Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

There is a simple answer to the second question. We receive business plans and audited accounts. Members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and its branches have access to the audited accounts. Under the new charities legislation, if the organisation has charitable status, it will have to publish audited accounts. No one would have any difficulty accessing the audited accounts of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.

In principle I agree with the Deputy in respect of matters being simpler and why this is split between two Departments is a good question. With CLÁR funding, Deputies will agree with the idea of someone providing top-up funding to group water schemes. In an ideal world the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government would have given that funding years ago but it did not happen. In the real world, to make it happen, I provided it. Deputy Ring's suggestion is a question for debate. If we told partnerships that they could not participate in community employment schemes under the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Ring would be very quick to table a question on this.

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