Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

The adjustmentto my Department's community development budget has been structured to protect front line services and supports at the expense of administration, overheads and ancillary costs. While the overall adjustment will impact on some programmes, my Department will continue to prioritise front line services to the greatest extent possible.

In the case of the Local and Community Development Programme, the Deputy should note that the 2011 funding allocation has been maintained at close to 2010 levels. The allocation to the programme for next year of €63.5 million represents a cut of order of 6% on the funding available last year. I am confident that this will allow for the continuation of important support for people in disadvantaged communities and will allow for the key, essential, front line services delivered through the programme to be maintained for 2011.

In order to protect the invaluable work being done at the coalface by community and voluntary groups, my Department will shortly commence a structured dialogue with the community and voluntary sector with the aim, inter alia, of ensuring that the impacts of any budgetary adjustments to the services provided by the sector are minimised, as far as possible. To this end, my Department will be working with the sector to achieve greater consolidation, co-ordination and efficiencies among service providers.

As the Deputy may be aware, contracts under the scheme to support national organisations will finish at the end of this year, and I am pleased to note that a new scheme for national organisations has been developed and this will be advertised shortly.Funding under the old scheme will be extended on an interim basis - until March 2011 at the latest - to allow for the new scheme to be rolled out.

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