Joe Walsh
Ceist:317 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to arrange payment of a grant to a resource centre (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14376/96]
Written Answers. - Resource Centre Grant.
The position regarding funding of the resource centre in question is as follows. The centre has been funded under the Community Development Programme. However, certain difficulties have arisen in the running of the project as a result of which the Department is no longer in a position to continue funding it under the programme.
There are some 80 projects at present in the programme or in the course of being set up.
Inevitably, some of the projects will experience difficulties. The Department's approach in all such cases is to work constructively with all concerned to try to resolve the problem and reestablish the project concerned on a sound footing and this has been done in this case. Unfortunately all such efforts over a period of years have failed.
The Department has emphasised however, that the door is still open to the project in question if agreement can be reached on implementation of the compromise solution put forward in a letter of 11 June to the current management committee. Withdrawal of funding to a Community Development Programme project is very much a last resort undertaken with reluctance when all other reasonable steps have failed over a long period of time.