Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response, but to be honest, it tells me absolutely nothing I did not already know. She repeated what I had told her. I want an answer to the question as to whether funding will be continued for these organisations. She referred to an appeals process. The organisations submitted appeals almost 12 months ago, but no decision has been arrived at. Surely it is time the Department pulled out its finger and made a decision on the appeals to let the people concerned know what the position is, as they are caught in limbo where jobs are at risk, yet nobody is giving them an answer. All I hear from the Minister of State is that they were invited to make submissions as part of the review process and that it is intended to publish the outcome of the review as soon as possible, but where does this leave the organisations in question? They do not know whether they will receive funding or whether they will have to close their doors. Somebody needs to provide an answer to their questions quickly.