Vol. 423 No. 2
9 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Labour if he will confirm that the first payment of £3.3 million of the Horizon programme has been received; if he will give details of the voluntary agencies which are being financed by the programme; and whether any Government Departments are involved in their allocation.
In March 1992 £7.628 million was allocated to Ireland under the Horizon programme. All these funds were committed to 42 projects; 31 of the 42 projects were related to the disabled element and 11 related to the disadvantaged element of the programme. Activity commenced in March-April 1992 and a first advance of half of the ESF allocation over the two years of the programme, amounting to £3.3245 million, was received and paid in May 1992.
In July 1992 the European Commission made an indicative commitment of a further £6.773 million to the Irish Horizon initiative following representations which I made to Commissioner Papandreou. The European Commission also extended the duration of the programme so that activity is now eligible for funding up to the end of 1994.
The assessment of applications for assistance from the supplementary allocation is currently underway. The European Commission will make a decision regarding the new projects at the end of November following which a first advance of 50 per cent of the supplementary allocation of £6.773 will be paid.
Details of the agencies currently being funded under Horizon are in the form of a tabular statement which I propose to circulate in the Official Report.
Following is the table:
Agencies Currently Receiving Funding Under Horizon.
Disadvantaged Element
(1) Simon Community
(2) Focus Point
(3) Exchange House
(4) Saint Vincent's Charitable Trust
(5) Daughters of Charity, St. Joseph's Adolescent Services
(6) First Step
(7) Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed
(8) FÁS
(9) Centre for Adult and Community Education, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth
(10) Combat Poverty Agency
(11) Dublin Literacy Scheme, Dublin Institute for Adult Education.
Disabled Element
(1) Central Remedial Clinic
(2) The Cheshire Foundation
(3) National Council for the Blind
(4) KARE
(5) Irish Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus
(6) St. Mary's School for Hearing Impaired
(7) Muscular Dystrophy Ireland
(8) Design for Disability
(9) The Polio Fellowship of Ireland
(10) The Daughters of Charity
(11) Camphill Community
(12) Cheeverstown House
(13) Irish Federation for the Employment and Training of People with Disabilities
(14) Schizophrenia Association
(15) Irish Deaf Society
(16) Irish Epilepsy Association
(17) Rehabilitation Institute
(18) COPE Foundation
(19) Multiple Sclerosis Association
(20) Irish Kidney Association
(21) Forum for People with Disabilities
(22) General Health and Information Services (2 projects)
(23) North Western Health Board
(24) Interdepartmental Transport Accessibility Committee — The Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications
(25) Western Health Board
(26) National Rehabilitation Board (five projects).
Will the Minister give an indication of the impact this money will have as a result of the projects getting underway? Can he give an indication of the participation level by people? What advantage will derive from the scheme?
It is too early to make an assessment regarding the long term benefits of the programme. However, a monitoring committee under the aegis of my Department will assess which projects were more successful than others so that when further funding for this type of programme becomes available we will be able to make better decisions. Horizon is a European Community initiative which aims to promote the social and economic integration of the disabled and disadvantaged, in the labour market in particular but also in society in general. Therefore, it is too early to say——
I merely wanted to know how many individuals will participate in a project as a result of spending £7 million?
I do not have that information but I can send it to the Deputy.
