Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, and wish him well in his new position. He has taken on a very challenging role. As he is from rural Ireland, I have no doubt that he will ensure the interests of many of the activities in rural areas will be protected. He will be very much aware of the great work being done by various voluntary organisations.

As I am sharing time with my colleague, Senator Susan O'Keeffe, I will be as brief as possible. The facts are well known about the National Collective of Community-based Women's Networks, NCCWN, and the voluntarily managed and led national and local community development programme. The NCCWN has 17 local women's projects, one of which is the north Leitrim women's resource which is the focus of this debate. It has a current budget of €1.3 million and employs staff who engage with almost 37,000 women.

As the Minister is aware, the local and community development programme, LCDP, is to be replaced by the 2015 social inclusion community activation programme, SICAP. The new programme is out to e-tender. However, not all the 17 women's networks have been enabled to participate in a local consortium for the SICAP. Furthermore, disadvantaged women are not named as a target group. Therefore, the work of the network with disadvantaged women is not recognised and does not fit under the programme, at least according to my information. I hope the Minister will be able to reassure the 17 groups but particularly the north Leitrim women's resource.

North Leitrim is an area of very severe economic and social disadvantage. It has a low density population, even within a county that has a low population of 31,000. The bulk of the population is located south or east of Lough Allen, whereas the northern part is much more sparsely populated. As a result, it lacks any type of industrial production and relies to a large extent on tourism, small farmers and the cheque from the European Union. The challenges faced by the Manorhamilton-based group are immense. I understand its severe anxiety in not knowing what will happen to it and its funding in the future. I hope the Minister can provide some reassurance, in view of the very valuable work done by the Manorhamilton group and its sister organisations across the country.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | 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.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for giving me this opportunity to update the House on the current position on the new social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and, in particular, the position of the North Leitrim Women's Centre and the National Collective of Community-based Women's Networks under the programme.

The proposals outlined in Putting People First - Action Programme for Effective Local Government seek to position local government "as the primary vehicle of governance and public service at local level - leading economic, social and community development, delivering efficient and good value services, and representing citizens and local communities effectively and accountably". As part of the programme of reform of local government, local community development committees are being established in all local authority areas. These committees, comprising public-private socio-economic interests, will have responsibility for local and community development programmes on an area basis, including the social inclusion and community activation programme. They will develop, co-ordinate and implement a more coherent and integrated approach to local and community development than heretofore, with the aim of reducing duplication and overlap and optimising the use of available resources for the benefit of citizens and communities.

The SICAP is a key priority of the Government and its budget for next year will be decided in the 2015 Estimates process. In accordance with the public spending code, good practice internationally, legal advice and in order to ensure the optimum delivery of services to clients, the programme will be subject to a public procurement process, which is under way. The closing date for receipt of expressions of interest in stage 1 of the process was noon last Friday, 11 July.

The public procurement process is a competitive one open to local development companies, other not-for-profit community groups, commercial firms and national organisations such as the NCCWN that can provide the services to be tendered for to deliver the new programme. Joint applications are encouraged and organisations of varying sizes, for example, smaller organisations such as North Leitrim Women's Centre, working in consortia with larger organisations, were invited to submit joint applications. Partner candidates have a role in the delivery and implementation of the programme. All such partner candidates must be identified in the qualification questionnaire and a contracting arrangement may be required between the lead candidate and any partner candidate. Candidates may rely on the resources of other entities in order to satisfy the suitability requirements on condition that they can prove to the satisfaction of Pobal that they will have these resources at their disposal, when necessary.

Applicants in stage 1 of the tendering process must demonstrate that they meet the criteria for the delivery of services in the lots applied for. A total of 31 lots are being offered for tender, based on local authority areas. In some cases, these may be divided into smaller units in stage 2 of the process which will get under way in early September.

In summary, it was possible for the NCCWN to apply to deliver the service in a county or counties and the North Leitrim Women's Centre had the option of partnering with another body to deliver the service in County Leitrim. I am satisfied that the procurement process under way is in line with good practice and that the procurement documentation on e-Tenders contains all of the relevant information on the process.

I look forward to the outcome of the procurement process towards the end of the year and the roll-out of the SICAP in January 2015.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Interestingly enough, when it was originally established by the LCDP, the then Government made specific arrangements for the National Collective of Community-based Women's Networks because it was recognised that the position of disadvantaged women would be diluted in a mix of this nature. I do not see why we are doing what the then Government tried to avoid. The North Leitrim Women's Centre and the National Collective of Community-based Women's Networks state they have explored the relevant avenue and that the networks, etc., are not all in a position to become part of local consortia in their areas. In other words, they do not have other organisations on to which they might hold and because they do not constitute a target group in their own right, they are lost. We risk losing them and their work. In such circumstances, I ask the Minister to reconsider the position.

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I return to the point about density of population. We are talking about what is essentially a small group in a relatively lowly populated area. Senator Susan O'Keeffe is absolutely correct in what she says. Will the Minister provide some assurance that this structure which has developed over many years will not disappear and that there will be some funding available for the group in question to continue the work it is doing? He referred to 31 lots based in local authority areas. Does this mean that money will be made available specifically for the activities of the current group in County Leitrim? I appreciate that the Minister only assumed responsibility for his portfolio in recent days. At the same time, however, we are concerned with a small county which is trying to retain services and also fighting against the flow, particularly in population numbers. I do not want to sound as if I am crying about this matter, but Senator Susan O'Keeffe and I are merely outlining the unfortunate reality of life in County Leitrim. Will the Minister give a commitment to protect the particular group we are discussing and provide it with some assurance that it can continue the good work it is doing?

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for appreciating the fact that I only inherited responsibility for this matter in recent days. I do not know who tendered for the contract and neither would it be appropriate for me to know. I am also not aware whether the groups in question submitted tenders, either individually or as part of consortia. The Senators have identified an issue with specific women's groups which I will bring to the attention of the officials in my Department in order that they might investigate the position further. The process must be completed on the basis of the criteria laid down. I will examine the matter further, but I must see the process through in the first instance. We will see what the outcome is. If, on the basis of that outcome, there is a need to revisit the matter, we may possibly be able to do so.