Priority Questions. - Local Area Partnerships. – Dáil Éireann (29th Dáil) – Tuesday, 27 May 2003

Éamon Ó Cuív

I understand from ADM that there were no unnegotiated changes in the system of funding partnerships from multiannual funding to year-on-year funding.

The Deputy will be aware that ADM Limited manages the local development social inclusion programme on behalf of my Department. Allocations from within the budget available for the programme in 2003 have now been agreed by the board of ADM and notified to each partnership and community group.

ADM must manage the programme from within the budget available in my Department's Vote. This year the Vote of my Department for local development/social inclusion measures is €44.6 million, compared to an allocation of €47.6 million in 2002. This represents a decrease of 6% in the Vote. The reductions in available funding for 2003 are being managed on a sliding scale, ranging from 4% to 7%, depending on the annual budget of the area partnership company or community group.

As I have outlined to this House on a number of occasions in recent weeks, I am aware that some area partnership companies and community groups had the expectation of carry-over of previous years underspends into 2003. However, my Department must operate, as do all other Departments, on an annual cash basis and not on an accrual basis. Therefore, my Department cannot facilitate a cumulative carry-over of underspends.

I assure the Deputy that ADM is working closely with the area partnerships to minimise, as far as possible, the impact of the reductions in funding this year. The following tables set out the revised allocations to the various bodies in 2003.

Partnership	Expected Allocations2003	Actual Allocations2003	Percentage Change(%)
	€	€
Ballyfermot Partnership	770,308	716,386	7%
Ballymun Partnership	914,211	850,217	7%
Blanchardstown Partnership	825,330	735,001	7%
Canal Communities Partnership	825,330	767,557	7%
Bray Partnership	888,817	826,599	7%
Cavan Partnership	825,330	767,557	7%
Clondalkin Partnership	1,206,251	1,121,814	7%
Cork City Partnership	1,269,738	1,180,856	7%
Cumas Teo Partnership	736,448	692,261	6%
Donegal Local Development	1,168,159	1,086,396	7%
Drogheda Partnership	850,725	791,174	7%
Dublin Inner City Partnership	1,206,251	1,121,814	7%
Dundalk Employment Partnership	888,817	826,599	7%
Finglas/Cabra Partnership	1,206,251	1,121,814	7%
Galway City Partnership	838,027	779,365	7%
Galway County Partnership	1,168,159	1,086,388	7%
Inishowen Partnership	787,238	732,131	7%
KWCD Partnership	1,015,790	944,685	7%
Leitrim Partnership	799,935	743,940	7%
Longford Partnership	799,935	743,940	7%
Meitheal Mhaigheo Partnership	1,117,370	1,039,154	7%
MFG Teo – Donegal Gaeltacht	787,238	732,131	7%
Monaghan Partnership	850,725	791,174	7%
Northside Partnership	1,206,251	1,121,814	7%
OAK Partnership	799,934	743,940	7%
PAUL (Limerick) Partnership	1,206,251	1,121,814	7%
Roscommon Partnership	799,935	743,940	7%
Sligo Partnership	761,843	708,514	7%
South Kerry Partnership	857,073	797,078	7%
Southside Partnership	1,047,534	974,207	7%
Tallaght Partnership	1,206,251	1,121,814	7%
Tralee Partnership	825,330	767,557	7%
Waterford City Partnership	888,817	826,599	7%
Waterford County Partnership	298,136	283,229	5%

Partnership	Expected Allocations2003	Actual Allocations2003	Percentage Change(%)
	€	€
Westmeath Community Development	730,099	655,767	6%
Wexford Area Partnership	888,817	826,599	7%
Wexford County Partnership	1,237,995	1,151,335	7%
West Limerick Resources	761,843	708,514	7%

Community Group	Expected Allocations2003	Actual Allocations2003	Percentage Change(%)
	€	€
Action South Kildare	666,612	626,616	6%
Arklow Community Enterprise Ltd.	228,553	219,411	4%
Athlone Community Taskforce	292,040	277,438	5%
Avondhu Development Group	380,921	361,875	5%
Ballon & Rathoe Development Association	63,487	60,947	4%
Ballyhoura Development Ltd	539,639	507,260	6%
Bantry Integrated Development Group	266,645	253,313	5%
Borrisokane Area Development Network	171,415	164,558	4%
Carlow Area Network Development Organisation	603,126	566,938	6%
Castlecomer District CommunityDevelopment Network	253,948	241,250	5%
Clonmel Community Partnership	253,948	241,250	5%
Rathmines Information Centre	317,435	301,563	5%
Cooperation Fingal	253,948	241,251	5%
East Cork Development Ltd	351,071	336,367	5%
Eiri Corca Baiscinn	406,316	386,000	5%
Ennis West Partners	165,066	158,063	4%
IRD Duhallow	507,895	477,422	6%
Kilkenny Action Network	253,948	241,250	5%
Lucan 2000	152,369	152,369	0%
Meitheal Mhuscrai/ Comhar Dhuibhne	279,342	268,169	4%
Mount Mellick Development Association	266,645	253,313	5%
Navan Travellers	152,369	146,274	4%
Nenagh Community Network	184,122	176,748	4%
North Kerry Together Ltd	406,316	386,000	5%
North Meath Community Development Association	285,691	271,407	5%
Obair Newmarket on Fergus Ltd	165,066	158,463	4%
Portlaoise Community Action Project Ltd	177,763	170,653	4%
Roscrea 2000 Ltd	222,204	213,316	4%
Sliabh Luachra	304,737	289,500	5%
TIDE	190,461	182,842	4%
Tullamore Wider options	177,763	170,653	4%
West Offaly Integrated DevelopmentPartnership	241,250	231,600	4%
Wicklow Working Together	177,763	170,653	4%

