Vol. 528 No. 2
68 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the extent to which his Department supports organisations providing services to the elderly or those with disability; if the range of such assistance needs updating in order to be in line with services provided elsewhere throughout Europe; the plans he has for enhancement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29803/00]
My Department has, since 1996, operated the scheme of community support for older people, the purpose of which is to provide funding for initiatives to improve the security and social support of vulnerable older people. This funding is provided by way of grant aid to voluntary groups and organisations that have undertaken to identify those elderly people in need of assistance under the scheme.
Since I came to office in mid-1997, I have allocated a total of £13 million to this scheme which allowed some 53,000 individuals to receive assistance under the scheme. I am committed to ensuring that this scheme continues to address the security needs of the most vulnerable older people in our society and accordingly a sum of £5 million was again provided for the scheme in 2000.
The scheme of community support for older people was reviewed by external consultants in recent years and there are no plans to change the operation of the scheme.
In addition to the above mentioned programme, my Department operates a number of community development support programmes, namely; community development programme; family and community services resource centre programme; programme of core-funding to locally based community and family support groups.
The focus of these programmes are on disadvantaged groups regardless of the source of disadvantage rather than on particular groups such as the elderly or those with disability. The programmes provide seed money to enable self-help groups to pilot initiatives identified as meeting new and emerging community needs. To be eligible for funding, groups must subscribe to a self-help, community development ethos and must involve intended beneficiaries in the management and design of the project. The programmes of support were devised to develop marginalised and disadvantaged people and their capacity to participate in society, rather than for the provision of services. Voluntary organisations and groups seeking inclusion in any of the above mentioned programmes of support are required to have an anti-poverty focus and to promote the participation of people experiencing poverty and exclusion.
As is usual in my Department, information on groups funded under these programmes will be made available to the Dáil library early in 2001.
My Department has ongoing plans to improve the level of support to projects funded under its schemes of support for community development. These supports include training, management advice and assistance with practical and developmental issues.
