The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs was established by Government in June 2002. When announcing the decision to establish the Department, the Taoiseach stressed the need for Government to address issues of regional and social balance in a more effective way, as well as securing economic development. He explained that the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs was being set up to produce a more co-ordinated engagement by the State with communities around the country, as they pursue their own development.
In listing the type of programmes for which the Department would be given responsibility e.g. community and local development including drugs and volunteering, and rural development including LEADER, CLÁR and Western Development, the Taoiseach made it clear that the Government was placing a focus on communities, particularly those that are vulnerable or under threat. In such cases, the provision of support to enable communities to identify and address problems in their own areas is seen as the best way forward. Those communities may be in rural or inner city settings, grappling with difficulties caused by a range of factors, including declining populations, unemployment, language issues, social disadvantage or drug misuse. While most such communities, or groups of communities, can be defined in terms of geographic location, others will be defined on the basis of a common focus on a particular issue. The Department also has responsibility for developing support for the voluntary sector and strengthening the State's relationship with that sector.
In providing assistance to communities as they pursue their own development, the Department must be mindful of the need to foster and maintain the community spirit that is evident throughout the country, whether in urban, rural, Gaeltacht or island contexts. The purpose must always be to provide support to communities in the most appropriate way as they work to shape their own futures, address their common goals and achieve their full potential.
The new Department is intended to act as a mechanism for delivering on and co-ordinating a number of the targets in the Agreed Programme for Government of June 2002, including:
Other relevant targets in the Programme include supporting the development of social capital, particularly on a local community level; and continuing to support initiatives in relation to corporate social responsibility.
Principles to guide and shape the work of the Department are also set out in the Agreed Programme and include:
While having a wide-ranging mandate, the Department is compact with just under 250 staff currently. The Department is headquartered at Dún Aimhirgin, Mespil Road, Dublin 4, but also has staff located at Na Forbacha, Co Galway, and at other locations throughout the country. In addition, a number of State agencies and other bodies, which report to the Department, are charged with specific responsibilities in the community/voluntary, rural, Gaeltacht and islands sectors. Details of those bodies, including two North-South implementation bodies - An Foras Teanga and Waterways Ireland - are set out in Appendix I.
In light of the mandate that has been given to the Department, the following Mission Statement has been adopted:
To promote and support the sustainable and inclusive development of communities, both urban and rural,including Gaeltacht and island communities, thereby fostering better regional balance and alleviating disadvantage, and to advance the use of the Irish language.