have been no regeneration activity in the area because the project was the only one which had support at local level. 3.9 It is the Department’s intention to ensure that the lessons learned from the previous programmes, and particularly those highlighted in the NIAO report, are fully taken into account in the arrangements for the new programme. 4. PAC REPORT ON THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 4.1 On 25 October 2000 the Public Accounts Committee met to consider the NIAO report on the Rural Development Programme. The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development together with some of his senior colleagues and the Chief Executive of the Rural Development Council gave evidence at the meeting. On 19 December 2000 the Committee published its report [93] on the Rural Development Programme. 4.2 Although the report focussed on the shortcomings in the Department’s administration, the Committee recognised the potential importance of this programme and the positive impacts that had already resulted, including, for example, the extent to which it had succeeded in developing rural community networks and partnerships within rural areas. 4.3 In accord with normal protocol the memorandum response to the PAC report
was presented to the Assembly by the Minister for Finance and Personnel, on
19 February 2001.
[94]
5. DEVELOPING THE 2001 TO 2006 PROGRAMME - THE CONSULTATION PROCESS 5.1 In October 1997 the Department’s Rural Development Division initiated a series of three workshops as the first stage in formulating the new rural development programme. The Rural Development Council, the Rural Community Network and the Northern Ireland LEADER Network were all represented at the workshops together with Rural Enterprise Division of the Department’s Agri-food Service and Rural Development Division. 5.2 These meetings led to the formulation of a preliminary discussion paper entitled "The rural development programme in Northern Ireland. Proposals and opportunities for 2000-2006 arising from the European Commission’s proposals for support for rural development." This paper was distributed in January 1999 to a wide range of rural interests including district councils, LEADER II groups, community groups and the women’s sector. 5.3 The comments received in response to that paper assisted the Department in formulating a consultation paper "proposals and opportunities for 2000 to 2006 in partnership with the European Structural Funds". This paper was used as the basis for discussion on rural development at a public consultation conference on post-1999 Structural Funding held in Loughry College on 26 April 1999. The conference was attended by a wide range of rural interests including community groups, LEADER + and Area Based strategy groups, the farming sector, women’s groups and district councils. 5.4 The first half of 1999 also saw a number of conferences/seminars organised to consider agenda 2000 and EU structural funds at which Rural Development Division participated to explain the thinking on the next rural development programme. 5.5 In May 1999 the Department of Finance and Personnel established a "Core Consultative group" to provide advice and comment on the development of the Northern Ireland Structural Funds Plan, including those parts which would contribute to the rural development programme. In November 1999, that group was replaced by an "EU Programmes development committee" which brought together in one forum the assembly parties, representatives of the local authorities and the key economic and social partners. 5.6 A written round of consultation was undertaken by the Department of Finance and Personnel in February 2000 on the consensus position reached by the Executive on the structural funds plan. 5.7 A consultation document on proposals for the Northern Ireland LEADER + programme was issued by the Department in March 2000. In June the Minister invited prospective LEADER + local action groups to submit summaries of their proposed strategies for their areas to inform the development of the new programme. 5.8 In September 2000 the final draft of the proposed Northern Ireland LEADER + programme was issued for comment to everyone who had been involved in earlier stages of the consultation process and the document was also submitted to the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development. Officials from Rural Development Division attended a meeting of the Committee on 6 October 2000 to respond to Committee Members’ questions. 6. RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2001 TO 2006 6.1 Through the 2001 to 2006 Rural Development Programme, the Department will establish a comprehensive and integrated Departmental strategy for rural development in Northern Ireland. 