Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 1 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 1

Written Answers - Departmental Funding.

Ulick Burke

Question:

494 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the total financial contribution from his Department towards the Border Midlands West Region for each year since this designation; the additional funding over and above normal funding which was provided for the region; the expenditure for 2001; the areas of this additional expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11639/01]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The information requested by the Deputy is as follows:

Garda Síochána/Crime.Under the National Development Plan 2000 – 2006, the Government has allocated approximately £6 million for the BMW region to finance an increase in the number of Garda youth diversion projects, of which approximately £0.75 million has been allocated for the current year. The projects, which are overseen by my Department in conjunction with the Garda Síochána, are a crime prevention measure which aim, through both intervention and prevention, to divert young people from becoming involved in criminal activity.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that, to date, a total of nine projects have been established in the BMW region under the terms of the national development plan, and there are a number of proposals before my Department at present for the establishment of further projects in the region. Approximately £0.56 million was allocated to facilitate this expansion in the number of projects for the region during the year 2000.

PrisonsExpenditure by the prisons service under the NDP in the BMW region during 2000 was nil. The planned expenditure for 2001 in the BMW region is £2.16 million. The prisons at which relevant expenditure will arise are Castlerea Prison and Midlands Prison.

The national development plan provides funding for a number of probation and welfare service programmes. In 2000, £74,990 was spent in the BMW region largely on ‘buying in' 30 day residential treatment for offenders involved in substance abuse – alcohol and drugs – and on employing extra community support workers to facilitate employment and training opportunities for offenders on supervision, including ex-prisoners.

Planned expenditure for the BMW region in 2001, totals £347,755. As well as expansion in the 30 day treatment programmes and employing additional support workers, just over £200,000 has been allocated to programmes for sex offenders and drug rehabilitation work with offenders in custody.

EqualityThe activities of the equality division of my Department impact on both the Border, midland and western and south and east regions. The equality for women measure, however has a specific budget of IR£6.1 million in the BMW regional operational programme for the period 2000-06. This funding will be used to develop initiatives in the following areas: up skilling and retraining of women; encouraging entrepreneurship and career development among women; innovative projects for disadvantaged women and women over 50 years of age; support women in decision making; gender proofing of personnel practices; family friendly arrangements in employment and sharing of family responsibilities; a research and information campaign for return to work women.

My Department is responsible for the full measure and will directly deliver the first four strands with the aid of technical support. The family friendly strand will be delivered by a national famework committee established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness to support the development of family friendly policies at the level of the enterprise. The Equality Authority is delivering the gender proofing of personnel policies on behalf of my Department. In addition, a number of research projects are being funded under the measure.

I formally launched the measure on 5 October 2000 and invited project applications for the first four strands. The announcement, which was carried in all the national and provincial papers, signalled a budget of £1.6 million for the BMW region for the period 2000-03. Approximately 126 applications were submitted from the BMW region by the closing date of 5 January 2001. A further 26 national applications were also received which would also impact on the BMW region. These project applications are now being assessed. A project selection committee has been formed to assist with this task. This committee will submit a report in mid-May and I expect to announce a list of project proposals which qualify for funding shortly thereafter.

This is a new measure. The framework of implementing the measure was developed in 2000. Expenditure of IR£9,000 was incurred in 2000 on advertising and publicity costs in the BMW region. The planned expenditure in 2001 is £1.31 million. No additional funding has been provided in the measure for the BMW region.

Details of the projects selected for funding under the measure, together with anticipated outcomes, will be reported to the monitoring committee for the BMW regional assembly.

Child careMy Department's equal opportunities child care programme 2000-2006 operates under the national development plan on a national and regional basis. The programme has allocated funding under three sub-measures: capital, staffing and quality improvement.

From 19 July 2000, when the first tranche of grants were announced, to 31 December 2000 my Department allocated £6.01 million to the Border, midland and western region.

To date in 2001, my Department has allocated £4.7 million to the Border midland and western region.

In terms of funding under the quality improvement sub-measure, it should be noted that some quality improvement grants will have a national impact. For recording purposes the actual expenditure will be recorded in the region where funding is drawn down. These quality improvement grants are not reflected in the totals above.

Question No. 495 answered with Question No. 491.