Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his statement and for the work that is going on. I wish him well as chair of the implementation group. I will draw attention to a couple of broader issues which I would like to address. In the statement, it is said that the State needs to play a role in delivering supports and services. It also says that it should not seek to displace the community and voluntary sector and talks about focusing on enhancing the existing community and statutory partnerships, saying that such partnerships are essential for better outcomes for communities and so on. It also says the Government is committed to strengthening partnerships. Many of those community, voluntary and charity sector bodies and agencies have never had their full funding restored. There have also been issues with some of the workers. I met some workers who were formerly section 39 workers and who are now section 56 workers. These were transferred to Tusla but have never had their salaries restored. As chair, will the Minister of State be able to bring that up with the group? I know this is not related directly to his brief, but these people are providing really essential services in the community and it is unfair that section 39 workers will have their salaries restored by the end of 2022 while these people have been somehow forgotten.

Covid was talked about as being a leveller but, when we look at the information and statistics being made available every day, we can see that those in working-class communities have been hit much harder by the virus and its impacts. We need to ensure that the services, agencies and charities supporting and helping these communities are reinforced. I would like to see funding restored to some of those. There is also a real case to increase this funding.

Towards the end, on the final page of the statement, there is something that really concerns me. It reads, "The coming years will no doubt bring more challenges and difficult choices as the country and the economy and society finds its way through this pandemic and out the other side." I am concerned because the last time we were in such circumstances and when the State coffers were under severe pressure, was during the collapse of the so-called Celtic tiger. Unfortunately, the community, voluntary and charity sector took the brunt of the cuts, as did the workers. Is there a commitment not to go back to those days when the first instinct was to cut services for those most disadvantaged, those most vulnerable and those in working-class constituencies?

I hope that statement is not something that will come to pass for those communities.

I refer to community development projects. What was said is welcome. Many communities are on the margins, such as Travellers, the Roma community and people who have come into this country. I have had a lot of meetings with people who have talked about funding. Many organisations are looking for multiannual funding which would allow them to plan. The documentation states that the Department is looking for people to come forward with three-year plans. However, there is only a guarantee of funding for one year. That creates huge difficulties for agencies and people. How can one get someone who is full of energy to leave a position and join another project which they may want to work with when he or she is only guaranteed a one-year contract even though the Department is looking for three-year plans?

A lot of community and voluntary groups come to me to talk about the fact that there are virtually no training or capital budgets. We are asking community development projects to start up but no capital costs are being covered. It is something that needs to be addressed. If we are setting up a new community development project, possibly within an existing community development project or as an add-on or an enhanced part of the work it is doing, we have to think about funding agencies and projects to the fullest extent. A business would never start up without having some of its costs covered. That is not the way a business would operate. I do not think the community sector should operate in that way.

As I said I wish the chair of the group well and look forward to him coming back to the committee. As Deputy Kerrane said, a meeting twice a year is probably not enough. If the committee had an opportunity to delve deeply into the issue and ensure the programme is delivered that would be good.