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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 14 Oct 2021

Vol. 1012 No. 6

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Charitable and Voluntary Organisations

Paul Donnelly

Ceist:

1. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if a review has been conducted by her Department or the Charities Regulatory Authority on whether the work of the authority and its €4 million annual budget is delivering increased confidence in and within charities. [49932/21]

Has a review been conducted by the Department or the Charities Regulator on whether the work of the regulator and its €4 million annual budget is delivering increased confidence in and within charities?

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Charities Regulator, under the aegis of my Department, is the State organisation responsible for registering and regulating all of Ireland's charities. It is important to note that the regulator is fully independent in the performance of its statutory functions, including investigations into the activities and conduct of charities.

All registered charities in Ireland, and their trustees, are subject to the provisions of the Charities Act 2009. Concerns about charities may be raised with the regulator and I am assured by the regulator that all such concerns are addressed. The level of trust and confidence in the charity sector is an important indicator of the overall health of the sector. In April, the regulator published its Irish public survey into society's attitudes and engagement with registered charities in Ireland. Overall, the results were encouraging, with 91% of respondents expressing reasonable trust in the sector and 36% rating their level of trust highly.

The programme for Government includes a commitment to update legislative provisions to ensure the Charities Regulator has the necessary powers to increase trust and confidence in the management and administration of charities. This work is at an advanced stage and proposals will be brought to the Government in the near future. The Charities Regulator has a budget of €4.6 million in 2021. As part of its governance oversight of the Charities Regulator, and in line with the code of practice for the governance of State bodies, my Department will be commencing a periodic critical review of the regulator shortly.

I am raising this because I got several complaints from registered charities that are having huge problems with bogus charities using their names to collect clothes. Criminals who were doing this were traced to a yard in my area in Blanchardstown. A registered charity sent me the following:

Over the last two years we have been fighting to put a stop to bogus collections being done using our name and logo. We found the yard and clothes were being sold and stored and contacted the gardaí in Blanchardstown. Unfortunately there seems to be no law to put a stop to them.

The criminals had a waste collection permit and the charity could not find out why. Even though the criminals were using a bogus charity and its logo, it seems that neither the Charities Regulator nor the Garda could do anything. Some 466 complaints were made to the Charities Regulator and 177 of those were on the legitimacy of an organisation as a charity. Can we have a look at this issue? It is eroding confidence in charities in the community. When people are giving, they want to know that they are giving to the right people.

It is difficult for me to comment on individual cases, particularly because they are under the purview of the Charities Regulator, but I will try to provide some reassurance. With over 11,000 charities on the register, the work of the regulator is vitally important. All registered charities in Ireland and their trustees are subject to the provisions of the 2009 Act, which sets out comprehensive legal obligations surrounding the definition of charities, their operation and their reporting requirements. The regulator has made significant progress in recent years with developments that are helping to restore public confidence in the sector, enhance compliance measures and ensure proportionate regulation. These have included the increased capacity of the regulator to address public concerns, the consolidation of supports available for the implementation of the charities governance code and the publication of safeguarding guidance. In support of the statutory responsibilities of charitable organisations and their trustees, the Charities Regulator introduced the charities governance code in 2018. The regulator has also provided a number of online training sessions during 2020 which are available on its website.

The critical issue we are facing is that although the Minister of State says that 91% of people say they have reasonable trust in the Charities Regulator, including 36% who have strong confidence in it, that shows that the regulator still has a long way to go. For people who are working in the charity sector and for the community it is essential that we have a much higher level of trust in the regulator to do the job it is supposed to do. That job is to ensure we have confidence that when we are donating to a charity it is a legal charity. We must have laws in place to ensure that when people are using the name, logo and number of a charity there is some sort of action that can be taken by the regulator to call in the Garda. That is fraud and I cannot understand why the Garda or the regulator cannot act.

Again it is difficult for me to comment without knowing the details of the case but I fully back the Deputy's sentiments on the need for people to have trust in charities. The regulator was established in 2014 and it has been growing its capacity ever since. This will be the first year it will have a full staff complement so it is moving in the right direction. That said, we are proposing changes to the law that frames the regulator. The proposed Bill intends to provide clarity in a number of areas, including accounting, audit and reporting requirements; the responsibilities of trustees; the operation of the register of charities; and other provisions, including sharing of information, sanctions, trustee remuneration and disposal of assets. Registered charities which are also companies are not legally required to submit an annual statement of accounts to the regulator but we are putting forward amendments to rectify this situation. That will significantly improve the levels of transparency and trust in charities more broadly.

