Vol. 336 No. 2
asked the Minister for Education if he intends to honour the undertaking by the previous Government to approve a grant under his Department's temporary grant scheme for youth employment at St. Nathy's Community Centre, Achonry, Ballymote, County Sligo.
869.
asked the Minister for Education if he is aware of the major efforts that have been made by a very small community to establish St. Nathy's Community Centre, Achonry, Ballymote, county Sligo and that almost £50,000 has been provided for this and other worthy causes by the parish in subscriptions in recent years; and if in view of these facts and of the great need for a well equipped community centre, he will place St. Nathy's Community Centre at the top of his priority list for a capital grant as soon as funds become available again in his Department for such purposes.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take Questions Nos. 868 and 869 together.
In November 1981 the committee of St. Mary's Community Centre made application for capital grant assistance towards the cost of development works at the centre, under the community, youth, recreational and employment programme. This application was not among those selected for capital grant assistance by the former Minister of State who committed the entire sum of money allocated to my Department for the purposes of this programme.
The former Minister of State did however announce in a letter of 2 March 1982, to the committee that he was prepared to approve a grant under the Department's youth employment scheme, although the appropriate application and data for consideration under this scheme had not been submitted to my Department. In view of this decision my Department wrote to the local organisers on 16 March 1982, stating that it was not possible to accede to their application for capital grant assistance and enclosing the necessary documents for application under the temporary grant scheme for youth employment. They were invited to make application for grant aid under this scheme if it was considered appropriate to their needs.
An application for assistance, under my Department's temporary grant scheme for youth employment, was received in respect of St. Nathy's Community Centre in May of this year. Following consideration of this application in my Department, I am pleased to say that a grant of £12,250 has now been approved in this case to provide employment for five young workers and a supervisor for 25 weeks. This figure includes a sum of £1,500 for materials and £1,000 for craftwork. The committee are being informed to this effect.
I am fully aware of the great efforts being made by numerous community, youth and sport groups throughout the country to provide recreational facilities which was evidenced by the fact that almost 700 applications for capital grant assistance were received in 1981 under the community, youth, recreational and employment programme. However, as the entire sum of money most recently allocated to my Department for the purpose of providing capital grant assistance in support of community initiatives for the provision of recreational facilities was allocated by the former Minister of State, I am not in a position to consider requests for grants of this nature at the present time. Should further moneys be placed at my disposal for such purposes in the future my Department will consider all applications on their merits.
