Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

In terms of the allocation of grants, I stated account should be taken of those involved in administration in the community and local development programmes. I have been told it is currently the practice, and will continue to be so, to take account of this factor in the allocation of administrative grants for charitable organisations and voluntary or community groups. FÁS does this fairly well but I accept Deputy Sargent referred to grant schemes. l asked that this should be the case when allocating administrative grants particularly for groups with a focus on disadvantage involved in volunteering and support and facilitating communities to try to pursue economic and social regeneration. I asked them to do that. It is relatively small.

The White Paper gave rise to many recommendations. Some €300 million is spent annually supporting communities through a number of programmes, including the dormant accounts programme, tackling economic and social disadvantage, tackling educational disadvantage and assisting those with disabilities. Some €60 million has been spent in those three categories to fund community organisations directly. The local development and social inclusion programme, which covers the 69 partnership groups tackling poverty and disadvantage, receives approximately €57 million for advice, training, job-seeking, start-up businesses, assisting the long-term unemployed, children at risk of dropping out of mainstream activities, ethnic communities and non-nationals training. I have met a number of these groups in the past few years. Some 500 voluntary community representatives are involved in this area, making inroads into the problems. They provide a good service.

The community services programme, formerly the social economy programme, receives over €50 million. It has been extended and co-ordinated, with more than 400 projects around the country. All of these 900 groups are in receipt of statutory aid, as are many people working in the projects. These include community child care services, services for the elderly, services for people with disabilities, rural transport for isolated communities, community halls facilities, rural tourism, community radio, recycling clubs, homework and breakfast clubs, services for Travellers and restoration projects for gardens, buildings and railways.

Some €43 million is spent on the rural social scheme, all of which came from the community support programme. Most of these had few resources until that programme started. The rural social scheme includes Leader programmes, some of which are run in conjunction with Údarás na Gaeltachta, which maintain and enhance ways, walks and roads. It also includes energy conservation, countryside enhancement, social care for the elderly, pre-school and after school care, environment maintenance groups and non-profit projects for cultural heritage areas.

Some €24 million is spent on the 180 community development projects that operate in disadvantaged housing estates in urban areas. This does not include Leader programmes, the national drugs strategy, the young person services fund and RAPID. All groups mentioned receive core funding from the State, involving thousands of people. This does not include resources from FÁS.

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