Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

10. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will continue the scheme to support national organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34326/14]

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I congratulate both Deputies on their elevation to a fine summit. I extend my best wishes to them and their families.

Earlier this year, the Department denied 26 groups critically important funding under the scheme to support national organisations, SSNO, funding programme. One of the Minister's first actions after his appointment was to reverse that position and to provide access to funding for organisations that provide important services in the community. Will the Minister make a statement today with respect to his long-term plan for supporting these organisations?

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I know they are sincerely felt.

The funding scheme to support national organisations in the community and voluntary sector aims to provide multi-annual funding to national organisations towards core costs associated with the provision of services. Applications for a new round of funding, which commenced on 1 July 2014 , were subject to an appraisal process. My predecessor was anxious to make funding available to as many organisations as possible within the prevailing resource constraints and approved 55 applications for funding for the two-year period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016.

While it was known that the existing scheme was ending on 30 June 2014 and applications were sought for the new scheme with no guarantee of continued funding, it is clear that organisations had become increasingly dependent on this funding. Against that background, on 18 July 2014, I announced the allocation of bridging funding of approximately €1.4 million to a number of previously funded health, disability and other organisations for a 12-month period, pending the carrying out of a review of the public funding of national organisations in the health and disability sector in particular. My Department has now commenced a process of engagement with the Department of Health in order to advance the review, which is being undertaken in agreement with my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for primary care, mental health and disability, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. The review is designed to rationalise in a progressive way the funding of these organisations to ensure efficiency in the use of public money and avoidance of duplication, while providing appropriate support to organisations working in the sector.

This bridging funding in 2014-15 is a once-off transitional arrangement and will enable organisations to plan for their future, whether with or without State support, such as that provided under the scheme to support national organisations. The question of the next round of funding under the scheme to support national organisations generally will be considered in good time ahead of the conclusion of the current scheme at the end of June 2016.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

There is a clear indication in the Minister's response that he is unhappy with the state of funding for these organisations. I am very concerned about the language used when the Minister referred to bridging funding and temporary arrangements. The Minister obviously has not learned anything from the debacle with the medical cards last year with respect to his strategic targeting of vulnerable people in society. It will be of no benefit to those organisations to hear his language here today, particularly around bridging and temporary arrangements. These are organisations that have had a commitment to deliver services to the most vulnerable people in society, those who suffer with mental health issues. They are waiting on tenterhooks around the Minister's language as to whether the funding is temporary or bridging.

Where is the review? When will the Minister publish it and share the details of that review with the House?

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I made the decision which I felt was necessary, having spoken to the organisations, which the Deputy knows well, having spoken about them many times himself. I felt it was necessary to ensure the funding continued and, hence, I made that decision. There was obviously a situation where many of these organisations became quite dependent on the funding that was in place. We need to ensure we have a consistency of approach but also to ensure we have scale and geographical coverage at national, regional and local level. As the Deputy is aware, there are many organisations in different areas with different plans and different profiles.

The process has already started. In the coming months, officials in my Department and the Department of Health will come together to put together a plan in regard to this whole space. I intentionally gave a year in order to do that. I can assure the Deputy that, in advance of any announcement of that plan, we will communicate strongly how it is going to work. To be fair, the plan has not been finalised and it would not be appropriate to talk about where we are at present as it is still being discussed. Once it is complete, however, we will communicate directly with these organisations, which is completely necessary. Obviously, we will then have the new programme for which the timelines were outlined earlier.

Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is simply unacceptable that these groups are targeted in the first place. I welcome the fact one of the Minister's first actions after his elevation to office was to climb down on this, although this was as a consequence of the pressure from this House and the organisations involved, some of which are protesting at the gates of Leinster House today. Does the Minister not agree that we must find another way of funding them, one that has an understanding of security with respect to how they can sustained in delivering important services within the community? It is unacceptable that this decision was made in the first place. It is representative of the crass nature of how we attack people in society, in particular those who are providing critical public services within our community.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As someone who worked with these organisations and knows them quite well, I believe the Deputy's language is unacceptable. There is no targeting of these organisations. What we are trying to do is facilitate organisations, including trying to facilitate more organisations in other ways. We are also trying to ensure there is a consistency of approach, that there are clear communications channels and that we have a plan for dealing with all of these organisations into the future. I believe it is quite a progressive development that two Departments in a short space of time are sitting down and developing a plan in order to ensure this happens. That is what is going to happen in the coming months.

There is no targeting of any organisation at all. We are being very progressive with these organisations, facilitating them and working with them. I am glad I made the decision I did because it has ensured the viability and future operation of many great organisations.