What initiatives it is undertaking in order to enhance capacity-building and self-sufficiency in rural communities in Ayrshire and improve …

The Executive has a range of activities, over and above local initiatives by its partners, to address social injustice wherever it occurs in Scotland. In Ayrshire there are four Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIP), with the East Ayrshire Coalfields Area SIP in particular covering rural parts of the area. The SIP in Girvan also does outreach work to its surrounding rural communities and in North Ayrshire the SIP is moving on to take a more strategic look at exclusion across the area. Each partnership receives £60,000 from the Executive specifically for supporting community involvement and to build capacity and confidence in these excluded communities. We also have Kickstart, a programme to enhance the uptake of funding in our disadvantaged areas, by helping communities to help themselves.In addition, we have provided the Coalfields Regeneration Trust with £4.5 million over the last three years to support local activities in local coalfield communities, including those in Ayrshire. Communities Scotland is promoting and supporting a wider role for Registered Social Landlords, both in urban and in rural areas, through the provision of funding, information, advice and guidance.Scottish Rural Partnership Fund (SRPF), which is operated by an annual biding process, offers grant aid to rural communities to build community capacity and help communities to find local solutions to local problems. The closing date for applications to the 2002-03 round was 12 October 2001 and the bids received are currently being assessed. These include seven bids from the North, South and East Ayrshire areas combined. An announcement regarding successful projects will be made early in the New Year.