Noel Dempsey
Ceist:2 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has to support the five year parish initiative of Rural Resettlement Ireland Limited. [2341/95]
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Rural Resettlement Priority.
The aims of Rural Resettlement Ireland in tackling rural depopulation have my full support. My Department has paid grants totalling £100,000 towards the administrative and general expenses of the organisation in the past three years, including £50,000 in 1994.
The five-year parish initiative was launched by RRI earlier this month. I will be considering how my Department can support it. I should mention that the range of housing schemes already available can be used to assist families wishing to resettle and thus help to promote the initiative; these include the shared ownership, mortgage allowance and improvement works-in-lieu schemes.
I avail of this opportunity to congratulate Deputy Dempsey on his appointment as spokesperson for his party on the Environment.
I offer my congratulations to the Minister of State and her colleague, Minister of State, Deputy Allen. Is the Minister of State aware that funding for Rural Resettlement Ireland has dried up, that they are in need of an immediate injection of funds and that the four people they employ have been warned of a danger of being laid off? In view of that, would she take a decision as soon as possible, certainly within the next week or so, to avoid such occurrence? Furthermore, will she consider making multi-annual funding available to Rural Resettlement Ireland since they suffer, as do most other voluntary organisations, not knowing from one year to the next the Department's intentions? Will she give some firm commitment to future funding for them?
I am very much in favour of the work undertaken by Rural Resettlement Ireland. I will be in a position to provide some grant-aid, hopefully, in the near future. However, making promises for the future perhaps is not to be recommended. For example, I do not think many people would have prophesied that I would be in a position to make such a statement; probably it is a dangerous sport to engage in, that of giving long term commitments. However, I will take a decision at the earliest possible date.
I thank the Minister of State for that commitment and urge her to take that decision within a matter of days rather than months. Would she consider a proposal for a five-year — the duration of the relevant programme — funding from EC Structural Funds for the parish initiative advanced by Rural Resettlement Ireland on which I understand initial discussions had taken place?
As the Deputy said, there have been discussions. I would be more than happy to discuss ideas relating to the financing of Rural Resettlement Ireland. If the Deputy will table an appropriate question, I will certainly pursue that matter.