Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the same point, as well as on a wider point, the Ability programme, funding for which has been announced, was supposed to assist young people between the ages of 16 to 29 to transition from school to employment and training. Of the 27 projects that were announced for funding nationally, at a cost of €16 million, only one was north of the Dublin to Galway line, which was a project in Roscommon. The rest of the northern half of the country was totally excluded, as if there are no children or young adults in that region with disabilities and in need of support.

Will the Taoiseach revert to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, and ask them to revise the criteria by which this funding was allocated and to ensure that funding is allocated to the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation, the Inishowen Children's Autism Related Education, iCARE, and the Extern applications, which were not given funding. The iCARE organisation provides autism-related support, education and respite in the Inishowen area, and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, met it a couple of months ago when it was seeking extra funding, which has not been forthcoming as yet. The service is on its knees and needs funding. It receives no funding at the moment; it survives due to fundraising activities. Will the Taoiseach engage with those Ministers to ensure those services get a fair crack of the whip and that the north of the country, and Donegal in particular, is not ignored?

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