Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2009
135 Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he has concerns regarding the value for money aspect of Údarás na Gaeltachta; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34137/09]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am concerned that all bodies funded from my Department's Vote should deliver value for money (VFM) outputs and outcomes, especially in the present difficult economic environment.
In the case of Údarás na Gaeltachta, the body is required to set out a range of outputs that it will deliver, both in the context of the National Development Plan and my own Department's Annual Output Statement. The outputs achieved by Údarás are reported on annually and those reports are laid before the Oireachtas.
It may be noted that Údarás was a participant with the State's other industrial development agencies in the Inter-Agency Group to Review VFM Indicators. Furthermore, with specific regard to capital expenditure, the organisation is subject to the Department of Finance's Capital Appraisal Guidelines, which require, inter alia, that business cases and post-project reviews be carried out in order to ensure VFM.
It should be noted also that the statutory remit of Údarás relates, not only to economic development, but also to a wider framework encompassing the linguistic and cultural development of the Gaeltacht. Clearly, any assessment of the delivery of VFM outcomes for Údarás must have regard to these different facets of the organisation's statutory remit.
Finally, I can confirm that Údarás has been subject to periodic VFM reviews and that its work is kept under active review by my Department.
136 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the extent of the financial cuts imposed by him in 2009; the effect this has had on the respective services previously funded by him; the extent to which he has received correspondence from various community groups negatively affected by such cuts; the degree to which he will offer assistance to community and rural service groups in order to maintain essential services in the community and rural sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33242/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra824 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of schemes or activities financially backed by his Department which have been curtailed or suspended arising from budgetary cutbacks to date in 2009; his views on the future of such schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34566/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra826 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of groups, schemes and organisations, previously funded directly or indirectly by his Department and experiencing budgetary restraints; the extent and impact of such cutbacks; the degree to which schemes have been suspended, terminated or otherwise reduced in scale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34568/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra827 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of community based projects previously funded by his Department, directly or indirectly and which have been restricted or terminated through budgetary cuts; if action will be taken to identify the most sensitive areas expected to be affected; the action proposed to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34569/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra828 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the action he will take to address financial deficiencies caused by budgetary cutbacks in the voluntary and rural sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34570/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra829 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the areas in the community and rural sectors most affected by current budgetary cutbacks; the degree to which he has proposals to address the consequent damage to such initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34571/09]
Amharc ar fhreagra830 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the contact he has had or proposes to have with the community and voluntary sectors with a view to addressing their concerns arising from various budgetary cutbacks; the extent to which he will directly or indirectly address these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34572/09]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 136, 824 and 826 to 830, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department implements and funds a broad range of measures and programmes covering the areas addressed by the Deputy in his questions. In the context of the current economic climate, my primary concern has been and will continue to be the protection of front line services delivering vital programmes and initiatives, especially those focused on the needs of the most socially deprived communities, whether they be urban or rural. This should minimise negative consequences of funding reductions.
As I outlined in my response to Parliamentary Questions 38, 44 and 135 of the 17th June 2009, which were answered together, the revised 2009 allocation for my Department shows a gross reduction of €47.4m on the initial estimated allocation announced in October 2008. Full details of the reductions at an individual programme level are available in the Revised Estimates Volume 2009, which is available on-line on the website of the Department of Finance (http://www.finance.gov.ie/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=-1&CatID=13&m=f).
Against this background, no area is immune to cost cutting measures in the current economic environment. It is in this context that reduced budget allocations have been made to certain measures and programmes. I appreciate that this involves some difficult choices having to be made. I am acutely aware of the concerns of community and rural groups in this regard and it is why I have responded by placing such emphasis on the protection and prioritisation of front line services and support to customers/beneficiaries over administration, overheads and ancillary costs.
Both I, the Minister of State, and our officials are in regular and ongoing contact with the community and voluntary sector on the issues raised by the Deputy and are aware of their concerns. We will do what we can to address those concerns within the broader public policy and budgetary context.
The Deputy will be aware that across Government as a whole, we are taking a number of difficult decisions, but our approach is to do this in as balanced a way as possible. Although funding for some programmes operated by my Department has been curtailed or suspended, I still expect that a sufficient spend will be made in order to ensure continued positive impact across community, rural and voluntary sectors.
If the Deputy has a specific question about a particular programme, scheme, project, group or organisation I will be happy to deal with that.
