Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá mé an-bhuíoch dó as ucht teacht isteach agus an t-am a thógáil le cheist faoin ionad acmhainní pobail, Aonad, atá i mBéal Átha Gárrtha á thógáil agus an contúirt atá ann go bhfuil sé le dúnadh síos láithreach.

As the Minister may be aware, Aonad Resource Centre in Ballygard opened its doors in February 2002 and has since become a very busy centre in the rural community in north east Galway which explores the supports and services that they can provide to the community on an ongoing basis. The word "Aonad" is the Irish translation of unity, which is indicative of the centre being a resource for all the people in the area. The overall objective of Aonad Resource Centre has been the empowerment of local people by providing supports and services which meet their needs in an accessible, respectful, family friendly and confidential manner. Essentially the centre aims to improve the quality of life for those living in the wider Ballygar area. It provides adult education and training such as yoga, English for migrant workers, computer skills etc. The staff have also facilitated the establishment of new community and voluntary groups, such as the parent and toddler group who meet a number of times a week, the active retirement association and so on. The centre is also actively linked with the local adult training centre, schools cluster programme, Ballygar MABS outreach service, youth services centre, community playgroup and social services, a number of which have been cut back in recent years. The centre had an up-to-date information until recently but what has happened is that the Aonad resource centre has been closed in the past two weeks by the board of the company.

Ballygar has been hit by a number of closures, with the VEC training centre, the Youth Work Ireland youth centre and the community welfare office closing. This has resulted in a huge loss of services and revenue to this rural area and the region cannot withstand the closure of the resource centre. I am told there are more than 400 local signatories to a petition against the closure of the centre, that there are letters from the doctor's clinic, the public health nurse and the local supermarkets to name but a few who are supporting the retention of this centre.

Through its main funding body Tusla - through Tusla's community services programme funded by Pobal and other grants awarded - Aonad brings in up to €250,000 into the area. It is an important economic initiative for the area. If Aonad Resource Centre is allowed to close there will be a loss of seven full-time jobs and other jobs losses through the Tús, FÁS and intern programmes.

I appreciate there may be local issues with the board of the company in question. What people have asked me to raise with the Minister is that the services that are being funded by Tusla and other State organisations be continued in whatever way is possible. I understand there is a question of whether the company will fold in the next couple of weeks. I have been asked if there is a possibility that the programmes that are being funded, which are important in the local area, could be transferred as undertakings to another organisation, or a new organisation be set up to continue the good work that has been done to date because the community is very concerned that it will lose the continuity of all the good work that has been done since 2003.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus tá mé ag tnúth go mór lena fhreagra.