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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Jan 1990

Vol. 394 No. 8

Written Answers. - Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Funding.

Eric J. Byrne

Ceist:

50 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a dispute between the Eastern Health Board and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre as a result of which the board are withholding badly needed national lottery and grant allocations from the centre; if, in view of the importance of the work carried out by the centre, he will intervene to try to seek a solution to the dispute; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

In view of the amount of misleading information about this subject I would like to avail of this opportunity to put on record the facts about the funding of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

Late in 1988, the centre reported that it was experiencing serious financial difficulties. In response to this, I decided to allocate a grant of £20,000 for the centre from the national lottery proceeds. It was made clear at the time that the grant was to be channelled through the Eastern Health Board and was subject to the centre reaching agreement with the board on the co-ordination of its services with the statutory services being provided by the board. I also made arrangements for the health board to assist the centre in resolving its financial difficulties.

In his Budget Statement of January 1989 the Minister for Finance announced that the Government had decided to make available a grant of £100,000 towards the restructuring of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. It was subsequently decided that this grant would also be channelled through the Eastern Health Board.
A review of the financial circumstances of the centre was undertaken in January 1989 by the health board's finance officer. It emerged that the main financial problem was a large accumulated debt owing to the Revenue Commissioners for outstanding PAYE and PRSI contributions in respect of its staff. Because of the threat of imminent court proceedings, the health board paid over a sum of £90,452 to the centre on 28 February last to discharge the debt to the Revenue Commissioners for outstanding PAYE and PRSI.
At the same time, representatives of the centre agreed that any further payments would be subject to the completion of a report on the activities and finances of the centre by a review team which had been established by the health board. Unfortunately, the review team experienced considerable difficulties in completing their task because of the absence within the centre of any information base on its activities and the necessity to put in place an agreed arrangement for the collection of detailed data on the level and type of services being carried out there. As a result, the report on the centre's services and activities did not become available until November 1989.
In the meantime, a further grant of £10,500 was made available by the board to the centre in September last.
Following recent discussions between representatives of the centre and officials of the health board, a grant of £20,000 issued to the centre recently. This covers all outstanding balances of funds allocated to the centre from the national lottery and in the 1989 budget.
The question of direct health board funding for the centre in the future is to be the subject of further discussions between the centre and the health board based on agreed arrangements for the co-ordination of their services with those of the board.
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