Ian Marshall (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Rooney for her presentation. I want to make a couple of points but I will not go over points already covered. The witnesses have outlined a broad range of projects that have been successful. Very often, however, with these types of initiatives, certain buzzwords and language are used that ensure the application will probably be successful because of the way it was constructed and how it ticks certain boxes. Has Ms Rooney found gaps emerging because of this process, whereby the Department has found it does not have a sufficient number of applications in a particular area? There is a migration of easy wins, for want of a better term, to some organisations on certain projects they know will have a better probability of success. Can Ms Rooney identify any of those gaps?

Many of these schemes, unfortunately, whether by default or just the way it works out, need a good deal of money in terms of administering and delivering them. Does Ms Rooney have any figures on what it is costing to administer and deliver this initiative? What chunk of money is soaked up in that component of it?

On the unsuccessful applications, as Deputy Ó Cuív rightly said, there is a huge cost to organisations in preparing and submitting applications. In terms of feedback, what percentage of the successful ones are regurgitated, so to speak, and resubmitted in an amended form? If they have been near on the first call but unsuccessful, it seems logical that one would look at it again, identify the weaknesses in it and resubmit it. Does Ms Rooney have those percentages?