Ms Mary Hurley:

We are still considering the scoping exercise. As the Deputy correctly stated, if this was a cross-government system, it would then be much easier to get the visibility around live data and applications. There is another benefit if one has a system that is set up for the applicants, such as those the Deputy is talking about. It can be very difficult for some applicants to submit applications but we could create a system that is user-friendly and conducive to people putting applications in an easy format.

The Deputy referred to some communities maybe being disadvantaged with regard to making applications or with the match funding piece. One of the things we do in the Department when doing an assessments, and generally in terms of criteria, we use the Pobal deprivation index the context of assessments. When approving funding we have regard to the fact that there may be some communities that are more vulnerable or disadvantaged than others. It is on our radar and it is certainly part of our assessment process. The Deputy is absolutely right that there are some areas that need more help.