6.2 The intention is to create a Programme that will be able to tackle the widest possible range of needs and opportunities in Northern Ireland’s rural areas and support the widest possible range of beneficial projects. Vision Statement 6.4 The Rural Development Programme’s vision for the disadvantaged rural areas of Northern Ireland is for: "A healthy and diverse economic and social environment where the quality of life is enhanced by quality of opportunity." Overall Aim 6.5 The overall aim for the Rural Development Programme will be: "To promote comprehensive and integrated action towards the sustainable and equitable development of rural areas, and in doing so, contribute to the economic, environmental, social and cultural well being of the rural community for the benefit of the whole community of Northern Ireland." Guiding Principles for Implementation 6.6 The programme will adopt eleven "guiding principles" for the implementation of the programme. These principles are derived from the lessons learned from the earlier phases of rural development in Northern Ireland and are outlined below: Locally driven – Wherever possible, local people will be involved in drawing up and implementing local regeneration plans and policies. In rural areas, local people, including farmers and farm families must be encouraged to become involved and participate fully in rural development. Partnership – The creation of strong partnerships involving public agencies, the private sector and rural communities has been one of the successes of the Rural Development Programme. The Programme will continue to develop partnerships (a) at local level with communities and project promoters; (b) at sub-regional level with key local players drawn together to develop and implement local strategies; and (c) at regional level with Government agencies and representative bodies. Equality of Opportunity and Inclusion – The benefits of rural development will be open to all rural people, and all sections of the rural community will be encouraged to become involved in rural development. Reconciliation and Community Relations – In all of its activities, the Programme will take account of the effect of community divisions, and, where appropriate, will endeavour to tackle them within the context of wider social and economic development. Sustainability – Great importance will be placed on social, economic and environmental sustainability. While respecting the environment and the natural resources, the Programme will endeavour to put in place programmes and projects that will have continuing economic and social benefits after grant aid has been exhausted. Quality – The need for the provision and maintenance of the highest quality standards will be emphasised in all of the Programme’s activities. Integration and co-ordination – All of the Programme’s activities will form part of an integrated and co-ordinated whole and will complement the aims and objectives of other regional, national and European policies and programmes. Targeting disadvantage – The Programme will give priority to strategies, programmes and projects that address identified needs, whether they be in groups of people, sectors of the economy or geographic areas, to equalise economic and social opportunities across Northern Ireland. Innovation – The development and promotion of new ways of tackling the needs of rural areas will be encouraged in all of the Programme’s activities. Context – All of the Programme’s activities will contribute to the overall adaptability, sustainability and competitiveness of Northern Ireland. They will support and complement the work of District Councils, and other Government Departments and Agencies in ensuring the maintenance and provision of rural jobs, services and infrastructure. Risk Management – Innovative and experimental work carries an element of risk. That risk will be recognised, assessed and managed in the selection, delivery and monitoring of programmes and projects. Structure of the Programme 6.7 The structure of the programme emerged from the series of consultation exercises, which started in 1997, and a series of evaluations. The different elements of the Programme have been grouped under five headings. (a) Capacity Building – to continue to strengthen rural communities through the provision of advice and financial assistance and to provide rural people with the skills, knowledge and experience which they need to play a part in the significant economic, environmental and social changes impacting on rural areas. (b) Local Regeneration Projects and Programmes – to provide the resources rural people need to implement their plans to improve the economic, environmental, social and cultural conditions in their areas. (c) Sectoral and Area Based Development Projects and Programmes – to provide support for programmes and projects designed to tackle the needs or opportunities of specific sectors of the rural economy, environment or society that can be best tackled by area based or Province-wide programmes rather than a series of projects in local communities. (d) Micro-business development – this will be a focus of the LEADER + initiative in Northern Ireland. Local partnerships will be encouraged to test out new approaches to maximise the economic potential of very small businesses in rural areas, including small farms. (e) Natural Resource Rural Tourism – a special programme to help Northern Ireland’s rural areas take advantage of the particular opportunities that are presented by tourism in the context of greater political stability. 7. PARTICIPATION IN THE STRATEGY BY UNDER REPRESENTED GROUPS 7.1 In its report on the Rural Development Programme the NIAO recognised in paragraph 2.28 that not everyone within a community may wish to become an active member of a community group. [95] The NIAO went on to recommend that the RDC and the Department take steps to ensure as far as possible that groups are truly representative and that projects represent the result of broad and effective consultation within the community. The NIAO went on to record in paragraph 2.29 that some rural dwellers, such as farmers and the long-term unemployed, are not sufficiently represented within community groups. 