Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Senator that, regardless of whether there is a deal or no deal, the PEACE programme will continue. It is a European programme. I have got a further increase in funding in respect of that very important programme this year. The programme will remain in place to provide support on a North-South basis regardless of what happens with Brexit. It will probably be needed more than ever if there is no deal.

The Senator mentioned a review of the community services programme. The latter is being reviewed to provide reassurance to various groups. I want to protect the groups that need protection. The Senator knows about that more than anybody else because she was involved in the community sector. Work is being done in north Mayo and in places like that where if it were not for the community services programme, services would not be provided. The Government and the Department part-fund the groups. Last year, I noted a difficulty in meeting the minimum wage payment. I had an equalisation fund and diverted €1 million from it. I did not ask anybody to submit applications. I met representatives from Pobal, which had assessed the programmes and had all the relevant information. Where groups had money in the bank, we did not have to support them. We supported the weaker groups. I allocated €1 million to the groups that needed it most. We have the Helping Hands information sessions. The Senator referred to the groups who need the money most. There are groups that are very good at getting professional help in the context of completing forms but I do not like that in terms of the securing of funding. Rather, I want to give the money to the people who need it most. I try to target money where it is needed most. That is why I got my departmental officials together with representatives of Pobal to go out and talk to the groups. It is one good initiative we did in the Department. We had big audiences at all the venues where the meetings were held. People got feedback on schemes and help in filling application forms. As in the case of Mayo, without even glancing at the funding allocated when I get the details from Pobal, I could nearly name the first five or six on the list, but that is not right. That is not what the schemes are about, rather they are about giving the money to the groups that need it most. However, we must also recognise the groups that are doing well, that have savings, those that are able to manage their programmes and that have been able to secure some funding. That is important.

We need some of the groups to be doing well in order that we can support the ones that are not doing so well. The reason I called for the review is because I need to protect the programme. I want people to know that this review is not designed to try to get rid of anybody. Rather, it is to ensure that we are getting the best value for money, that the money is being targeted where it is needed and that there is no waste in the scheme. The Senator and I know of places in Mayo where if it were not for the community service programme and the allocation of funding of €19,000 for the salary of an employee and €32,000 for the salary of an manager, there would not be a scheme in place. I provided for an allocation from the equalisation fund to meet the minimum wage for those employed in these schemes last year. I look at that again this year to see if there is anything I can do. We do not pay the full salary for these people. I have a decision to make in the next few days regarding the bringing in of more groups in order to provide them with an opportunity to develop. If I have to deal with meeting the minimum wage for these people, I will not be able to bring in more groups. There are organisations that want to develop and that want to enter the programme. There are also organisations that need some support. I have to look at ways and means to support them.

The Senator spoke about the dormant account measures. I am looking at ways to provide support where there is a need in communities, where groups are not able to get funding from schemes that are in place. That is the reason I set up specified schemes. The Senator mentioned the social innovation fund. We allocated €5 million to it and €2 million to the social enterprise development fund. Such funding is to give groups an opportunity to develop programmes. The scheme with respect to the Dormant Accounts Fund is not the easiest to administer. I must have the funding in my budget line and draw it down from Government after that which creates a problem. It would be better if I could have the funding and spend it and then draw down from the fund but that is not the way it works. I must have the funding in my budget line, I must negotiate it even though when we spent the money we get it back from the Government. If there is €30 million of €40 million in the fund, we cannot simply spend it. I must have the funding in my budget line and other Departments get their share of the Dormant Accounts Fund. While my Department administers the respective scheme, in some cases we do not have control over where the funding goes. The Departments of Health and Education and Skills and other Departments have their respective schemes.