Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We do not have that structure because it was taken away when MFG was gone. Will the Minister clarify where the Gaeltacht areas sit in his new vision for local development? At the moment the funds are being allocated through contiguous companies, including FORUM Connemara in Letterfrack and Comhair na nOileán, etc., in various Gaeltacht areas.

We have concerns about centralising power and not having local people make decisions. Some €17 million was to be allocated to the Gaeltacht areas under the original Leader programme. From recent parliamentary questions it seems clear to me that we have only received a fraction of that and that we are approximately €9 million down on the figure we were told we would get only some years ago. Figures I received recently on County Galway show that of the Leader funding moneys we were supposed to get, we are approximately €5.5 million short because of cutbacks.

That is an issue. That money should have been spent locally but it has not been spent locally because of an issue between the Department, the Minister, the county councils, etc. That points towards the lack of confidence people in local areas have in a centralising of the chequebook system through the county councils. Although the Minister says there will be a majority of community and voluntary members on the local committees, we all know well that it is the people who hold the chequebook who will hold the power and drive the agenda. We all know that in this case they are the county managers and the directors of services. That is exactly what will happen and the Minister knows it well. It will probably be at the behest of the Minister of the day too. That is an important point and one of the reasons we need to re-examine this section and this part of the Bill.

What consultation has taken place with the representatives of the community sector on this part? They have raised serious issues with us. For example, the Community Workers Co-operative, CWC, has said to us that these wide-ranging and deep-seated changes are being made in the absence of any consultation with the sector or with the most disadvantaged communities that would be most affected. Communication from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government on the process has been non-existent despite numerous calls for information. In no other arena would such changes be allowed to be made without consulting those affected.

Yesterday, the Minister told us he looked into his own heart on all of these issues and he has searched them inside and outside, etc. It seems strange that one of the primary players in the community sector is telling us that although it has contacted his Department on numerous occasions, it has not been consulted. The Minister may wish to come back and explain that to the House.