Employment Pact	Expected Allocations2003	Actual Allocations2003	Percentage Change(%)
	€	€
Dundalk/ Drogheda	241,250	219,538	9%
Westmeath	203,158	184,187	9%
Dublin	444,408	404,411	9%
Limerick	266,645	242,647	9%

Mr. O'Dowd

I am unhappy with Minister's response because the partnership companies will tell him, through PLANET, their organisation in Wexford, that there is a shortfall of over €2.2 million in their budgets. Is the Minister aware of this? Did he not meet them on 13 May?

Is it not a fact that partnerships deal with the most disadvantaged and deprived sections of the community and that, in particular, the following partnerships have told the Minister that they will not now have adequate resources, particularly for education? Five homework clubs in Longford community resources will be reduced by 20%, the County Wexford partnership will cut its prevention of early school-leaving programme by €55,000 and the County Monaghan after school clubs programme will be cut by over €8,100.

The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is savagely cutting third level education programmes which the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, made such a play about. The Clondalkin higher education access project has been cut, and, particularly, the Finglas/Cabra partnership will be reducing its access to third level education programmes by 50% due to the inadequacy of the funding Deputy Ó Cuív is providing to these people. If his Government means anything, it means it is neglecting the communities which are deprived and which are in need, and the partnerships, in particular, are suffering as a result of the cutbacks.

Éamon Ó Cuív

As I have stated today and before on numerous occasions, the facts speak for themselves. There was a 6% cut in the budget for this programme this year. How that cut was managed and the decision to spread it equally across all the partnerships on a basis that the smaller ones got cut by 4% and the larger ones by 7%, was a matter for ADM. Therefore, if any of the partnership have difficulties regarding specific programmes which they feel should have got priority over other programmes, that matter should be taken up directly with ADM. As Minister, I do not have the control or the power to direct ADM regarding specific projects. I provide the global sum of money which, in this case, is 6% less – no more, no less – than the money in the previous year's Estimate.

Mr. O'Dowd

I repeat that the facts are that the partnerships' budgeting is multiannual, and the Minister knows that.

Éamon Ó Cuív

It is not multiannual.

Mr. O'Dowd

I am not talking about the Minister's budget, which is annual, but the partnerships were budgeting on multiannual funding. They spent approximately €400,000 before Christmas and the remainder of the €2.2 million was drawn down to be paid after Christmas. The partnerships are the victims in this dispute between the Minister and ADM. The partnerships have the poverty programmes and they will implement them if the Minister funds them. The partnerships are the victims of this Government's lack of resource provision to the disadvantaged. The Minister cannot escape the fact that he is the Minister and he must provide the funding. The partnerships had every expectation and are doing a wonderful job. I ask the Minister to reconsider what he has just said. He is effectively saying that he will do nothing to help them at this stage and that as Minister he cannot intervene with ADM. He can intervene if he wishes.

The Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, was able to get €45 mill ion from the budget of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Harney. Surely the Minister can get the €2.2 million that the partnerships require to run these programmes for the deprived and the people who need to access education at either second or third level.

Éamon Ó Cuív

Figures are being thrown around like snuff at a wake. I am amazed at how the figures keep moving. I had a fruitful and positive meeting with PLANET recently. We jointly had a good understanding of the situation. I must reiterate that ADM does not say it has a multiannual arrangement with the partnerships. I cannot find out where this multiannual understanding came into being for the period 2000 to 2003. I accept that prior to that, when it was a European-funded scheme, there was multiannual funding. ADM has informed me that it understood perfectly that when the Estimate was published – approximately €44 million for the year 2003 – it acted on that without demur or any representation to me. It took the decision without reference to me, as was its right, to spread the 6% cut by cutting the funding to the smaller groups by 4% and the larger groups by 7% on a straight line basis without making individual assessments of each case. That was its decision and anybody who is unhappy with that arrangement should refer to ADM.

This House often amazes me. Ministers are often damned if they do and damned if they do not. We keep insisting on setting up structures independent of Ministers and when those independent structures do something we do not like, we insist on coming back and contradicting ourselves and asking why the Minister does not interfere. ADM was set up as independent of the Minister, the decision has been made and anybody who is not happy should go back to ADM.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 27 May 2003