Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for facilitating my request to raise this matter. This is a matter I have submitted on a number of occasions with a view to bringing it to the floor of this House. It is an important issue for me but it is much more important to the people of Multyfarnham and Milltownpass. Both community groups are extremely hardworking and have put many hours of voluntary work into these projects. The projects have received the unanimous support of Westmeath Community Development, of which I was a board member. I had the pleasure of proposing one project and seconding the other. The projects received unanimous support at Westmeath County Development Board level in January 2011. We referred them to the Department and were advised it would take, at best, six months before we would have a response. Four months on the deliberations are still going on. That is unacceptable.

Perhaps I can give the background on both community projects. Planning permission was received for the Milltownpass project October 2010 and funding was sought from Westmeath Community Development. Millltownpass community group has worked for the past 20 years to bring about a communal facility for this much expanded village. There were various difficulties such as land disputes, a change in the village plan, and a zoning change. However, it now has a piece of land, a project for which planning permission has been received and 25% of its resources in place. Milltownpass needs this community building which will be used by the local schools, the young at heart, the ICA, keep fit, active retirement groups as well as many other community groups.

Multyfarnham is a village close to my home. Last week the President visited the village where she opened a new cancer care centre. In 2008 the village won a national pride of place award. In recent years this community group developed a park, a playground and a football pitch through voluntary work and communal effort.

The two projects will cost approximately €900,000, which in bad times is a good deal of money to have circulating in the local community. Apart from the social benefits they will deliver to the local area, the projects will generate economic benefits and employment, including during the construction phase of the two facilities.

We are not seeking fresh money to pay for the projects as money has been committed and Westmeath Community Development Limited has a budget of €7.5 million. The Government cannot blame the previous Government, as it has done in respect of every other issue, because funding has been allocated. I call on the Department to remove the red tape and complete its deliberations. Both of the community groups in question have responded to every request from the Department for information.

I know from first-hand experience that the community groups in question are dedicated and of a high calibre. They have proved that they are not fly-by-night groups, having worked on the relevant projects for many years. I ask the Minister of State to request that the relevant Minister intervene to determine what is delaying a decision. We were informed it would take four to six weeks to complete deliberations. We have now been waiting for almost five months. What is causing the delay?

As I stated, €7.5 million has been allocated and fresh money is not required. Let us spend this money and support community groups whose members are putting in long hours on a voluntary basis. The Government's jobs initiative was launched to great fanfare two weeks ago. The project in question would immediately create dozens of jobs in this rural community. I ask the Minister of State to contact the relevant Minister to ensure a decision is taken and communicated without further delay to the community groups in question.

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