Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2005
216 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his proposals to restore the core funding from his Department to a group (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2425/05]
View answer217 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on whether the withdrawal of funding by his Department from a group (details supplied) is a sinister move to silence an effective critical voice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2436/05]
View answer218 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on whether a group (details supplied) has during 25 years earned respect at local, national and international levels for its anti-poverty and equality work and that consequently the withdrawal of its funding is unwarranted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2437/05]
View answer219 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if the refusal of a group (details supplied) to endorse the last national agreement, Sustaining Progress, influenced the decision to withdraw funding from this group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2438/05]
View answer220 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his views on the withdrawal of funding from a group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2439/05]
View answer221 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason for the withdrawal of funding from a group (details supplied); if he will reconsider this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2512/05]
View answer222 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if support will be given to a group (details supplied) in such programmes as the social economy programme and the local development programmes; and if he will reverse his decision on this matter and support the development of a more inclusive and informed society. [2529/05]
View answer223 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason funding was withdrawn from a group (details supplied); if he will review this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2665/05]
View answer224 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if, in view of the crucial role that a group (details supplied) has played in supporting local and national groups combating poverty and inequality to collectively analyse and express their experience of Government policies, he will immediately reverse his decision to withdraw funding from this group. [2666/05]
View answer226 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reasons for his decision to axe funding to a group (details supplied); if he will report on the evidence upon which this decision was based; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2710/05]
View answer227 Ms F. O’Malley asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason funding for a group (details supplied) has been withdrawn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2711/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 216 to 224, inclusive, and 226 and 227 together.
The Deputies may be aware that I have confirmed continued funding of nine national anti-poverty networks in the amount of €1.351 million annually, representing effectively a 5% increase in funding for the networks concerned, whose focus is on Travellers, unemployment, refugees, rural poverty, lone parents, older people and disabled people. This decision is in line with my Department's commitment, in the context of funding of the NAPNs, to focus on concentrating available resources on support for communities experiencing disadvantage, exclusion and isolation. I do not believe the community workers' co-operative meets this criterion. There is already a well-developed structure providing support to the sector and, accordingly, CWC funding as an anti-poverty network will be discontinued from 30 March 2005.
This decision is taken in the context of existing substantial funding by the Department of six regional support agencies, amounting to €2.3 million; 38 partnership companies, amounting to €45.7 million; 185 community development projects, amounting to €20.1 million; and, under the White Paper, 69 networks and federations, including the NAPNs, amounting to €4.2 million. Funding of community workers co-operative projects in the amount of €358,413 under the PEACE programme is not affected by this decision.