7.2 PAC also commented on this matter in paragraph 4.5 of its report [96] saying: "We look to both the Department and the Rural Development Council to ensure, as far as possible, that under represented groups such as the farming community, women, young persons and the long-term unemployed, fully participate in the programme in future". 7.3 Both the Department and the Rural Development Council (RDC) have attempted to ensure that community groups are fully representative of the area. Public meeting are held, local audits are undertaken and groups hold annual general meetings. In addition direct advice and support has been given to all community groups involved with the RDC in finding ways to maximise inclusion in local development. However, it is a fact of life that not everyone within a community wishes to become an active member of a community group or indeed has the time to spare. Inevitably it tends to be a relatively small core of active members who drive a project forward. 7.4 These comments should not be taken to imply that groups such as the farming community and women have not participated in the Rural Development Programme to date. That would be incorrect. Taking farmers as an example, thirteen of the fifteen LEADER II local action groups have a farming theme in their local strategies and have supported projects brought forward by farmers. Two of the ‘Other Collective Bodies’ under the LEADER II programme, Family Farm Developments and Rural Development Services Ltd, are specifically focused on the farming community. Five area based strategies also contain a farming theme. 7.5 Some specific projects which have been supported under the programme include a small milk producers scheme involving 34 farmers in south Armagh, the quality assured suckled calf production and marketing initiative for the Teemore/Derrylin area involving 77 farmers and the Sixtowns Machinery Ring. 7.6 Similarly women have benefited from the Rural Development Programme through projects supported by LEADER local action groups, area based strategies and community based projects. An outline of this involvement is given in Appendix A to illustrate the extent of such work at local level. Participation 7.7 In response to the PAC recommendation the Department has confirmed its intention to encourage the participation, in the 2001 to 2006 programme, of the under represented groups highlighted by PAC. The Department views participation in the context of the Rural Development Programme in its widest sense, including membership of partnership groups, administering programmes, involvement in projects as well as benefiting from the impacts of the programme. Participation in the component parts of the strategy 7.8 In publicising the 2001 to 2006 programme the Department will endeavour to encourage participation by under represented groups at every level of the programme. The Department will be considering how farmers, in particular, can be made aware of the opportunities which the programme offers and it is hoped that the farming unions and the Committee will also actively encourage members of the farming community to become involved and bring forward proposals. 7.9 Partnership groups being established to deliver LEADER + and Natural Resource Rural Tourism will be encouraged to have a balanced membership. In this regard the Committee will be aware that the LEADER + programme states in Chapter 7, paragraph 8 that "The membership of the Local Action group must consist of a balanced and representative selection of partners drawn from different socio-economic sectors. The membership of the Local Action Group should show a balance in the representation of men and women and have a religious composition representative of the population of the area that it covers." 7.10 In developing the new programme the Department has provided scope for sectoral programmes which can be specifically targeted at such groups and it has specifically highlighted women, young people, farm families and the long term unemployed as priority groups for the LEADER + programme. 7.11 Rural Development Division is currently working with the Women’s Resource Development Agency and six rural women’s networks to carry out an economic appraisal and needs analysis on the rural women’s sector to address the needs of rural women. The Department is funding the economic appraisal. The appraisal should allow a strategic approach to the development of an appropriate sectoral programme to meet the needs of rural women within the context of the Rural Development Programme. Selection and monitoring 7.12 The selection criteria for the various elements of the programme have not yet been finalised. It is not the intention at this stage to set specific targets for the participation of specific groups or to weight selection criteria in favour of such groups. The aim is to encourage the full participation of all rural dwellers in the programme and the focus will be on the use of publicity to ensure that the opportunities available are brought to the attention of the widest possible audience. The Department has commissioned a private sector public relations firm to assist with the publicity campaign and this work is underway. 7.13 The monitoring arrangements for the programme have not yet been developed but it is the intention to monitor the involvement of under represented groups. |