1.— In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

“Act of 2003” means the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Powers and Functions) Act 2003;

“community development” includes local development and schemes that provide support for communities in order to enable them to improve the lives of the members of the communities;

“Department” means the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs;

“Minister” means the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs;

“National Drugs Strategy” means national strategies approved from time to time by the Government for the purposes of countering drug misuse in the State;

“rural development” includes—

(a) the promotion, fostering and support of economic, social and cultural activities in rural areas by the implementation of a broad range of schemes, and

(b) initiatives to sustain employment in, and assist in the prosperity of, rural areas;

“scheme” —

(a) means programmes or measures operated, managed, delivered or sponsored, whether in whole or in part, directly or indirectly or in conjunction or co-operation with any other person (including the European Union or any Department of State), by the Department in relation to the performance of any of the functions of the Minister specified in section 2(1), and

(b) includes such programmes or measures provided to one community or rural area or to a class of communities or rural areas based on—

(i) the specific needs of that community or rural area or class of communities or rural areas, as the case may be,

(ii) the commonality of interests of that class of communities or rural areas, as the case may be, or

(iii) the geographical distribution of that class of communities or rural areas, as the case may be.