The project in question is being jointly funded by the Ballymun drugs task force and the Ballymun Partnership. The partnership allocated over £112,000 to the project, of which £105,250 was spent by 31 December last. It has also received funding from the Ballymun drugs task force totalling £81,000, including interim funding, to cover the period up to end June 2000.
The project is currently being independently evaluated, along with over 140 other projects being funded through the local drugs task forces. If the evaluation finds that it is operating successfully and achieving its objectives, it will be "mainstreamed", that is, it will receive continued funding through the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee in line with protocols which were agreed between the national drugs strategy team and the local drugs task forces and approved by the Cabinet committee on social inclusion.
I understand that the Department of Education and Science is also considering a request to fund the project in its entirety. If it agrees to its future funding, the issue of mainstreaming the project, as outlined above, will not be necessary.
The project promoters are being kept informed of developments in relation to its future funding through the Ballymun drugs task force and the correspondence received from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is being responded to on these lines.