Rural Schemes

Seán Sherlock

Ceist:

2. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department intends to facilitate a local improvement scheme in 2022; and if so, the criteria that will be applied to ensure an allocation of funds based on an equal and fair distribution across the country. [50256/21]

I wish to raise the local improvement scheme, LIS. It is a valuable scheme and one that has benefited many rural dwellers. Our perception is that a significant proportion of the 2021 allocation went to the Cavan and Monaghan region. Cork is the biggest county and the native county of the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, and it could argue by any objective analysis that it did not receive a proportionate and fair share of that allocation.

I will read this answer for the Deputy but his assumption is wrong. The LIS supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities and represents a vital piece of infrastructure for rural communities. The funding can be a lifeline for such communities, directly improving access to family farms and supporting economic activity. Over €80 million has already been provided for works on roads since the scheme was relaunched in 2017. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future. In that regard, I was pleased to announce an increased allocation for the scheme from €10.5 million to €11 million as part of budget 2022.

The amount of funding allocated to each local authority is typically determined by the physical area of each county, with minimum and maximum thresholds applied. However, the second tranche of €10.5 million that I announced for the LIS earlier this year was distributed based on the amount each local authority indicated it could deliver before the end of the year. This was to ensure that the funding would be fully delivered before the end of the year. In normal circumstances, and in the absence of reliable data on the number of roads eligible for the scheme in each county, I am satisfied that using the physical area of each county is a fair and transparent basis for allocating the funding. Having said that, the approach to allocating funding is considered each year in advance of launching the scheme.

I will keep the position under review in 2022.

To be clear, we told the local authorities to send us in a list of what they could do. If the local authorities were not able to send in lists, we decided that there was no point in them getting the money. The Deputy will have to revert to his local authority.

The metrics will clearly show that, in the second round, Cavan and Monaghan did extremely well. I take the point that the Minister is making in respect of the second tranche and the notification to individual local authorities, but I would argue that, by any reasonable analysis, the lead-in time in July and the deadline for receipt was very short. Cork, whether we like it or not, is the largest county with the most roads. The Minister of State sitting beside the Minister will attest to that fact.

Coming out of the second allocation, there was not a proportionate allocation across the board. Cork could tee up approximately €2 million in LIS projects, which would take a savage amount of an allocation out of the LIS. Cork, with the reasonable people that there are in the local authority, put in projects-----

Are you reasonable with your time as well?

-----for which there was a return for a minimal investment. All I am asking for in 2022 is equity across the board for every county.

The Deputy will have a chance to contribute again.

I will make this clear for the Deputy. The reason I was able to put extra money into the LIS was because savings had emerged during the year and local authorities had to spend the money before the end of the year. Each local authority was asked what it could deliver. It is not my problem if Cork cannot deliver, but Limerick is very good. It is just beside Cork and it got the largest allocation in the country. It got more than any other county or area. It got its act together, put its application in and got an allocation based on it stating that it could spend the money before the end of the year. Every county got 70% of what it asked for. If local authorities do not send in applications, I cannot give them money, particularly given that, due to how this scheme is designed, the money has to be spent before the end of the year. Actually, in the second round-----

The Minister will get a chance to contribute again.

We will have to carry this conversation on outside. All I am asking is that account be taken of the size of counties like Galway and Cork. They are big counties with a large number of roads, for which there is the potential to deliver more through the LIS. The whole nature of the LIS is to service roads that are unserviced by local authorities. We have a lot more of those in Cork than most other counties. I acknowledge what the Minister is saying in respect of Limerick and her own part of the world, but there needs to be a greater degree of flexibility or a longer lead-in time to allow local authorities to respond with projects. That is all I am asking for in 2022.

I understand that Cork is a large county and we want to see everything distributed fairly, which is what we are doing. With this fund, local authorities had to spend money by the end of the year. There was no point in my giving Cork twice what it asked for. Like everywhere else, it got 70% of what it asked for. Limerick got €1.1 million because it asked for a large allocation. It said it could get the roads done, so it got the money.

