Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have the floor to myself, I ask the Chairman to indulge me for two minutes. The staff of the programme in Mayo north-east have done a great deal of good work under the new regime and are delivering the local community development programme, the local employment service, the jobs initiative, FÁS, the rural social scheme and the community employment scheme.

Between the participants and those who operate it, nearly 400 people are involved. It is undergoing audits with different State agencies and Departments, such as the Department of Social Protection, Pobal, the county council and so on. People in north-east County Mayo are losing out massively. Initially, and I acknowledge this figure was adjusted downwards, they were to benefit from the investment into the region of approximately €10.8 million. However, only €4.4 million has been paid out and allocated to date. This is the programme's final year and a year has been lost. Not a second day goes by without some community organisation expressing to me its interest in pursuing a tourism or enterprise initiative and I can only tell it there is nowhere to go. Consequently, I ask the Minister to reinstate the rural development programme for that company, even if that be under supervision. I thank the Minister and thank the Chairman for his indulgence.