Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 June 2004
38 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the support his Department is giving to national organisations such as the Community Workers Co-operative and local groups such as CDPs and area partnerships to challenge exclusion, racism and discrimination in local communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16789/04]
View answerMy Department funds the Community Workers' Co-operative, CWC, under the programme for support for national anti-poverty networks. The purpose of this scheme is to assist such networks to develop their capacities to contribute to policy development at national level. The funding allocated to the CWC in 2004 is €143,065. This funding will enable the organisation to meet the objectives contained in its workplan for this year which included, among other things, contributing to the creation of a more just, equal and inclusive society and supporting the development of models and structures of participatory democracy.
The community development programme, CDP, supports locally-based groups involved in anti-poverty and social inclusion initiatives in their communities so they can contribute to a process of change in their areas and improve quality of life. The CDP's remit is to maintain an anti-poverty, anti-exclusion, and anti-discrimination focus and to actively promote the participation of people experiencing poverty, exclusion and discrimination at all levels within the programme. There are some 170 projects participating in the CDP in urban and rural areas with a further 15 in the process of establishment. A number of these projects specifically support new communities and ethnic minorities, including Travellers. An equality and anti-racism sub-committee has operated within the CDP for a number of years. The programme also funds a community development support unit, within the national consultative committee on racism and interculturalism, which provides assistance and support for community groups working with ethic minorities. Total funding allocated in 2003 to the community development programme was almost €20.5 million.
The local development social inclusion programme aims to counter disadvantage and to promote equality and social and economic inclusion through the provision of funding and support to area partnerships, community groups and employment pacts that adopt a partnership approach to tackling local issues. Funding of €42.144 is provided for the programme in my Department's Vote in 2004, of which nearly €30 million was allocated under to area partnerships this year.
