Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 267: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he will re-instate funding to the community workers co-operative. [6897/05]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 268: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason he stated in reply to Question No. 224 of 1 February 2005 that the community workers co-operative does not meet the Government funding criterion of concentrating available resources on support for communities experiencing disadvantage, exclusion and isolation when this network represents the views of both paid and unpaid community workers and hundreds of local organisations with an anti-poverty and equality focus throughout the country. [6898/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 267 and 268 together.

As is implied by the Deputy's question, I believe that the community workers co-operative is the voice of community workers rather than of disadvantaged communities. As there is in existence a well developed structure providing supports to the sector, I do not believe that continued funding for the community workers co-operative under the national anti-poverty networks scheme could be justified. I have dealt with this issue comprehensively already in the House. I refer the Deputy in particular to my reply to Question 4 and related questions on 22 February 2005.