I moved more money into the LIS because I knew there were long lists across the country. The bigger picture is that the LIS was previously a Department of Transport scheme, and that Department has a substantially larger budget than mine. I have raised the issue of co-funding with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. In fairness, he has not ruled it out. He has to cut his cloth to his Department's measure, but we could get some matched funding from it, which would make a significant difference. I will continue to raise the matter with the Minister. Local authorities need to know that, if they get the money, they have to deliver.

National Development Plan

Claire Kerrane

Ceist:

3. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the impact the national development plan, NDP, will have on the spending by her Department; the provisions in the plan for rural and community development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50326/21]

What impact will the NDP have on spending by the Minister's Department and what provisions are in the plan for her Department?

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Deputy will be aware that, last week, the renewed National Development Plan 2021-2030 was launched. It is the largest NDP in the history of the State, amounting to €165 billion, with a focus on funding solutions to strengthen housing, climate ambitions, transport, healthcare, jobs growth in every region and economic renewal for the decade ahead.

While the plan is a whole-of-government approach, Chapter 8: Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities sets out details that will be delivered and administered by my Department. In March, I was delighted to launch Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025. The NDP will support the achievement of the ambitious objectives set out in that policy.

The budget for my Department in 2021 is €351 million, a 50% increase in the gross budget since the first full year of the Department's life in 2018. Regarding capital funding, this budget includes €87 million for our rural regeneration and development programmes, €44 million for the LEADER programme and €16 million in other rural supports, all of which are vital to the economic and social well-being of rural Ireland.

Over the life of the NDP, my Department's capital allocation will grow from €169 million this year to €192 million next year, €196 million in 2023, €200 million in 2024 and €205 million in 2025, with subsequent years to be added on a rolling basis. While the exact allocations for programmes will be decided as part of the annual budgetary process, this level of funding will ensure increased investment levels for all of the Department's schemes, building on the strong success of these schemes in recent years.

The Minister is saying that the capital funding of €962 million that was announced in the NDP will be spread out over a five-year period, starting with €162 million for 2021. Is the 2021 figure new money, by which I mean will the Minister's Department be getting additional money for the rest of the year? Is the €962 million announced in the NDP new money?

The Minister mentioned the importance of ensuring that the regions got their fair share. I have raised this matter with the Minister a number of times. Was the west and north west region considered in the NDP in any specific light, given that it is no longer a developed region and is now a region in transition? It has regressed.

The NDP will see significant increases in our funding programmes over the coming years. Those allocations are for each year. It is new money every year; it is additional money. We want to spend it in 2021 and I want to try to get as much of it out as possible. That is why I am putting a great deal of pressure on local authorities and project promoters to get their projects delivered and the money spent. It will be difficult for me to make the case for more money next year if I do not spend what I have this year. That is one of the reasons I moved money into the LIS. I wanted to get the money spent and I knew that people wanted to get their roads repaired. The point of that move was to get the money spent early in the year and to deliver much-needed improvements to the lanes that got the investment.

Regarding the €162 million for 2021 of the €962 million announced under the NDP, if I have those figures right, does the Minister know how much remains to be allocated? We are towards the end of the year.

Will the Minister reply to my question on the west and north west region? Was any specific focus given to it? When we look at the projects outlined in the NDP, can we see positive discrimination? Was that considered for the west and north west region? That would be important.

The west and north west region is the only region that is no longer developed, as stated by the EU Commission. It is also at the bottom of the table when it comes to funding across the State, compared to the south and the east.

In regard to the €162 million funding, many of the bills will come in at the end of the year. That is usually the case. The pressure is on to get as much in as possible. The last thing I want to do is return money to the Exchequer. I want to see the funding being spent on the ground.

The Deputy mentioned the north west. Like the Deputy, I come from that region and I am very aware of the challenges it faces. We work closely with the Western Development Commission in rolling out broadband, co-working spaces and remote working spaces. I visited Stranorlar a few weeks ago. Fantastic work is being done there. I met people who are working for multinational companies and can do so from Stranorlar, having moved there from Dublin. All of this will help to revitalise the towns and villages in the north west. I am willing to work with anybody to improve the situation.

