Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I look forward to reading the needs analysis when it has been completed. It could be of great use to us. I have travelled around the country a lot in the past 12 months to look at the various community responses to what has been going on. Healthcare comes up pretty much everywhere in terms of a pressing need.

There have been additional resources provided to the local development company in terms of funding for community workers on the Ukraine side of things under SICAP. Some €106,000 this year has been given to Roscommon LEADER partnership specifically to work on the Ukrainian side of things as well. It is also my understanding that last year the local bus service was augmented to some degree as well and it is important to acknowledge that. The community response fora have a role to play in gathering that intelligence and facts on the ground and feeding it up the line. I have tried to bring that back centrally when I visited community response fora around the country. I have done that on a number of occasions in relation to health. Transport connections also tend to be an issue. It is worth noting that under the community recognition fund it is possible to purchase community vehicles as well.

I will give the Deputy some reassurance on the broader side of things. In terms of the need for additional services in areas that have seen large numbers of people who are seeking protection over the last 12 months, I have just come from a Cabinet sub-committee where that issue was discussed very actively regarding education, health and other areas. It is therefore high in our consciousness at the highest level in Government. I wish to give that level of reassurance.

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