Vol. 509 No. 2
37 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will make a statement on the future of area based partnerships; the strategy he has for minimising disruption to area based companies and their activities while the next national development plan is being formulated and agreed; and if the necessary funding will be available to ensure continuity for staff and projects. [19895/99]
38 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the assurances, if any, he will give the area based partnerships that the changeover period between the current local development programme and any subsequent programme will not affect the work of the partnerships or the community and disadvantaged groups with whom the partnerships work; the proposals, if any, he has for transitional funding for the partnerships; the money, if any, set aside in the Estimates for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19988/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 38 together.
I confirm that work is well under way on the new national development plan, but in the absence of final Government decisions on content, it is not possible for me to give any figures on future funding for local development type activities. However, the Government is fully committed to the fundamentally important task of tackling social exclusion in deprived areas and ensuring that the overall objectives of current programmes remain a priority.
Each area partnership-ADM community group carries out its activities under a plan which is prepared by itself and approved by ADM. The current operational programme for local, urban and rural development requires that all commitments to funding actions under these plans are made by the end of 1999. Actual spend can continue until the end of 2001 to ensure the successful completion of the current programme.
The board of ADM has recently made allocations, including some recent extra allocation of ESF funds, to partnerships which should allow activities under current plans to continue into next year by which stage arrangements for implementation of the upcoming national development plan, including social inclusion measures, should be in place and operational. Therefore, the 2000 Estimates will reflect that position and include provision accordingly for area based partnerships and community groups.
While it is difficult to finalise a comprehensive strategy to oversee the transition from the old to the new national development plans until the details of new social inclusion measures have been agreed with the EU Commission, the Government will endeavour to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.
Will the Minister guarantee that the 800 jobs in the 38 partnerships and the 400 jobs funded by the community employment scheme will be secured until such time as there is a final decision on the new national development plan in order to protect the motivation and commitment of those involved and ensure that the partnerships have the confidence and ability to maintain the premises that are rented and meet their other obligations? Will he make a clear-cut, unambiguous statement regarding ADM and Exchequer funding?
When we discussed this matter previously I undertook to meet representative organisations, including Planet and the chairs of the partnerships, which I did on 10 and 17 May 1999. We discussed the issues Deputies Allen and Moynihan-Cronin raised and I heard their concerns directly from them. In recent times I met the board of ADM to pursue these and other issues and I am pleased the board was able to confirm that it had allocated some additional funding, including that which had come to hand through the ESF funds, to the partnerships which will, according to ADM, allow the activities under the current plan to continue into next year.
I was also able to inform ADM that the 2000 Estimates which we will, no doubt, consider in this House shortly, will include funding which will be part of the new national development plan in relation to the future funding of partnerships. I am satisfied that the partnerships will be able to continue into next year without interruption. Both partnerships and community groups have made a considerable contribution towards dealing with social inclusion issues. It is the Government's objective to ensure no difficulties arise. There will be some loss of individuals from partnerships who seek to further their career as they would be entitled to do in seeking alternative opportunities, particularly based on the very considerable experience they would have gained through their work with the partnerships.
I appreciate what the Minister of State said. He will be aware that we are reaching a stage where the groups need specific answers. I ask him to assure us and the partnerships that the figure included in the Estimates for transition funds for the partnerships is adequate to cover their operation costs. Does the Minister agree that, given the delay in the publication of the national development plan and the subsequent delay in agreement in Brussels, it may well be early in 2001 before any operational programmes begin to be implemented? What is the Minister's opinion on that?
I assure the Deputy that my colleague, the Minister, Deputy McDaid, and I made a very strong and forceful presentation to the Minister for Finance who has responsibility for drawing together the national development plan. We are satisfied that we had some success in the manner in which we made our submission. I am happy that ADM is aware of the concerns of Members as regards funding and I am pleased it is able to support the views of Members through the additional allocation to carry on into next year. I will continue to monitor the situation carefully to ensure that any arrangements that are needed to ensure its smooth transit with the minimum of disruption will be put in place. I welcome the inclusion of moneys in the Estimates for this programme. It will have a positive impact on the drawing down of funding which might have been lacking in the previous programme.
Can I interpret the Minister of State's comments as saying to the partnerships, "Continue as you are at present and enter into commitments as regards the renting of premises and the appointment of staff", and the 38 partnerships with 800 full-time staff can continue as they are until the national development plan is published and the funding becomes available? Is the Minister telling the partnerships to continue as they are?
They must be guided by the instructions they receive from ADM and they must respond to it. No decisions have been taken on the totality of future local development funding. The national development plan has not yet been put in place and further discussions must take place on many aspects of it, including social inclusion measures. I do not want to mislead anyone and say that the partnerships and community group support will be the same as it was in the previous plan. That clearly is not the case.
Therefore, until the publication and implementation of the new plan they can continue as they are.
I do not give the authority to partnerships to enter into—
The resources will be there.
As I have outlined, the resources have been provided by ADM with some additional resources to enable partnerships and community groups to continue with their work but they must abide by any strictures set down by ADM. That is the orderly way in which we manage the partnerships and community groups but I am satisfied that ADM has made considerable progress with regard to the funding to which the Deputy referred.
Everyone is aware that the ADM has provided transitional funding but this does not let the Government off the hook. I want the Minister to give an assurance that there will be sufficient funding available to the partnerships to ensure a smooth transition, that the core activities of the partnerships will continue and that the base staff are kept in place. We cannot continually depend on the ADM to provide funding for the partnerships.
Additional funding has been provided to partnerships and community groups by ADM.
How much?
Can the Minister of State quantify it?
I am not in a position to quantify the amount.
That is the question.
We cannot assume that the partnership and community group structure as currently organised will continue exactly as it is in the next programme. That would be to pre-empt negotiations with the social partners and those relevant aspects of the development plan. There will be changes. I have indicated to Planet and its representatives that there will be a change in terms of the partnership and community group structures.
How can the Minister of State give assurances if he cannot tell us how much it will be? Will it be £5, £10, £1,000 or £1 million? Have staff been told their contracts are terminating? Can the Minister confirm that?
I do not want to give a figure off the top of my head, but it is in the millions.
The Minister of State should have the figures.
It is certainly in the millions. It might amount to—
Might.
—close on £5 million. If the Deputy wants a specific sum I will provide him with that. He does not have to panic about it. I will make it—
I am not panicking but that is the key factor.
—available to the Deputy but I want to repeat—
I'm not panicking. It is the staff who are panicking.
Will the Deputy cease interrupting?
I will provide that information to the Deputy as requested. Change will be introduced in the partnership and the committee group structure as operated under the previous plan. I have already had discussions with Planet to inform them of that fact so it will not be identical to the previous programme.
Question No. 39.
Will staff contracts be maintained? The Minister does not know.
I know very well.
Contracts will not be maintained.
