Vol. 499 No. 2
130 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will list all voluntary organisations working with offenders or ex-offenders funded by his Department in 1998, or the last year for which full information is available; the purpose for which grant aid was provided; the amount sought; and the amount given in each case. [2398/99]
My Department operates a number of grant schemes which concentrate on a wide range of support for local self-help groups, community development, welfare rights and information work, and on the provision of seed money to enable community groups to pilot initiatives identified as meeting new and emerging community needs.
Under the various grants schemes, funding can be made available to community development and family support groups involved in programmes of self-help and personal development designed to tackle poverty and disadvantage and improve family life.
Funding of organisations which provide rehabilitative services for offenders or ex-offenders is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and is not a specific focus of the grants schemes operated by my Department. However, ex-offenders or offenders do participate in self-help and personal development programmes run by local community development and family support groups funded under these grants schemes, but it is not possible to quantify this involvement or isolate the numbers involved.
Full details of funding provided to voluntary and community groups under the various grants schemes up to and including 1997 are held in the Oireachtas Library for the attention of Members. Details of the grants paid to voluntary and community groups in 1998 are currently being compiled and will be available in the Oireachtas Library shortly.
