Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom an Dáil a chur ar athló chun déileáil le ceist rí-thábhachtach, namely, the urgent need for the Government to reverse the illogical decision to close many community drugs projects, CDPs, among them the Vista CDP in Donore Avenue, the Matt Talbot project in Ballyfermot, the Links project in Cherry Orchard, the Ballyfermot Traveller action project, the Crumlin CDP, Blaney Blades in Castleblayney and Mulhuddart CDP, which is to close at the end of the year. Coupled with recent cuts in funding to RAPID, cuts by the Department of Education and Science with a promise to close fully in 2010 Peer Education, Familyscope, the family resource centre, James's Street, Mater Dei Early Focus project, Basin Lane, the 62% reduction in funding to tackle educational disadvantage, cuts to community employment and job initiative schemes and the cuts in social welfare, the cuts to CDPs will exacerbate the problems of many of the people who previously availed of these local services, in addition to communities who have been striving to regenerate and address major societal issues in areas designated as severely disadvantaged. There is a need for a more realistic appeals timeframe to ensure these groups can survive and deliver the services required in the areas in which they work.

See this speech in context