Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am very glad that such a mechanism is there. I think it will be very important. Not everything always benefits from a competitive process. At times a collaborative process is a more useful approach. In other aspects of community development, competitive tendering has on occasion led to a loss of a sense of empowerment whereby funding needed to be given to projects from the ground up. It is useful to recognise that other funding mechanisms are sometimes more appropriate in order to get engagement, empowerment and buy-in on a scheme, project or initiative.