Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 November 2014
979. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the National Collective of Community Based Women's Networks was excluded from participating in the social inclusion and community activation programme tendering process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41004/14]
View answer980. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views regarding the potential job losses in the National Collective of Community Based Women's Networks projects across the country due to potential lack of funding; if his attention has been drawn to the problems regarding funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41005/14]
View answer981. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm that funding of €1.34 million for the National Collective of Community Based Women's Networks will be ring-fenced to prevent job losses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41006/14]
View answer1009. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the National Collective of Community Based Women's Networks will receive interim funding until the end of March 2015 as stage one of the procurement process will not be complete until then; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41315/14]
View answer1047. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding funding for the National Collective of Community Based Women's Networks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41846/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 979 to 981, inclusive, 1009 and 1047 together.
My Department’s Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP) is the largest social inclusion intervention of its kind in the State. The current Programme officially ended at the end of 2013 having operated for four years with funding of €281m over that period. It is being implemented on a transitional basis for 2014 with a budget of €47m pending the roll out of the new Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) in April 2015.
The SICAP is one of my key priorities and its overall indicative budget for 2015 has been maintained close to 2014 levels. The Programme’s target groups are:
- Children and Families from Disadvantaged Areas
- Lone Parents
- New Communities (including Refugees/Asylum Seekers)
- People living in Disadvantaged Communities
- People with Disabilities
- Roma
- The Unemployed (including those not on the Live Register)
- Travellers
- Young Unemployed People from Disadvantaged areas
In accordance with the Public Spending Code, legal advice, good practice internationally and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, the Programme is subject to a public procurement process, which is currently under way. Stage one (Expression of Interest) has been completed. Stage two (Invitation to Tender), got underway on 20 October and involves the successful applicants from Stage one being invited to apply to one or more Local Community Development Committees, in local authority areas, to deliver the programme. Contracts for SICAP will be determined following the outcome of the procurement process.
The public procurement process is a competitive process that is open to Local Development Companies, other not-for-profit community groups, commercial firms and national organisations that can provide the services to be tendered for to deliver the new Programme. In Stage one, joint applications were encouraged and organisations of varying sizes (for example smaller organisations working in consortia with larger organisations) were invited to submit joint applications. That said, I understand that some small groups, such as the groups under the remit of the NCCWN, faced a number of challenges in competing in the Stage one process. The results of Stage one were released on 24 September 2014 and I can confirm that none of the NCCWN groups expressed an interest either as lead applicants or as part of a consortium.
I am now considering the implications of that for NCCWN and will conclude that consideration as soon as possible. In the meantime, LCDP funding will be provided to NCCWN up to end March 2015.
