Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)

Ireland, North and South, has a rich and vibrant community and voluntary sector. In every county and community there are groups of individuals working tirelessly to improve the well-being of their families, their neighbours and their country. In part, this strong tradition has been built on our strong sense of community. The same spirit was used to build the Gaelic Athletic Association and the credit union movement. It has also been mobilised in support of an unlimited number of local, regional and national efforts aimed at strengthening and sustaining our communities.

Tógadh an earnáil seo mar go raibh gá leis. Le blianta fada, chonaic muid go raibh rialtais éagsúla ag diúltiú infheistíocht chuí a dhéanamh in infrastruchtúr an phobail sa Stát seo. Fágadh ag oird na mná rialta agus na sagairt agus ag carthanachtaí eile le na hospidéíl agus scoileanna a thógáil. We have seen civic minded individuals develop services for the homeless, people with disabilities and others in need of support and have seen communities mobilised themselves in defence of their rights. Inniu, tugann na mílte daoine a gcuid ama go deonach le bheith mar pháirt don fheachtas, don ruthag mór seo le tír níos fearr a thógáil.

Today hundreds of thousands of people give up their time to be part of this mass movement dedicated to making Ireland and their small part of our nation a better place for all. There are more than 7,500 charitable, community and voluntary groups across the State. They provide full-time employment for 50,000 people and contribute more than €6.5 billion to the economy annually, despite only receiving State funding of the order of €1.89 billion per year. They provide essential front line services, as Members on the Government side of the House know, and provide broader advocacy support to children, older people, people with disabilities or ill-health, drug-users, women, Travellers and many other groups of people in need of support.

In my county there are many heroes and heroines, with 730 community and voluntary organisations. While much of this activity is funded by the State, the community and voluntary sector has proven itself to be able to mobilise additional funds through fund-raising and direct financing, all of which reduces the cost to the State and represents real value for the taxpayer. Equally, the fact that community and voluntary groups are, in the main, small in size and active at the coal face of their respective sector, gives them the ability to adapt and respond to the needs of the communities they support with a speed and flexibility that is often absent from larger State agencies.

We all know from our experience in our constituencies and have seen it at first hand that from the onset of the recession, demand for community and voluntary support has risen dramatically. Níl lá a théann thart nach bhfuil muid ag léamh sna páipéir go bhfuil níos mó gá fá choinne na seirbhísí agus faoi na daoine atá gan teach, daoine atá as obair agus daoine atá ag strachailt lá i ndiaidh lae le tinneas agus a leithéid. Not a day goes pass that we do not read newspaper reports of increased demand for services for people who are struggling, homeless, out of work or struggling with mental health problems. Despite this, the Government, like its predecessor, is cutting vital funding to the community and voluntary sector. With the loss of funding, comes loss of jobs and loss of vital services.

In May 2010 the boards and voluntary agencies branch of the IMPACT trade union published a detailed report on funding cuts and job losses in the community and voluntary sector. It estimated that up to 5,000 jobs - almost 10% of the sector's workforce - would be lost as a result of cuts in Government funding and this at a time when demand for services was increasing. It also reported that up to 1,100 community employment schemes would also be lost. The report found that from 2009 to 2010, cuts to State funding for the voluntary and community sector amounted to between 18% and 20%. The cuts were also unevenly spread over the sector, with higher cuts to community development projects. IMPACT predicted a contraction in the community and voluntary sector of approximately 15% over the next two years.

What have we heard since? We have had the programme for Government to which Fine Gael and the Labour Party have signed up and in which they promise to protect and promote the community and voluntary sector. The programme states: "During a time of recession and deep unemployment, the Government acknowledges the vital role of the community and voluntary sector working in partnership with local communities, State agencies and local authorities". However, this Government appears to be pursuing the same short-sighted policies as its predecessor. The decision by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, to cease funding groups such as the community workers co-operative suggests that the Government is not serious about its commitments in the programme for Government.

The Government needs to make its intentions clear. It needs to outline what its strategy is for the future of the community and voluntary sector. In particular, it needs to indicate whether it intends to reverse the disastrous policy of underfunding projects. Caithfidh an Rialtas a rá go soiléir an bhfuil sé sásta tarraingt siar ar an cinneadh a ghlac Fianna Fáil, cinneadh faillitheach agus lochtach, nuair a ghlac sé an cinneadh le 29 CDPs a dhúnadh ar fud an Stáit. The Government needs to indicate whether it intends to reverse the worst decisions of the previous Government, such as the closure in 2010 of 29 community development projects across the State, a decision made by the previous Government that was nothing short of a politically motivated attack on some of the most deprived communities in the State.

At a time of social and economic crisis we need a strong and adequately resourced community and voluntary sector. Failure to invest in this sector today will cost much more in the long term. I urge the Government to give serious consideration to this motion and to work with the Opposition to develop a strong and vibrant community and voluntary sector. I urge the Government to take a step back when the troika is in town and think about the type of Ireland it wants when we send them home. Do we want an Ireland where the community and voluntary sector is decimated, an Ireland in which we have handed away our rights, natural resources and language? We might get our monetary and fiscal powers back but we may have given up everything that was good about Ireland.

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