Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together.

Funding of anti-poverty networks arises from the White Paper on a framework for supporting voluntary activity and was originally administered by the Combat Poverty Agency on a three-year contract basis. This function transferred to the Department from that agency late in 2003. The Department sought work plans for 2004 from each of the ten anti-poverty networks funded under the White Paper and, pending review, agreed in the circumstances to extend funding for 2004 on a one-year contract basis.

As I stated on the Adjournment debate on this issue last month, the Department was established by Government in June 2002 with a mandate to produce a more co-ordinated engagement by the State with communities throughout the country as they pursue their own development. In establishing the Department, it is clear that the Government was placing a focus on communities, particularly those that are vulnerable or under threat. In such cases, the provision of support to enable communities to identify and address problems in their own areas is seen as the best way forward. Those communities may be in rural or inner city settings, grappling with difficulties caused by a range of factors, including declining population, unemployment, language issues, social disadvantage or drug misuse. While most such communities or groups of communities can be defined in terms of geographic location, others will be defined on the basis of a common focus on a particular issue such as unemployment, disability or lone parenting.

The Department's commitment in the context of the anti-poverty networks is to focus on concentrating available resources on support for communities experiencing disadvantage, exclusion and isolation. In line with this commitment, I decided to continue funding for nine anti-poverty networks in the amount of €1.35 million for 2005. This represents a 5% increase over the figure for 2004 for the networks concerned. However, as I indicated in my reply to Question No. 216 and related questions on this issue on 1 February 2005, in the context of focusing the Department's resources on disadvantaged communities, continued funding of the Community Workers Co-operative could not be justified.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

There is in existence a well-developed structure providing supports to the sector. For example, the Department will spend €2.3 million in 2005 on six regional support agencies in support of the community support projects. In addition, it funds 38 partnership companies to the tune of €45.7 million, 185 community development projects to the tune of €20.1 million and 32 community partnerships. Moreover, under the White Paper on a framework for supporting voluntary activity, 66 networks and federations, including the national anti-poverty networks, are supported to the tune of €4.2 million.

The Community Workers Co-operative differs from the other groups funded under the national anti-poverty networks in that they mainly deal with specific target groups. Other anti-poverty networks that will continue to receive funding have a specific focus on matters such as Travellers, unemployment, refugees and rural disadvantage. The Community Workers Co-operative is the voice of community workers rather than disadvantaged communities and its functions overlap with those of other networks. As such, it fails to meet a number of the key criteria suggested by the White Paper on supporting voluntary activity. These criteria include a membership base that ensures the voice of disadvantaged marginalised groups will find expression in relevant national fora, and individual networks should be genuinely representative and avoid unnecessary overlaps vis-À-vis each other.

No other factors, as suggested by some Deputies, were involved in my decision. As I stated previously, funding of the Community Workers Co-operative to June 2005 in the amount of €358,413 under the PEACE programme for the Towards Achieving Social Change project is not affected by this decision.

On the development of the community and voluntary sector, the details of my reply to Question No. 187 on 16 February 2005 confirm my commitment to and support for the community and voluntary sector generally. That reply gave details of €7 million in funding to the sector in addition to the range of indirect supports provided through area partnerships, LEADER companies, community partnerships, community support projects and local drugs task forces.

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