John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply but unfortunately, the issue with the rebate scheme, as I see it, is that it operates the following year. There is no baseline support in place for these community text alert groups that provide an invaluable service for their communities. It is April and there has been no rebate scheme for 2022. If we take 2023, for example, texts have been going out for the last four months. There is no baseline support for those community groups for 2023 and it will be April of next year and beyond before they get support for those texts that are going out at this moment in time. Funding of €1 million to €1.5 million to provide baseline support of €750 to €1,000 for each of these groups would be a very small sum of money in the context of the Department of Justice's budget. The value for money that could be provided by such a small sum of money is something I ask the Minister of State to expedite without delay. It does not need Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform sanction or any other sanction; it is something that is within the gift of the Department of Justice and I ask that it is expedited without delay. We all agree on the importance of these groups.