Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister read out all of the target groups involved, including children, lone parents, new communities, the unemployed, including the long-term unemployed, and every category he recited is box-ticked for the inner city of Dublin. I am very puzzled by this resource allocation model and how it functions because I cannot for the life of me figure out how such a model could be used to come to the conclusion that a 38% cut is viable, appropriate or merited in the case of the inner city. By the way, the 38% figure takes account of the nine month as opposed to the 12 month allocation and the figure still comes out as 38%. Does the Minister stand over this figure? I take him at his word when he talks about social inclusion and targeting the most disadvantaged. I can tell him that in the inner city of Dublin he will find communities and populations that are, unquestionably, among the most disadvantaged by comparison with anywhere else across the State. We must also bear in mind that, in the absence of a local development company, because the partnership was dismantled and has never been replaced, 15 inner city groups have come together as the Dublin Inner City Community Alliance. If the Minister was to meet them, rather than take my word for it, he would hear at first hand about the devastation this cut is going to cause. Will he meet them? Does he stand over this resource allocation model? He needs to go back and look at it, as there is no way - not a chance - this could merit a 38% cut in the inner city. I ask him to at least agree to meet this group.

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