Domestic Violence

Paul Murphy

Ceist:

4. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if her Department has been involved in supporting efforts to establish a domestic violence refuge in County Carlow; and if her Department provides assistance to such rural-based community services. [50090/21]

Over the last two years we have seen a shadow pandemic of violence against women yet in many rural communities and counties such as Carlow there is no domestic violence refuge available. The Carlow Women's Refuge Campaign supported by Councillor Adrienne Wallace has long been pushing for this injustice to be corrected. Numerous reports and experts have recommended it. Two temporary emergency accommodation units have been provided but this is far from adequate. Will the Minister agree that Carlow needs a refuge?

I thank the Deputy for the question. I can confirm that the Department of Rural and Community Development has had no involvement in the establishment of a domestic violence refuge in Carlow. I understand that, in the main, domestic violence issues are a matter for the Minister for Justice and are legislated for in the Domestic Violence Act 2018. My Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. A key objective of all of the Department's programmes is that they are targeted at those sectors, areas and individuals most in need and provide effective responses to ongoing and future economic and social challenges.

Of some relevance is the Department's community services programme, which supports community organisations to deliver local services and create employment opportunities for disadvantaged people through a social enterprise model. The programme provides a funding contribution to over 2,000 positions in over 400 community organisations throughout the country. The Department is providing SICAP funding in excess of the €220 million mentioned. This year, €39 million was allocated to the programme. I am delighted to say that an additional €4 million has been secured for SICAP in budget 2022. This represents a 10% budget increase for the programme, resulting in an additional 60 community workers nationwide.

I accept this matter is not the primary responsibility of the Minister of State, but a Department with responsibility for community and rural affairs should be supporting the fight for rural communities to get the services they need. I ask the Minister of State to add his name to the list of those calling for a women's refuge in Carlow, and in all those counties without one. I will set out a striking statistic. In the first nine months of this year, more than 500 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to the Garda in Carlow, but there is no local domestic violence refuge for those who need it. Instead, people are being sent to Kilkenny, Kildare and Dublin, causing unnecessary additional distress and uprooting their lives. The problem has been highlighted many times. Fr. Peter McVerry has described the absence of a refuge in Carlow as "scandalous".

I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge his point. Since 2018, some 1,138 individuals have been supported through SICAP in Carlow. The supports offered vary in accordance with the individual's circumstances. Examples of such supports are personal development, lifelong learning courses, health and well-being assistance and other labour market supports. In 2019, Carlow County Development Partnership carried out research on family homelessness which highlighted the plight of women affected by domestic violence and the need for a women's refuge in Carlow. It liaises with and refers women to the outreach worker from Amber Women's Refuge in Kilkenny and Carlow Women's Aid. Staff have supported women in crisis situations to access women's refuge services. Under its 2022 annual plan, Carlow County Development Partnership proposes to commission research into the ongoing need for a domestic violence refuge in Carlow, including what model would be most appropriate.

The absence of a refuge has been ongoing and highlighted for a number of years. In 2018, a report on homelessness in Carlow by Dr. Brendan O'Keeffe highlighted how women and children are often forced to stay in violent homes for the lack of a refuge. Tusla's 2019 needs analysis accepted that a refuge is "the most effective means for protecting women and children". The Carlow Women's Refuge Campaign was set up in 2018. An emergency motion was passed by Carlow County Council in 2019. All of the experts agree that a proper, full-time refuge that offers all of the safety requirements and supports, including childminding and counselling, is necessary in terms of safe accommodation for women and children.

I thank the Deputy. I refer to some useful points from the budget, particularly in regard to the Department of Justice. A funding package will be provided to extend legal aid for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Expenditure on victim supports for people who have suffered domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is also set to increase by €5 million, bringing total funding to €13 million, inclusive of €1 million to improve Garda divisional protective services units. These units are now operating in every Garda division to provide a consistent and professional approach to the investigation of sexual crime, child abuse and domestic abuse. Funding is provided for ongoing training for gardaí in priority areas such as combating domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. An additional €3.3 million is provided to support the work of the Legal Aid Board, including the provision of legal advice and legal aid services to victims of sexual offences.

