Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will confirm his commitment and support to volunteerism; the funding being made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5135/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department supports the community and voluntary sector through a wide range of programmes and supports. Under the White Paper on supporting voluntary activity funding totalling €600,000 is provided in 2005 for training and support grants for community and voluntary organisations. In addition, estimated funding for 2005 of €1,827,000 will be provided this year to cover the administration and core costs of federations, networks and umbrella bodies in the community and voluntary sector.

My Department administers funding under the programme for support for national anti-poverty networks. Responsibility for this scheme transferred from the Combat Poverty Agency to my Department in 2004. Funding of the national anti-poverty networks for 2005 will total €1,392,908. My Department assumed responsibility from Comhairle in January 2004 for the provision of supports to Tallaght Volunteer Bureau, Volunteering Ireland and Focus Ireland in the sum of €91,339, €106,139 and €74, 520, respectively. I propose to extend this funding in 2005, with a 5% increase, bringing the total amount of funding to €286,314.

Annual once-off for grants for equipment and capital funding for community and voluntary organisations. The estimated funding for the annual once-off grants in 2005 totals €2.9 million.

The community development projects, partnership companies, community groups and LEADER companies which my Department funds provide a large range of indirect supports to the community and voluntary sector. This includes providing meeting facilities, resource centres and phone, fax or photocopying facilities for local community and voluntary organisations. They also involve large numbers of volunteers from their community in their project activities, such as running child care projects, homework clubs, youth clubs, adult learning or other community-based facilities.

Local drugs task forces, LDTFs, funded by my Department also provide indirect supports to the community and voluntary sector and also include volunteers from their communities in their LDTF projects.

As indicated in my reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 599 and 609 on 26 January 2005, I hope to be in a position over the coming period to announce a number of further initiatives in support of volunteering.