Róisín Shortall
Ceist:36 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the initiatives, if any, taken by his Department which are targeted at women; and the budget allocated to each initiative. [2675/98]
Written Answers. - Departmental Policies.
It is acknowledged that women, in both urban and rural areas, can experience particular problems arising from poverty and marginalisation and that women's groups and community groups have an important role in tackling these problems. Particular emphasis is placed in the various grant schemes operated by my Department on support for community-based initiatives targeted at disadvantaged women. Schemes of particular relevance in this regard are the community development programme; the family and community services resource centre programme; and the scheme or grants for locally-based community and family support groups The community development programme was established in 1990 in recognition of the role of community development in tackling poverty and disadvantage. The programme provides financial assistance to projects towards the staffing and equipping of local resource centres which provide a focal point for community development activities in the area and to other specialised community development projects and initiatives having a strategic importance. The projects provide a range of supports, development opportunities and services to community groups and individuals within their areas. However, work with women and participation by women are high priorities across most projects in the programme.
At present there are some 90 projects participating in the programme or in the process of being set up. An additional £1.233 million over the 1997 Estimate has been provided in 1998 for the continued expansion of the CDP.
In 1994, to mark the International Year of the Family, an allocation of £250,000 was made available by the Department to fund a number of family resource centres. The decision was motivated by the perception of a possible gap in statutory support for community development activities focused on support for families and tackling child poverty. Ten centres were funded on a three year pilot basis and all centres were characterised by a focus on work with women.
An evaluation of the work of these centres was published in 1997. The key recommendation of the report was that funding of these centres should be mainstreamed by this Department as a family and community services resource centre programme. In addition, the Commission on the Family, in its submission on the 1998 budget, considered that these centres have significant potential as a primary preventative strategy and endorsed the recommendation for significant expansion of the Department's funding programme to support a network of centres throughout the State.
Recognising the important role played by these centres in supporting families this programme is being expanded in 1998 and an additional £700,000 was provided in the 1998 budget to this end.
The total provision in 1998 for both these programmes is £7.76 million.
My Department has for many years provided assistance to voluntary and community groups through a range of once-off grant schemes: scheme of grants to voluntary organisations; scheme of grants to locally-based women's groups; scheme of grants to locally-based men's groups; scheme of grants to lone parent groups and community development education and training grants scheme.
As many of these groups provide supports for the family my Department has, in 1998, introduced a new integrated scheme of grants to community and family support groups, integrating the former schemes of grants to locally-based women's groups, locally-based men's groups and lone parent groups.
This scheme will provide grants to locally-based community and family support groups involved in programmes of self-help and personal development designed to tackle poverty and disadvantage and improve family life. This scheme will continue the existing supports for women's, men's and lone parents groups, while also giving the Department the flexibility to respond to the needs of local community development groups that comprise both men and women, family support groups that focus on helping individuals and communities in the family context.
In addition to the main schemes, a total of 27 more established women's groups and networks are in receipt of three year core-funding in the range £8,000 to £35,000 under this scheme. A total of £354,000 is committed to these groups in 1998, which represents an increase of £41,000 on 1997. This funding category will continue to be expanded in 1998.
The total budget for the scheme of grants for locally-based community and family support groups and other once-off grants schemes operated by the Department is £2.825 million in 1998. Another initiative being undertaken by my Department and targeted directly at women relates to access by women to labour market opportunities and supports including mainstream vocational education, training and employment programmes. A working group under the chairmanship of my Department and representative of all the four pillars represented at Partnership 2000 is currently reviewing the underlying issues in this area with a view to increasing gender equity in access to such programmes and improving job opportunities. I expect to receive the group's report by the summer.
I would also refer the Deputy to the increase announced in the recent budget in the minimum weekly rate of maternity benefit to £83.70 which is payable to women for up to 14 weeks. This new rate will be paid the first week in June 1998. The estimated cost of the increase in 1998 will be £90,000 in a full year.