Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

The strong commitment of the Government to support the Irish community abroad is reflected in the unprecedented level of funding secured for emigrant services. This year, €12 million is available for that purpose. This figure represents an increase of 45% on 2005 and is 12 times greater than the allocation in 1997 when the Government came to office.

The interests and needs of the Irish community in Britain continue to be a matter of particular importance for the Government. Most of the available funding is directed to organisations there that are engaged in a wide range of community care activities of benefit to Irish people. Increased funding is having a very tangible and positive effect. So far this year, 142 organisations in Britain, of which 129 are located in England, have received grants amounting to €8 million. I am delighted that our support is extending beyond the major cities and is, for the first time, reaching Irish community groups in many towns.

While the primary emphasis of funding continues to be on supporting frontline welfare services, I am pleased that the additional allocation has also made it possible to support a number of capital projects as well as projects that support our community in Britain in its wish to express its Irish identity. Further applications for funding are under consideration and I look forward to making an announcement shortly on additional grants. By the end of this year, I expect that funding to the Irish community in Britain will have reached the unprecedented amount of €9 million, an increase of some 25% on last year's figure.

The funding I have outlined forms an element of a much wider picture of the Government's engagement with our community in Britain. Officials of the embassy and consulates, as well as those in the Irish abroad unit of my Department, will continue to work closely with our community organisations in Britain and elsewhere. In this way, we can ensure that they have a very direct channel to Government and that our response to their needs will be effective in the period ahead.

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