I am unhappy with Minister's response because the partnership companies will tell him, through PLANET, their organisation in Wexford, that there is a shortfall of over €2.2 million in their budgets. Is the Minister aware of this? Did he not meet them on 13 May?
Is it not a fact that partnerships deal with the most disadvantaged and deprived sections of the community and that, in particular, the following partnerships have told the Minister that they will not now have adequate resources, particularly for education? Five homework clubs in Longford community resources will be reduced by 20%, the County Wexford partnership will cut its prevention of early school-leaving programme by €55,000 and the County Monaghan after school clubs programme will be cut by over €8,100.
The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is savagely cutting third level education programmes which the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, made such a play about. The Clondalkin higher education access project has been cut, and, particularly, the Finglas/Cabra partnership will be reducing its access to third level education programmes by 50% due to the inadequacy of the funding Deputy Ó Cuív is providing to these people. If his Government means anything, it means it is neglecting the communities which are deprived and which are in need, and the partnerships, in particular, are suffering as a result of the cutbacks.