Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 40:

In page 46, line 27, to delete “local and” and substitute “the”.

The amendments relate to the local groups that would be covered by the section. Amendment No. 43, for example, refers to improving the efficiency with which publicly-funded local and community development resources are used. This returns us to an earlier question we discussed, namely, whether the Minister has evidence to show that local development companies have been doing this work inefficiently in recent years. While some of the reports and audits Pobal has done on these groups have shown difficulties in a number of local development companies, they generally found that the companies provide value of money, are operated efficiently and allocate resources effectively.

The other issue of major importance to most of the local development companies is that they employ large numbers of local people. The Minister will no doubt inform me that negotiations are ongoing with the Irish Local Development Network, etc., but many of those who work in local development companies are based in the local area and have local knowledge. This is a major bonus, as is the fact that most of them live in the areas in which they are employed, some of which, for example, south, west and north Connemara, are remote rural locations. It is important that these people are living and working in their communities as their jobs are among the most important employment in rural areas that do not benefit from significant industrial development.

Many people are concerned that the county councils will hold the chequebook and allocate resources. They fear the administrative functions of the local development companies will be assumed by county councils and some of the moneys currently spent in peripheral areas will be spent shoring up staff numbers in local authorities in response to cutbacks. This would result in posts being lost in local communities.

I remain concerned about the Minister's replies to previous questions. There is still the potential that some of the local development companies will be starved of funding. This would leave them with no choice but to close down and result in job losses in rural areas. While the Minister will no doubt inform me that he does not propose to close down any local development company, the de facto outcome of the process he proposes will be the removal of funding and resources from the sector, as has occurred in the community and voluntary sector in recent years. As we all know, without funding the jobs will vanish.

I note from the Schedules that key organisations will be excluded from the decision making process. I note, for example, that the National Traveller Partnership, the National Collective of Community Based Women's Networks, both of which function as local development companies, the National Women's Council of Ireland, the Community Workers' Co-operative, Pavee Point and the National Traveller Women's Forum do not feature among the groups that must be consulted, as relevant bodies, under section 128G(1)(d). I ask the Minister to comment.

The local development companies work in local areas and seek to foster social inclusion and involve local people in the decision making process. The Minister is rowing back on this by providing for greater centralisation of this role under the county councils.