Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 22 Feb 1996

Vol. 462 No. 1

Written Answers. - Community Development Initiatives.

Eric J. Byrne

Question:

43 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Social Welfare the proposals, if any, he has to further develop the role of his Department in assisting and co-ordinating local self-help and community development initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4021/96]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

Voluntary and community groups can play a vital role in improving the quality of life for people dependent on social welfare thus enabling them to change their situation for the better.

My Department funds a number of once-off grant schemes which concentrate on support for local self-help groups, community development, welfare rights and information work. The individual grant schemes provided to support such voluntary and community activity are as follows; scheme of grants to voluntary organisations; scheme of grants for locally-based women's groups; scheme of grants for locally-based men's groups; scheme of grants for lone parents, second chance education and return to work opportunities.

The Department under its community development programme and the money advice and budgeting service provides seed money to enable community groups to pilot initiatives identified as meeting new and emerging community needs.

Under the community development programme funding is provided towards the staffing and equipping of local resource centres which provide a focal point for community development activities in an area and to other specialised community development projects. This programme was established in 1990 when 15 projects were funded.

At present there are some 75 projects participating in the programme or in the process of being set up. I am at present considering a number of new applications and it is my intention to extend the programme further in 1996.

A number of community development support agencies have also been contracted under the community development programme to provide support and advice to local projects and set standards for their work. There is also a provision of capacity-building in disadvantaged areas which lack basic infrastructural development work and in this regard I have asked that a number of areas be looked at.

The Department has also been directly involved in activities to tackle the problems of moneylending and overindebtedness since the publication of 1988 of the Combat Poverty Agency's reportMoneylending and Low Income Families. At present, the Department funds 35 money advice and budgeting service (MABS) projects throughout the country. This service has an emphasis on practical budget based measures that will encourage people to help themselves to tackle problems of indebtedness.

As I have previously stated, I am committed to making this service available nation-wide by the end of the 1996. As an indication of the strength of this commitment, an additional £750,000 has been made available in the 1996 budget towards the expansion of the MABS service, bringing the total allocation for 1996 to just under £2 million.

A number of proposals for new projects are currently under consideration by my Department and it is anticipated that these will be funded before the end of the year.

Finally the Combat Poverty Agency provides once-off funding for community and voluntary groups i.e. community development education and training grants scheme, occasional grants for once-off activities and research grants. These grants are aimed at enabling groups to develop a deeper insight into the causes of disadvantage or to enable groups to evaluate the adequacy of their own response to tackling poverty.

In addition, the agency will be responsible for managing a budget of some £13 million over a three year period under the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation.

The agency will have specific responsibility for delivering measures within the programme relating to (1) cross-Border community reconciliation, (2) developing grassroots capacities, (3) promoting the inclusion of women and other vulnerable groups and (4) improving the accessibility of services aimed at these groups.