Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

There is great concern that community development projects are being savagely cut. Decisions being taken on the CDPs could undermine the provision of services. The 183 CDPs throughout the country are to be reduced by 35 before Christmas, while the remainder will be transferred from an independent management structure to the area partnerships. That is a radical intervention for people who have been working in these projects for many years and providing services that would not otherwise exist. They operate in disadvantaged areas and most of those employed are local people. They certainly provide an invaluable service to their communities.

The decision to reduce the number of CDPs and subsume the rest was taken without prior consultation with the projects or with the partnerships. This is hardly the way to do business if we are to ensure the cutbacks which take place are not seen to be insensitive and unwarranted. If any new systems are to be put in place, it would be more difficult to integrate them in the future.

I was glad to hear that a meeting took place yesterday at Croke Park between the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the CDPs and the area partnerships. I am not sure to what extent there was a meeting of minds and whether there was any agreement to move forward in a more democratic fashion. The essential services that have been provided could be eliminated altogether. There would obviously be job losses and this is a serious matter as well. The question as to whether the new structure will be adequate to meet the needs of both organisations is difficult to say. It certainly will not be adequate unless there is a degree of consultation taking place.

We should not introduce cutbacks that are so severe they destroy the entity itself. The only way to ensure such is not the case is to provide for a good level of consultation between the various bodies involved and to find out whether there is more than one solution to the problem. In my constituency we have two partnerships, one of which is in the inner city and one of which is Glasnevin and Cabra. I am not sure whether either of them is enamoured of the proposals. They do not have the structures or staff to take on the role of subsuming the additional projects. One of the projects in the inner city is due to get the chop. I am not sure which project it is or whether the decision has been made. These are matters that affect most Members in every part of the country and they affect rural areas as well as urban areas.

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