Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs his proposals to establish local development structures to meet specifically the needs of migrant workers and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10959/06]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is not the lead Department with regard to migrant workers. However, since 2004 they have been regarded as a target group under the local development social inclusion programme, the LDSIP. The programme aims to counter disadvantage and to promote equality and social and economic inclusion through the provision of funding and support to local partnerships. It is administered by Pobal, on behalf of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, and is funded through the national development plan. At local level, it is delivered by 38 partnerships, 31 community partnerships and two employment pacts in their designated areas. The three measures it delivers are services to the unemployed, community development and community-based youth initiatives.

Under the LDSIP a significant number of area-based partnerships, community partnerships and employment pacts have developed actions to support migrant workers and their families. While many of the actions are still at an early stage, the partnerships can build on several years' experience in the programme of providing supports for refugees and asylum seekers.

Types of actions carried out under the LDSIP, with other agencies and programmes, to meet the needs of migrant workers and their families include helping ensure that migrants' information needs are met in appropriate ways, including in a variety of languages, arranging language classes that are accessible to migrant workers and their families, facilitating the participation of migrant workers and their families in intercultural events and their use of local amenities, community development processes to facilitate migrant workers and their families to take an active part in programmes and policies that affect them and anti-racism initiatives at local level.

Pobal, the Dublin Employment Pact, and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland are supporting an action research project on local development strategies to meet the needs of migrant workers and their families. The research, intended to share practical lessons and to inform thinking about future strategies, will be published by the middle of 2006. As part of the cohesion process on local development the Department is extending the coverage of area partnerships to the whole State.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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For the past five years, migrant workers and their families have comprised the largest single group of new residents in the State. There have been problems, most notably with employment and work permits. A report is to be prepared on the pilot project run by Pobal, the Dublin Employment Pact and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland. I understand the analysis was to have been completed by December 2005 and the report documenting the planning process and good practice was scheduled for publication in spring 2006. From the Minister's reply, I take it the project is well behind schedule.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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No. The LDSIP autumn 2005 newsletter stated:

The analysis is expected to be completed by December 2005, with a report documenting the planning processes and good practice scheduled for spring 2006.

I presume it is still on target to be published by spring 2006. Is spring in the middle of the year? It is not far off.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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We will hold the Minister to it.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I am only telling the Deputy what I was informed. The Deputy cannot be holding me to anything.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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I would not dream of doing that. There is no point in doing so.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The House amazes me at times. Pobal, the Dublin Employment Pact and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, the groups involved in the project, operate independently of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Since I cannot hold Pobal to anything, there is no point in holding me to when its report will be published.

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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The Minister could give them the funding to finish the project.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I cannot micromanage. If I did, I would be accused of interference.

Séamus Pattison (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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The Deputy is out of order. It is a Priority Question in Deputy O'Shea's name.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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This is an important issue and every effort must be made to have an integrated and multicultural society. The Minister has informed us that no one is answerable to him or that he has no control over measures that are being drawn up for planning processes and good practices for migrant workers. Is that not an admission that he is doing nothing in the area? The issue of the integration and the welcoming of the migrants and their families into our society is not moving as it should. This is because the Department is not forthcoming in its support.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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It must be the jet lag that is getting to me. Pobal is funded by the Department and it operates independently on a day-to-day basis. On certain days of the week, it is the Labour Party's favourite policy that people should operate independently of the Department.

Pobal established a review group that claimed in autumn 2005 that it will publish a report in spring 2006. Now, it claims it will publish it in the mid-year. The end of spring and mid-year are not far apart. The Deputy then asks me to hold them to that. Since I did not commission the report, it is not so simple. Deputy O'Shea is always laying down good practices for me to follow, one of which is I should lay down policy. However, I cannot become involved in the day-to-day management of the agency. Deputy English asked the Minister of State to drive the drugs strategy, yet the Opposition go mad with the Government for introducing legislation to ensure control over——

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Yes, I have a problem with legislation for slush funds.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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When I spend the money, I am asked to keep control and micromanage it. If I introduced legislation to take over Pobal, I would be accused of creating another slush fund and trying to take total control. At times one cannot win with the Opposition because it is so inconsistent.

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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I am not accusing the Minister of creating a slush fund. I am accusing him of doing very little.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Opposition's approach is inconsistent.