Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will establish the reason a commitment made by the probation and welfare section of his Department that it would provide financial assistance in the sum of €150,000 to the YAP-Horizons project in Ballymun has not been fulfilled; if he will ensure that this support is forthcoming, as in its absence, the project will have a serious funding shortfall, which will have an impact on the ability of the project to respond to the need of a vulnerable cohort of young persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27778/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I can inform the Deputy that my Department, through the Probation and Welfare Service, has provided current funding to the Ballymun youth action project since 1989. Current funding of €66,700 was advanced to the project in 2004, and a similar grant has been paid in the current year.

As part of the regeneration of Ballymun, the tower block which housed the project was demolished. The future plan for the project is that it will occupy a unit in a new multi-purpose, multi-agency community support centre in Ballymun.

An application from the project, in December 2004, for a capital grant of €150,000 was submitted to my Department through the Probation and Welfare Service. As it is not the norm in my Department to provide capital grants for the purchase or development of premises which I, as Minister, do not own or lease, capital funding was not sanctioned.

It is, however, my intention to provide current funding to the project to continue its valuable work with drug-abusing offenders in the Ballymun area.