Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome. I congratulate him on his appointment. I appreciate that he has inherited this matter. There has been a great deal of confusion as the new programme is rolled out and perhaps this is an area where confusion was not intended. The women's network of 17 projects around the country employs a number of people and assists approximately 36,000 women. These are women who need quiet, low key, careful support in all types of areas such as child care, employment, training, counselling, political education and mental health and in dealing with domestic violence. The projects' remit is broad but very low key and well placed. I commend the work the projects do, particularly the project in Manorhamilton which I know very well.

The new social inclusion community activation programme does not have women as one of its target groups. The target groups include lone parents, children and families from disadvantaged areas and people with disabilities. I am reading the answer provided by the Department which the Minister might well give us. I would be extremely grateful if he gave a commitment to carry out a review of the programme, for which a sum of €47 million is earmarked, which is a substantial sum of money which will be well spent across all types of project throughout the country, which is welcome. The projects being discussed cost €1 million and affect 36,500 women. They are in danger of being swept away by something in which they have no foothold and it appears they will not have a foothold because of the way they operate. I do not believe the Minister would like to see this happen.

Sometimes women have to be singled out and supported in their own right and these projects have done this very successfully. That should continue, particularly as we know that every day in Ireland 500 women seek support in dealing with domestic violence alone. These women are in a very high risk category. The women involved in these projects are not in that high risk category, but they need our support. It is being provided in a very focused way for a very small amount of money. The projects have provided the Department with their value for money details. I urge the Minister to look at them and, rather than give the answer provided by the Department, perhaps promise to see whether there is a role for them within the SICAP. We accept and understand there will be a great deal of activity and many good projects within the SICAP across the country. I pay tribute to the women's programmes and the many other projects being supported by local development community projects in Ireland.