asked the Minister for Health the Government funds allocated to the Irish Red Cross in each of the last four years; and the proposed allocation for 1989.
Written Answers. - Irish Red Cross.
215.
The Irish Red Cross Society is funded mainly by the Department of Defence. A total of £9,000 was allocated to the Irish Red Cross by the health boards in each of the last four years. These allocations are largely in respect of services, such as transport, provided by the Red Cross to complement services provided by other voluntary bodies such as social service councils. The figure for 1989 is not yet available.
216.
asked the Minister for Health his views on whether it would be appropriate for funds from the national lottery to be used to fund on-going work funded by the Exchequer, such as the Irish Red Cross, in view of the fact that national lottery funds will be undependable, and that the clear intention was that they would go to additional projects over and above normally funded activity.
The Irish Red Cross Society is funded by the Department of Defence and any issues relating to that society's funding are matters for the Minister for Defence.
I accept, however, that there are aspects of the society's activities which would have relevance to my Department. Indeed I am in receipt of applications from a number of branches of the Irish Red Cross Society for lottery funds for developments in the community care areas. I would not see any problem in distributing funds from the lottery to voluntary organisations such as the Irish Red Cross Society, for such type of developments if sufficient lottery funds were available.