asked the Minister for Justice if he will make a statement on the present position regarding the funding of the Community Law Centre at Coolock, Dublin.
Written Answers. - Coolock (Dublin) Community Law Centre.
150.
I understand that an application by the Coolock Community Law Centre to the Eastern Health Board for the payment of a grant is at present under consideration.
My Department have, since 1974, been paying grants to Free Legal Advice Centres—FLAC as they are known— which run the Community Law Centre at Coolock and the total amount paid to date is £50,000 approximately. Last year, they were paid £15,000 to help them meet their running expenses, including the expenses of the community law centre. As well as that they were given £5,000 to cover the cost of the acquisition of a lease on larger premises for the community law centre and to enable the interior of the new premises to be suitably appointed for use. That brought last year's total grant to £20,000. This year £21,000 is provided in the Estimates for the Department of Justice in respect of grants to FLAC for their running expenses—representing an increase of 40 per cent over the amount paid last year in respect of their running expenses.
The grants paid to FLAC cover only approved expenditure on the provision by them of legal aid and advice and FLAC have to present audited accounts annually to the Comptroller and Auditor General for inspection. The grants are not intended to cover in full the cost of FLAC's activities and FLAC are free to obtain—and, in fact, have obtained— funds from other public funds.
Since 1977 FLAC have been in receipt of a grant from the national committee on pilot schemes to combat poverty specifically for the purpose of employing a community officer in the community law centre. For some considerable time before FLAC employed this officer, my Department indicated in clear terms to FLAC that funds under my control could not be devoted to the payment of his salary for the very good reason that the work to which it was proposed to assign him lay mainly in areas for which my Department have no administrative responsibility such as, for example, in the community development, social welfare, housing, education and employment fields. On numerous occasions since then the position has been confirmed to FLAC and I am not aware that they have ever denied that this is so.
FLAC sought a very substantial increase in funding for the current year to meet the cost of a proposed radical expansion of their activities, including a large scale development of the Coolock Community Law Centre. The estimate they submitted amounted to a request for £180,000 which must be compared with a grant of £20,000 last year. I have informed FLAC that I cannot agree to the proposed increased funding having regard to the fact that the introduction of a State scheme of civil legal aid and advice is at an advanced stage of consideration at present. The future funding of FLAC will have to be considered in the context of Government decisions in relation to a civil legal aid and advice scheme and it would not be possible at this stage to consider proposals for any large scale expansion of FLAC's activities.
I am satisfied that the sum of £21,000 which my Department will be providing this year will be adequate to enable FLAC to continue to maintain the level of service for which funds have, up to now, been provided.