Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister did not address the key concern and instead washed his hands of the issue by claiming it was not his responsibility. If funding for local partnerships in the Dublin area is cut by €742,000, it will affect service delivery, irrespective of the outcome of the tendering process. It is incorrect to claim, therefore, that it is not possible to predict the impact of the competitive process. Both the Minister and I can predict what will be the impact of a cut of this magnitude. I ask him again if he will take more time, given that he has not yet issued the relevant letters and reverse the cut. Will he also guarantee that there will be no job losses or loss of service in the most disadvantaged communities in the State?

One of the key points made to the Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions by Ms Deirdre McCarthy and Siân Muldowney of the Dublin Inner City Partnership was that it did not have to be this way. According to Ms McCarthy and Ms Muldowney, the new EU directive which will come into effect when it is transposed into Irish law in the next 12 months provides that tendering is not necessary.

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