My Department currently provides a number of supports for volunteering, including: direct funding for Volunteering Ireland, the Tallaght Volunteer Bureau and Focus Ireland; funding via Partnerships and the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme; funding via the grants schemes established in the context of the White Paper on Supporting Voluntary Activity; and funding via the training and capital grants for locally-based voluntary groups.
The current budgetary position does not allow my Department to provide for any significant new initiatives in this area at this time. I understand that the organisation referred to by the Deputy is currently funded by Dublin City Council under the EU Community Initiative URBAN II Programme 2000-2006. It is also understood that options for future funding of the organisation following expiry of URBAN II funding are currently under consideration by the URBAN project in the area in question.