Vol. 547 No. 3
378 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science when the Ballybeg Community Education Project, St. Saviour's Parish Centre, Ballybeg, County Waterford, will be notified of funding under the fund for children at risk scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3225/02]
388 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Science when an application by the Ballybeg community development project under the early school leavers initiative will receive approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3327/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 388 together.
The Deputies refer to the fund for the development of targeted responses to children at risk that is overseen by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Hanafin. The purpose of this fund is to develop preventative and supportive programmes that are targeted at children and young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage and social exclusion.
An application for funding under this scheme was received from Ballybeg Community Education Project in 2001. Proposals submitted were appraised using the following criteria: whether the proposal addresses an identified need or needs of the target group in a meaningful way; whether the proposal has got potential to be applied on a broader basis; whether the proposal contributes to the advancement of Department policy on the retention and participation of the target group in education and training; the extent to which the proposal uses a multi-agency approach to achieve stated outcomes; and whether the sponsoring group has demonstrated its capacity to plan and manage the project to its conclusion.
In assessing applications, consideration was also given to Department supported interventions already in place in the areas concerned so as to avoid duplication of effort and resources. In this regard, my Department is providing support for an eight to 15 early school leaver project – ESLI – in the Ballybeg area. It was considered that there was a substantial overlap between the aims and objectives the target group identified and the services provided under both the ESLI project and the Ballybeg community education project. It was therefore decided that it would be inappropriate to continue to fund these projects on a separate basis. Accordingly, both projects have been requested to come together to develop a joint proposal for consideration by my Department. I have arranged for a co-ordinator to work with both groups with a view to developing a holistic plan that addresses the educational needs of the children at risk in the Ballybeg area.
