Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

To take the last point first, as every Member of the House will be aware, we face very difficult economic circumstances and the budgetary situation could not really be worse. All programmes are under review.

On the first point, I did not mean to mislead the Deputy. There was a specific allocation of $2 million for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston, thereby increasing the figure to $5 million. The sum of $2.8 million, which has been allocated to date in 2009, is the second highest that has been allocated. I wanted to draw attention to the $2 million for the library last year because it was a specific capital fund.

The Deputy asked how various groups apply for funding. There are very good connections between the Irish community and the embassy and consulates general. This is very much encouraged by the people we have on the ground. There is a good community network involving the Irish embassies, as I am sure the Deputy is aware. Applications are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I visited a number of the centres in receipt of funding.

If I travel to the United States, I try to go to some of the centres we support. It strikes me that the people who are most assisted are those in the parts of the Irish diaspora who did not break through the ceiling and did not do as well as some other Irish people. We have a specific responsibility towards them.

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