Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments about the Department, in particular with regard to funding for community groups. Deputy Noonan has given me an opportunity, for which I have waited a long time, to compliment a colleague of mine, the Minister of State, Deputy David Stanton.

He has shown great bravery, courage and commitment to the role in the Department of Justice and Equality. Particularly in the context of equality, he has certainly fought the case for our new citizens coming into the country and for the rights of Travellers and other communities. He has never been afraid to stand up and be counted. He has worked hard and has taken a lot of personal abuse. He is certainly somebody who has worked very hard in the Department. I want to take this opportunity to compliment him on and thank him for the great work he has done and for the courage and guts he has shown over the years. I met him on many occasions when he was under a lot of stress and pressure from groups antagonised by people calling protest meetings about various issues. He dealt in a very sensitive way with a lot of sensitive problems. I saw him bringing people to the Department and speaking to them, explaining to them and working with them. He might not always have brought them around to his point of view but at least he listened.

My Department supports the Department of Justice and Equality, particularly with regard to equality. We support groups under the community services programme and we fund a lot of the national organisations of these groups. I would love to be in the next Government because the Department has a great understanding of voluntary groups. The Department has networks. People speak about all of the funds established and how we could respond to the crisis so quickly. I will tell the House why we responded to the crisis so quickly. It was because the Department has had a working relationship with many of these groups over the years and has built up contacts and the confidence of some of these groups. We do not get everything right. The groups will look for extra funding and supports and in every way we can help them we will do so. We have the contacts and we speak to the various groups and listen to them, including Father Sean Healy and other such people who have done great work over the years. These groups certainly have not been afraid to take on social issues. Sometimes people come in to criticise the Government and state we are not doing enough. Sometimes they are not there to stand up when an injustice is done against these people. There are times we have to stand up and say this is the right thing to do, whether it is for new people coming into the country or Travellers.

The Department is on interdepartmental groups with the Department of Justice and Equality. We always listen to views and provide the necessary funding to groups. Whenever they have needed the funding we are there. In the context of Travellers, I have allocated some funding for various issues over recent years but we never hear people say, read in the newspapers or see RTÉ covering the funding we have put in place to support these groups and help them to ensure that they have the facilities they need and want. There has been a crisis in certain areas.

There is one matter I must take up with other Departments. Sometimes when there is an issue, various Departments throw it to the Department of Rural and Community Development to be dealt with. I do not mind them throwing over the issue but they never throw over the funding, and we have to take that funding out of the existing budget. Everything can be resolved. It is a bit like today as I listen to people speak about issues for which I do not have direct responsibility. I have direct responsibility as a Cabinet Minister and I highlight these issues. When I am there everything must be rural proofed and urban proofed to ensure in particular that the vulnerable in society are looked after.

I have been in disadvantaged areas in Tallaght, Limerick and throughout the country and SICAP is probably one of the best programmes out there. The problem is that many people in the Dáil and outside it do not know what the programme does. It deals with the most vulnerable in society. It assists the most vulnerable and gives them an opportunity. We can deal with groups and individuals and we must give them the same chance and opportunity as everybody else. The one great thing about the Department is that it is the Department of Rural and Community Development and, as far as I am concerned, community is the most important part of it.

That has proven to be right in recent weeks.

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