James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will elaborate my point. I come from Youghal. That is one of the areas I, as a Deputy, represent. I do not mean to be parochial but I want to use it as a good example. We find it very challenging to get funding down from the ETB to support programmes that are put in place through Departmental funding. Cork is a huge county. There is a city and county with a very large geographical area and different needs. There is an inner city through the local authority, Cork City Council, and there is a lot of social deprivation and many different issues that require huge State investment to try to improve.

However, there are also many rural towns where further investment needs to be put in for the benefit of children who come from backgrounds where, unfortunately, there are significant problems. Such children need additional support. That is something I want to highlight. With regard to rural towns, particularly those sharing with city centres, the Department is devolving funding to organisations but it is not reaching where it is needed. There is not a fair and equitable balance in the devolution of that funding. I have come across this on more than one occasion and, quite frankly, I am sick of it. It is not fair. It is particularly not fair on rural constituencies in counties like Cork where there are significant major settlements like Cork city that have their own needs. They need to be separated out from an education and training board, ETB, point of view when it comes to the provision of funds for very worthy projects. I came across this recently with regard to the Garda youth diversion projects. We raised the matter at a ministerial level but were unsuccessful. That is really disappointing. More has to be done on policing. I will ask the question again. Does the Department do a regional analysis where funding is being devolved to organisations to ensure it is being spread around geographically as well as on the basis of need?