Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will move on to the social enterprise schemes. I would like to put this in perspective. Last night, I took a phone call from an organisation in Connemara, Teagmháil na nÓg, which has just received a letter from the local ETB - I keep calling it the VEC - to tell it that it is going to close. This is a special centre for children who drop out of school and it has been told it is going to close. I am looking at massive amounts of funds here. I just heard about it last night and I am going to get more details on it. Last year, all the politicians in Galway were called to a meeting because the youth federation, or an organisation like that, was about to close due to a lack of money. Two weeks ago, we got a call about an essential service where access takes place in time. It is about to close at the end of March. Various social enterprise ideas are coming forward. One example involves repairing bicycles. It cannot get a leg in to get help. That is just the background. I have mentioned a minute sample. Comhlachas na gComharchumainn, which represents all the co-operatives in the Gaeltachts and islands throughout Ireland, has made presentations to all of us. It is struggling to exist. There is something seriously wrong here. I do not wish to blame Mr. McCarthy individually. Is there any feedback? Is there any mechanism? We will take the co-operative movement. Has the Department engaged with Comhlachas na gComharchumainn? When its representatives were in Buswells Hotel and in the Dáil, they told us that a tiny amount of money would make such a difference. Has the Department engaged with them in relation to the dormant accounts?