Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 18 Oct 2001

Vol. 542 No. 4

Written Answers. - National Development Plan.

Beverley Flynn

Question:

173 Ms Cooper-Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of money which has been allocated and spent to date by his Department in each of the BMW counties under the national development plan. [24633/01]

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

My Department has responsibility for a number of measures in the Border, Midlands and Western Region under the national development plan. These include the equal opportunities childcare programme, an equality for women measure, a measure to prepare prisoners for employment after their release, a crime prevention measure, a Garda youth diversion programme and an equal opportunities promotion and monitoring unit.

The material requested is set out under the individual measures. On the child care measure, total project funding approved and distributed to BMW counties at 30 September 2001 under the equal opportunities childcare programme is set out in the following table:

County	Projects funding approved			Funding provided for projects
	IR£		IR£
Cavan	1,170,008	1,485,604	178,233	226,309
Donegal	1,971,490	2,503,276	424,642	539,184
Galway	3,260,312	4,139,742	629,293	799,038
Laois	732,316	929,850	185,346	235,340
Leitrim	2,089,558	2,653,192	628,176	797,619
Longford	1,021,582	1,297,142	256,443	325,615
Louth	1,127,971	1,432,228	282,752	359,021
Mayo	1,803,903	2,290,484	320,809	407,343
Monaghan	1,538,400	1,953,365	254,375	322,990
Offaly	464,751	590,112	82,761	105,085
Roscommon	800,225	1,016,076	186,310	236,565
Sligo	1,768,025	2,244,929	401,303	509,550
Westmeath	213,396	270,957	67,565	85,790
Totals	17,961,937	22,806,956	3,898,008	4,949,449

In addition, the equal opportunities childcare programme approved quality improvement proposals from national voluntary childcare organisations totalling £2,259,688 – 2,869,212 – in the BMW region of which £559,549 – 710,476 – has been distributed by 30 September 2001. As these organisations operate on a national basis, it is not possible to allocate this funding at county level.

The national development plan provides for an allocation of £6.14 million – 7.8 million – to the BMW Region to the equality for women measure over the period 2000-06. To date, £1.89 million – 2.4 million – has been allocated to 16 individual projects which will run from 2001 to 2004 in the region. This figure includes an amount of regional activity where the benefits in terms of publications and information will extend to the full region. The county allocation is identified as follows:

	£
Cavan	250,000	317,435
Roscommon	150,000	190,461
Monaghan	150,000	190,461
Louth	201,000	255,217
Donegal	235,000	298,388
Offaly	200,000	253,947
Leitrim	245,000	311,085
Sligo	40,000	50,790
Galway	44,000	55,868
Regional projects	375,000	476,152
Total	1,890,000	2,399,805

In addition, an amount of activity under this measure will have national application. This includes support for the national framework committee to develop family friendly initiatives at the level of the enterprise. Individual projects in the BMW Region have yet to be identified under this strand and under the strand for gender proofing of personnel policies.

Expenditure to date on the measure in the BMW region is £69,432 – 88,160. It is anticipated that expenditure in all areas of the measure will increase in the second half of 2001 as the projects commence activity.

Under the employment and human resources operational programme, 2000-2006, the NDP gender equality unit has been allocated funding of 5.36 million. Most of the expenditure incurred under this measure relates to staffing costs which arise in the Southern and Eastern Region. However, to date, 18,500 has been spent in the BMW region, 16,500 in Roscommon and 2,000 in Offaly.

On the crime prevention measure, the funding allocated to prisons services training for the BMW region for the period 2000-01 was £2.58 million, 3.27 million. A total of £88,372 – 110,000 – has been spent to date all of which was incurred in the Midlands Prison, County Laois. The full roll-out of the prisoner training programme throughout the region is under way.

The funding allocated to probation and welfare for the BMW region for the year 2000-01 was £425,000 – 540,000. The funding does not have a strict county allocation as it is intended to support the re-integration of ex-offenders and others as needs arise. A total expenditure of £178,950 – 227,000 – has been incurred to date in supporting individuals into employment and further education and training throughout the region and in providing residential treatment services in counties Roscommon, Mayo, Sligo and Galway.

The expenditure allocated at county level to date under the Garda youth diversion programme is set out in the following table. A further allocation may occur in respect of these projects during 200,1 subject to submission of detailed accounts.

County	Expenditure for 2000			Expenditure for 2001(to date)
	£		£
Donegal	5,000	6,350	20,000	25,400
Galway	5,000	6,350	20,000	25,400
Laois	5,000	6,350	45,000	57,150
Longford	5,000	6,350	20,000	25,400
Louth	30,000	38,100	72,125	91,599
Mayo	30,000	38,100	54,242	68,887
Monaghan	30,000	38,100	20,000	25,400
Offaly	Nil	Nil	25,000	31,750
Roscommon	5,000	6,350	45,000	57,150
Westmeath	30,000	38,100	77,519	98,449
Total	145,000	184,150	398,886	506,585