Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to acknowledge the work done by and the commitment of the local community development projects and the range of services they have been providing throughout the country over many years. There are services for children, including crèches, after school and homework clubs, one-to-one tuition and back to education. There is a range of services for older people, including meals, activities and transport. They have also been a support in terms of advocacy for people having difficulties, whether with housing or welfare, and they have played a major role in employment and in back to employment. They are community services but there is also the work done in community development.

Over the years a vast range of experience, skills and insight has been built up. It has led to people from and living in communities addressing the problems in their communities and being able to solve them. It is all part of participatory democracy. It is an area which has seen cuts of 38% to date. There is a professional relationship with Pobal when it comes to transparency, oversight and tracking outcomes and that overall aim to tackle poverty and social exclusion through partnership has been progressing.

Recently, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government conducted an interim review on the local community development programme. It found it exceeded its targets in areas of high priority for Government, namely, education, training and employment.

The Minister knows from his community what disadvantage is like and he knows what community programmes have done to tackle disadvantage and to give hope and provide motivation. I acknowledge the big role he played in the establishment of the drugs task forces. What is now happening is that the programme and projects are being put out to public tender and to a procurement process. That could mean all the experience, insight and knowledge might be lost and, conceivably, a company could bid and win a contract for community development without having set foot in the community or having a base there. There is no guarantee that current services will continue. We do not know what will happen the infrastructure or employees. My question is why Ireland is the only country in the European Union that has decided to privatise community development.

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