The future of community-led local development efforts across the country hangs in the balance due to the continuing Government indecision over funding after the end of this year. I seek a clear commitment from the Government for the continuation of the Local Development Programme from 2000 to 2006, with a focus on social exclusion and a financial bridging mechanism to enable partnership companies to function during the year 2000. Without such an unequivocal assurance from the Government the current situation is untenable, both from the point of view of programme continuity and the retention of experienced professional staff.
Nationally the Local Development Programme has achieved the following: a total of 13,100 long-term unemployed set up their own businesses with partnership assistance; 13,500 unemployed were placed in employment and a further 10,000, who availed of partnership supports, left the live register through making applications on their own behalf; more than 17,000 children from disadvantaged backgrounds participated in partnership funded preventative education projects; and partnerships initiated more than 1,400 community, environmental and infrastructural projects and assisted more than 13,000 adults on low incomes to participate in education and training programmes.
In County Kerry, the combined activities of Partnership Trá Lí Limited and South Kerry Development Partnership Limited include: support for the creation of more than 1,000 self-employment jobs, the majority of the people involved would otherwise be unemployed; support for more than 850 people re-entering the workforce through the local employment services; and access to education and training courses for more than 600 disadvantaged individuals.
In addition, both partnerships have been engaged in supporting an enormous range of initiatives to develop their localities from the point of view of enterprise, human resources and the environment. Together the two partnerships have brought more than £13 million of European and State funds into the county since 1995. The majority of this has been effectively targeted at disadvantaged sectors of the community and this fact has been recognised in numerous reports, including an independent mid-term review of the partnership groups by A & L Goodbody and the European Social Fund.
I add to the development of the two partnerships, the achievements of the local partnerships in my home town, Listowel, and in Castleisland. Both these partnership groups have been very effective, especially in helping the marginalised, the socially excluded, the unemployed and people who are disadvantaged generally. These people are worried that their employment will not be continued and that all their hard work and the progress they have made will have been futile.
As regards County Kerry, the loss of Objective One status, coupled with the apparent apathetic view of the Government towards those disadvantaged sectors of County Kerry which are dependent on the local partnership groups, presents a potentially bleak picture for future local development in the county. Perhaps the Minister can convince me otherwise.
I, and I am sure Deputy Broughan, want the Minister to make a clear statement of the Government's policy regarding the continuation of the partnership boards. The Minister has acknowledged their great work on several occasions. The Taoiseach has acknowledged publicly their contribution. Why then is there indecision about continuing their funding? What is the problem?