I will make one other point that is of relevance in terms of rent supplement. A victim of domestic violence is eligible for rent supplement on referral by Tusla. Where an application is made, rent supplement will be provided for an initial three months and will not require a means test.

Departmental Funding

Seán Canney

Ceist:

5. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the measures she will put in place to increase funding already allocated under the rural regeneration and development fund to projects in which the costs have increased substantially due to the unprecedented rise in the cost of materials; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49400/21]

My question relates to the current problem in regard to costs for projects for which money has been already allocated. Costs are rising. Funding has been already been allocated. What measures are being put in place to top up the grants already provided to meet rising costs or is such a facility already in place?

I thank the Deputy for the question. The rural regeneration and development fund has to date approved funding of €252 million for 164 projects nationwide costing over €343 million. Projects initially approved for funding in principle progress through a comprehensive due diligence process before final confirmation of funding is provided by my Department. At each stage of this approval process, the project is reviewed by my Department to ensure it continues to meet its stated objectives, including financial sustainability. This review includes an assessment by an independent quantity surveyor to ensure all costs and contingencies have been included by the lead party.

However, any such case must be supported by a detailed justification from the lead party setting out the reasons for the increased cost, detailing exactly where the additional costs arose and outlining what was attributable to construction inflation. As the project would have been approved based upon the original budget, a full value for money review with an updated business plan must be provided by the lead party before any additional funding could be considered.

I thank the Minister for that very comprehensive reply. I am glad to see she is using the quantity surveying profession, of which I am member, to help her to keep the costs in check. I welcome her clarification that these costs are open for review because normally what happens on projects is when the application is made, applicants perhaps do not have the full design in place or the details done right, in the sense that they are not done fully. The contingency sum that would be built in would reflect that type of scenario. Given the unprecedented nature of the situation at the moment, there are unreal costs, especially for older buildings such as Loughrea Town Hall in my constituency. It will need a huge amount of insulation, and insulation costs are going through the roof. We also have other projects like that in the county where we find that costs have increased since the applications were first submitted and moneys granted two years ago. It is important we recognise that.

I have visited some of the really good projects in the Deputy's constituency, including the Athenry regeneration scheme and the Bia Innovator Project, which is an absolutely fantastic project that is going to make a huge difference. I was delighted it secured €3.5 million from the rural regeneration and redevelopment fund. There are a number of other projects, including Portumna Courthouse, which is another really good project. To be clear, we look at them on a case-by-case basis. If it is a matter of genuine construction inflation affecting costs, we can all understand that. However, I do not want requests coming in which expect us to cover costs raised by poor initial estimates - and that can happen - or by change in scope or a failure to factor in elements of the project identified as necessary later. I do not want half-baked stuff coming in and then applicants coming back looking for more money because it causes problems. I would rather see the money going to good projects that can be delivered. Sometimes if there is an overrun, there are delays and it holds the whole thing up.

Absolutely. I hope and trust the projects she mentioned in Athenry and Portumna, as well as those in Loughrea and Tuam, are not half-baked and the figures are correct, inasmuch as they could have been at the time. It is a picture of a cost at a particular time. I welcome the fact that it is being recognised by the Department that costs rise. I compliment its staff for all the work they have done right through Covid in working with the local authorities. I also compliment the Minister's predecessor, my great friend and colleague, Deputy Ring, who initiated a significant number of these schemes when he was in the Department. It is great to see that the Department is still thriving in what it is doing for rural Ireland. I congratulate the Minister for getting increased funding for towns and villages via LEADER in the budget. That is a lifeline for rural areas.

I thank the Deputy. I appreciate I am working from a very strong base. I inherited a great Department. Deputy Canney and Deputy Ring did a great deal of hard work and it is my honour to build on that work as I deliver more projects for rural Ireland.

To go back to Deputy Canney's original question, to date we have provided additional funding totalling €6.3 million for 20 projects, which are listed on the Department's website. When they find that projects are going to cost more than initially thought, applicants put in detailed submissions showing exactly why they need more money. I am happy to support that and my officials, in fairness to them, have worked extremely hard with a number of project promoters to try to ensure these projects are delivered if they need that bit of extra money. Deputies understand that this is taxpayers' money. We must ensure that it is spent properly and well and that there is good value for the taxpayer at the end of the day.

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